By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — In homage to their father, Raymond and Tim Smith have opened Reno’s Grill Family Style Restaurant.
The Smith brothers have brought back some favorite menu items they learned to prepare while working alongside their father, Reno Smith.
He passed away eight years ago, but his love for the restaurant business lives on in sons Tim, 49, and Raymond, 41.
“We were extremely close to our father,” Raymond Smith said. “We said let’s see if we can give it a shot and bring back some things that people haven’t seen in a long time.”
Reno Smith ran Pasquale’s Pizza in Albemarle in the 1970s and Reno’s in Rockwell in the 1980s.
The hot subs and hoagies popular at those restaurants are now available at Reno’s Grill, 1617 S. Main St., previously Salisbury Grill. Reno’s Grill is open for breakfast, lunch and supper every day except Sunday.
The menu offers several varieties, including meatball, ham and cheese and Italian. All feature garlic butter on top of the bread, a unique touch, Raymond Smith said.
While Reno’s Grill doesn’t serve pizza or stromboli, the Smith brothers may add those foods to the menu in the future.
“The sandwiches are what we’re most proud of,” Raymond Smith said.
Raymond and his wife, Misty Smith, and Tim and his wife, Linda Smith, own and operate the restaurant.
“We make almost everything homemade,” said Raymond Smith, who managed Shoney’s in Salisbury and owned Raymond’s Restaurant at the Day’s Inn.
The menu also includes hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken tenders, as well as daily lunch specials like spaghetti, chicken and dumplings and meat loaf. Some breakfast items are available all day.
The brothers and their wives worked to keep prices down while designing the menu, Raymond Smith said.
“We know how expensive it can be to go out to eat,” he said.
Hot subs with fries cost between $5.89 and $6.89, and the most expensive meal on the menu is ribeye with salad, bread and potato at $10.99.
Children eat for $3.49 or less, including a drink.
They’ve discovered that diners are more health-conscious now. Tim Smith said a man ordering breakfast wanted oatmeal, which the restaurant didn’t have in stock.
Now, it does.
Reno’s offers a 10 percent senior discount. Tim and Raymond are considering additional perks, such as coupons, free coffee and a discount for active military personnel.
Once the Smiths obtain a beer license, Reno’s will host karaoke on weekends.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.