Uncle Nick’s owners taking over Water Street Cafe

1 comment April 23rd, 2009

A Rockford food franchise is putting its name on a recently shuttered downtown restaurant.

The people behind Uncle Nick’s plan to reopen Water Street Cafe at 115 N. Water St. Manger Pete Gaddis said they’ll likely call it Nick’s Water Street Cafe just to associate it with the popular destination for gyros and other Greek dishes.

Uncle Nick’s will still keep its popular 918 E. State St. location open, as well as its 5404 E. State St. spot. Gaddis said they didn’t initially intend to open another place, but they were regulars at Water Street Cafe and liked the European feel of the business that former owner Gerlinde Sampson had established.

“It’s such a nice spot, and we loved the food that Gerlinde had,” Gaddis said.

The new cafe will include familiar items from Uncle Nick’s current menu, but it will also offer breakfast and coffee, as well as lunch and dinner. Gaddis said they’re still taste-testing potential menu items, but the cafe will allow them to offer traditional Greek dishes that aren’t as easy to serve in the fast-food format of the other two locations.

Gaddis said they hope to open by June, and the weekday hours likely will be 7 a.m. to 9 or 11 p.m.