PINE FOREST, Texas — A familiar Pine Forest restaurant is reopening in the area with a new name and owner.
Pop's Place is familiar to anyone who has driven down Vidor's North Main Street.
New owner Joseph Crapanzano has a family-oriented vision for the restaurant.
"We weren't planning on opening up a restaurant in Texas. But we kind of did it for the community since we own the building. It gives people the chance to connect," said Crapanzano.
Starting with a new name, Gerri Joe's, Crapanzano wants to use his experience in the food industry to bring family-style cooking to Vidor.
“We have restaurants in Miami, LA, New York, New Jersey. This will be a little different, but here we are in Pine Forest," said Crapanzano.
As a father of 7 kids, Crapanzano says his main priority is to make this a place that families can go to to enjoy a meal.
"Just come in and eat, enjoy yourself. Home cooking, not fancy but good quality food for a good price," said Crapanzano.
Renovations are scheduled to start next week. The goal is to open in the next two months.
"We plan on paving the parking lot, since it's kind of half grass, half asphalt. We are gonna do major painting. Cosmetics, aesthetics, and overhaul cleaning," said Crapanzano.
The restaurant will also be bringing in new jobs to the area.
"I would say 10 to 12. Maybe with that, six full and six part time. Yeah it will be great for the community," said Crapanzno.