From left, Mayor Laurie Howland, City Manager Jeff Wright, Vice Mayor Jeff Lykins, David Loftspring, Johnny Vilardo, Gene Loftspring, Milford City Council Member Charlene Hinners, Pam Holbrook of Milford Planning & Zoning, Police Chief Jamey Mills and City Engineer Bud White pose at the groundbreaking of Roney’s in Milford on April 1.

From left, Mayor Laurie Howland, City Manager Jeff Wright, Vice Mayor Jeff Lykins, David Loftspring, Johnny Vilardo, Gene Loftspring, Milford City Council Member Charlene Hinners, Pam Holbrook of Milford Planning & Zoning, Police Chief Jamey Mills and City Engineer Bud White pose at the groundbreaking of Roney’s in Milford on April 1.
By Kelly Doran
Sun staff

A beloved community restaurant will be opening in Milford after being closed for almost a year.

Roney’s will open in four or five months at 314 Chamber Dr. in Milford, said Chance Truemper, vice president of Cincinnati United Contractors, Inc.

A small crowd gathered at the future site of Roney’s on April 1 to celebrate the groundbreaking, including the founder of Roney’s and his wife, Allen and Charlotte Loftspring.

The original location opened in 1969 in Mt. Carmel and closed on May 23, 2014 after a dispute with the landlord, said Gene Loftspring, part owner and son of the founders.

The biggest difference in the new location will be indoor restrooms, Truemper told attendees. Otherwise, Truemper plans to recreate as much of Roney’s as they can.

Customers like the old style of Roney’s, Loftspring said. He has been asked by customers not to build a generic, box store.

“It’s just comforting. It takes them back to a bygone area,” Truemper said. Customers have reminisced to Truemper about their memories of going to Roney’s as children.

“It’s one of a kind, there isn’t really anything like that anymore,” Truemper said.

There will be a few other differences in the new Roney’s, however. It will be 600 square feet bigger than the original and will have modern mechanicals, Truemper said.

The new location will keep the same menu, Loftspring said.

The customer support has been wonderful. Many customers have kept in touch since Roney’s closed, Loftspring said.

“I totally thank and appreciate my loyal customers and all the goodwill they’ve shown towards me,” Loftspring said.

Roney’s Facebook page has 3,445 likes. The post announcing the new location got 831 likes and 781 shares.

“It’s not everyday you get to do something like that, that’s got such a following and so much interest,” Truemper said.

The support and ease of working with Milford has also meant a lot to both Loftspring and Truemper.

“They allowed us to bring our sign, our iconic sign, our road sign,” Loftspring said.

Milford has been great to work with, Truemper said. Not only do city officials streamline the process to make it easy, Roney’s was even allowed to pick their address. They chose 314, because it is Charlotte Loftspring’s birthday.

“I want to tell the Loftspring family how much we appreciate your investment in this city. We think this is a great site for you,” said Jeff Wright, city manager.

Truemper also mentioned how helpful Heritage Bank has been with financing.

“It’s just nice to be a part of such an exciting, iconic restaurant,” Truemper said.