CRESTLINE, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The new owners of a downtown eatery are “serving up” some new fare and catering to customers who want more than a beer and bite to eat.

Joey’s Pub & Café, 222 N. Seltzer Street, has beefed up its menu, according to manager and co-owner Jose Gonzales.  But the café is also drawing in diners with live music and entertainment.

“So far, so good. Business has been snowballing and it’s getting better week in and week out,” said Gonzales, who purchased the establishment with a close friend and co-owner, Kevin Gosser, in December.

Since then, Gonzales said, Joey’s Pub & Café has increased its hours to attract the lunch crowd, beginning at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday with lunch specials, such as Taco Tuesday, available daily.

Tacos, taco flatbreads, cheeseburgers, and fries have been added to the menu offerings, he said, along with smoked wings.  A kids menu featuring favorites like mac and cheese has also debuted.

Live bands perform at the venue on weekends, Gonzales said, but the “big hit” has been the addition of music bingo, which started in January.  The weekly event culminates the last Wednesday of the month with purse bingo.

“Designer handbags are the prizes.  We had a packed house in here.  It’s been a great event.  Everybody loves it,” he said.  “It’s something different for the town and something different for the community.”

Although the business has been open more than two years, Gonzales said he and Gosser heard last summer that it was for sale.  “We started talking about it.  We started crunching some numbers and we thought let’s go for it.”

They took over December 1 and soon implemented the biggest change for the restaurant – opening on Mondays and Tuesdays.  They also dropped a few menu items in favor of customer requests and top sellers like the stud sub, he said.

A Queen of Hearts drawing at $5 a ticket is held every Thursday, Gonzales said.  The establishment – housed in the historic J.M. Geiger building – hopes to re-institute Keno soon.

Joey’s offers a 25-percent discount to first responders, veterans, and those in the military.  It is closed on Sunday.