A-Ville Diner opens in former Pizza Plus site
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The new A-Ville Diner is now open in Andersonville where Pizza Plus used to be. It’s open every day except Sunday. - G. Chambers Williams III
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Ray Jenkins makes the first order on opening day at the counter in the new A-Ville Diner in Andersonville from April Hunley, one of the employees. The diner opened last Thursday (March 14) in the former location of Pizza Plus. - G. Chambers Williams III
A-Ville Diner has opened in the space of the former Pizza Plus restaurant in Andersonville, offering burgers, sandwiches, ice cream and pizza.
The new eatery began accepting customers just before 11 a.m. Thursday (March 14), and within a few minutes had several people in line to make their first orders.
First in line was Ray Jenkins of Andersonville, owner of Jenkins Tree Service, who said he came in to buy lunch for his crew. He said he was glad to see a new restaurant in town since the pizza place closed at the end of December.
Owners and operators of A-Ville Diner are Roy and Teresa Bruce, who were the longtime owners of the Andersonville BP gas station and convenience store.
They recently bought the restaurant building, across the street from the convenience store, at 3605 Andersonville Highway, with plans to open the diner there.
“We have dip ice cream, soft-serve ice cream, hamburgers, Hunt Brothers pizza and more,” Roy Bruce said. “We’ll also have chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, fish sandwiches, French fries and tater tots.”
The diner also plans to offer plate lunches with a meat, two sides and a roll for $10.95 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Bruce said he and his wife have been working since Pizza Plus closed to get the building ready for their new diner. “We’ve done a lot of remodeling inside,” he said.
For now A-Ville Diner is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day but Sunday.
The diner will still use the same drive-up window on the west side of the building that Pizza Plus used for takeout orders, Bruce said. But unlike Pizza Plus, the diner will not offer delivery.
Both of the Bruces said they decided to sell the convenience store last year because they had been in that business for the past 45 years, and needed a less-stressful life. They believe the diner will be less work that the store was, Bruce said.
Pizza Plus lost its lease when the Bruces bought the property, and the owners decided not to try to find another location in this area. The building was sold to the Bruces Dec. 7 for $365,000, according to online county property records.
A spokeswoman for the Blountville-based Pizza Plus said the Andersonville location was the furthest of its 56 stores from its home base, and that the company did not want another store that far away.