MOUNT VERNON — When Lela Nunley bought Eloise’s Restaurant in January 2003, it was a culmination of an unexpected journey.
Nunley came to Mount Vernon from Durham, N.C., after her husband died a few years ago. She had some family here and wanted to be closer to them. After she closed her husband’s estate, she had time on her hands and decided to look for a job.
“I kept driving past Eloise’s and saw the help wanted sign outside. I drove past it several times before I got up the nerve to go inside and apply,” Nunley said.
Nunley worked there for about two years and when owners Shirley and Geof Skal decided to sell, she jumped at the chance to buy it.
The restaurant continued to serve its traditional and loyal clientele over the years and business stayed very good. But the work took its toll on Nunley. She has decided to sell the restaurant and is under contract to do so. Her last day at the restaurant will be Dec. 31. The restaurant is scheduled to reopen Jan. 5 under new management.
“I’ve been in the food service business for 30 years,” Nunley explained. “I think it’s time to get out of it. It’s mostly due to health reasons. I’ve had two heart attacks since I took over the restaurant. I think it’s time to go.”
New owner Gary Tortorella has confirmed the restaurant will have a new menu but has not decided on one yet. Nonetheless, he has been doing his homework.
“I’ve been hanging around the restaurant and talking to the clientele,” he said. “She (Nunley) has a good loyal clientele, about 30 to 40 customers who are three-meal-a-day diners. With the prices she has — I’m going to keep those — it’s relatively inexpensive to eat there. Obviously, it must be cheaper for them to eat there than to cook for themselves.”
Tortorella has been asking the customers what they like and don’t like in an attempt to offer a perfect menu.
“And I’ve been talking to the old boys who come in every day at 4 o’clock and sit in the corner and solve the world’s problems,” he explained.
Tortorella is not new to the restaurant business. He has run and owned an Italian restaurant in California just outside Los Angeles. And the restaurant business runs in the family, too.
“I’m going to offer some of my Sicilian background dishes,” he said of some of the few changes he plans. “My grandfather was in the Italian restaurant business in California. I have a nice garlic salad that will run toe-to-toe with the old Mazza’s salad.”
There will be a name change to the restaurant. That decision did not come easy, however.
“We gave some heavy thought whether to keep it Eloise’s or to change the name,” Tortorella said. “After debating back and forth between myself and my wife, we decided a name change would be appropriate to stimulate a little more business. I’m hoping to increase the business by about 10 percent. We will offer home-cooked meals and stay away from preservatives in pre-prepared meals. There will be a definite change of her menu. We’re going to keep about 65 percent of her menu. And we’ll change about 35 percent. What we are keeping is what the regulars said they liked.”
Tortorella will be doing a complete makeover on the inside. It will be scrubbed and painted and completely changed on the inside. When spring comes he plans some changes on the outside, too including the possibility of curb service.
“It’s going to be called the Corner Shack,” he said. “Lela introduced me to some of the longtime regulars who come in every day and I sat down and talked to them for about 20 minutes last week. They told me they don’t call it Eloise’s. They call it the Corner. So, I was going to call it just the Shack. So with their input I decided to call it the Corner Shack. My wife and I look forward to serving the community. We plan to keep it local, use local suppliers. All our suppliers will be local. I want to keep everything in house. I’ve asked the waitresses to stay. They’ve been here a long time. We’re looking forward to it.”
Tortorella plans to open Jan. 5. It will close as Eloise’s on Dec. 31.
