Pita N More is coming back. More than two years after a fire tore through its original Riverside storefront, the Mediterranean restaurant has secured a new home in Kettering's Woodlane Plaza and plans to reopen once remodeling wraps up.
The restaurant will move into 2318 E. Dorothy Lane, the space most recently occupied by Rum Runners Café, according to the Dayton Daily News. No official reopening date has been set while interior work continues, though the restaurant says it will announce a grand opening soon. Pita N More originally opened in 2022 at 5524 Airway Road in Riverside's Page Manor Shopping Center, where it operated for roughly two years before disaster struck, per the Dayton Business Journal.
That disaster arrived in the early morning hours of August 11, 2024, when a fire broke out at a neighboring Dollar General just after 5 a.m., first detected by a burglar alarm. Firefighters remained on scene for 11 hours battling the blaze, according to WHIO. The Dollar General was completely destroyed, while Pita N More suffered extensive damage and neighboring Las Margaritas Mexican Bar and Grill sustained smoke and water damage, forcing both businesses out of the strip mall.
A Shopping Center With a Troubled Past
The 2024 fire wasn't the first time Page Manor Shopping Center had gone up in flames. The plaza previously suffered another destructive fire back in 2011, the same report notes, leading some longtime residents to describe the property as cursed after watching the center burn more than once.
With its original location unsalvageable, Pita N More spent more than two years searching for a path back. The owners said in social media announcements that persistent encouragement and check-ins from former customers throughout the closure ultimately convinced them to reopen, a sign of just how much community loyalty the brand had built up before the fire shut its doors.
Taking Over a Storefront With Its Own History
The Kettering space Pita N More is moving into has seen plenty of turnover of its own. Rum Runners Café closed its doors on August 22, 2026 after just over two years at the Dorothy Lane address, the Dayton Business Journal reported.
Rum Runners' closure wasn't an isolated event in Woodlane Plaza. It coincided with the shutdown of nearby Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant at 2290 E. Dorothy Lane, which ended a 22-year run in the plaza due to rising food costs and operating expenses, highlighting the cost pressures weighing on local restaurateurs across the strip. Pita N More's new location is in Woodlane Plaza.
What's On the Menu
When it does reopen, Pita N More plans to bring its Mediterranean menu back largely unchanged, featuring chicken, beef, lamb, and falafel pita wraps alongside platters served with rice, salad, and house-made sauces. The owners intend to stick with their original recipes as they rebuild in Kettering, giving former Riverside regulars a familiar taste even as the restaurant starts fresh in a new neighborhood.
