Gay Street corner store Rendezvous Cafe, is now under new ownership and management. Restaurant newcomer Eliza Keller has taken rein of operations, introducing a new menu and rebranding the space as Nosh Columbus. The fast-casual shop offers sandwiches, coffee, wine, cigarettes, and various other convenience store mainstays.
Keller’s parents George and Anita Keller own downtown brunch spot The Hungry Soul Cafe, where Keller waitressed and washed dishes prior to Nosh. They were searching to open another restaurant venture, with their sights eventually landing upon the for-sale Rendezvous Cafe, which conveniently happened to be walking distance from The Hungry Soul. After buying, they passed the torch to Keller, where she’ll be proving her chops as general manager.
“It’s been both exciting and scary,” said Keller. “I saw my parents open their own restaurant and didn’t know what to expect, because this is a completely different beast… but I knew this was going to be crazy, so I had to be prepared.”
Nosh Columbus’ official name change went into effect at the beginning of March, a week after Nosh was bought. Keller will be keeping a few of Rendezvous’ popular recipes in stock, including the bone-in spicy jerk chicken, chicken tiki masala, and curry chicken offered by former owners A.J. Siddiqui and Iola Brown. She plans to have a more fluid menu by summer, with lighter fare and prepackaged grab-and-go food available. Her father does the cooking at Hungry Soul, mostly due to Nosh’ lack of kitchen space. The jerk chicken gets marinaded at Hungry Soul and cooked at Nosh, while the curry and gumbo just get a morning warmup. As for drinks, cases of beer, bottles of wine, and a special blend of Stauf’s coffee are all at hand.
Many of Nosh Columbus’ customers are businesspeople in town for weeklong conferences, staying at Downtown hotels like the nearby Renaissance Columbus. Keller also serves Downtown business employees that pop over from nearby offices. She plans to provide bike delivery in the near future, in addition to extending Nosh Columbus’ hours.
“It’s really a nice location,” she stated. “It’s interesting to see everyone that comes in, and everything that goes on outside.”
Nosh Columbus is located at 100 E. Gay Street, seating 14 along street-facing glass window walls. Current hours are 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/noshdowntown.
