Renovations are under way at the future home of Papa Del’s, to be located at 1201 S. Neil St., Champaign. Owner Bob Monti said he hopes to utilize the history of the building, which formerly housed Orange and Brew and was once a Coca-Cola factory, in the design of the new restaurant.

The two current Papa Del’s locations at 206 E. Green St. and 2510 Village Green Place in Champaign will be incorporated into one larger restaurant at the new location.

Monti, who has been the owner of Papa Del’s for almost 45 years, said he is excited for the new location. He said it will be easier for him and his family to manage now that there will only be one restaurant to run, although the new restaurant will offer a larger menu than the current two.

He said he plans to open the new restaurant in November of this year. The larger building will offer about 300% more seating than the current Green Street location. There will also be a much larger parking lot.

Monti said he has turned down some business in the past because of the current location’s lack of party rooms, but that will change once the restaurant moves.

One of the things Papa Del’s is locally known for is its large rotating pizza ovens. It will be moving the two ovens from its current locations, and will have another one brought down from Chicago. These unique ovens are not manufactured anymore.

The larger building and appliances will allow the restaurant to add more options to its menu.

“We will have a much more expanded menu because we’ll have a fryer and grills,” Monti said. “We will have a lot more Italian food.”

Monti said he thinks a major advantage of the new location will be that community members who live off-campus will probably be more willing to go to the restaurant when it moves to Neil Street because they can avoid traffic on campus, especially during busy times such as after sporting events.

Shannon Quigley, a resident of Champaign, said the new location will be “the perfect go-to for a Sunday afternoon.”

The staff from both current Papa Del’s locations will work in the new location.

Kiersten Jabusch, a current Papa Del’s employee, said a main benefit for the employees is that there will be a much larger staff, which will make it easier for them to find people to cover their shifts.

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