Flyboys Deli pushes back opening date for new Beavercreek restaurant

The new Flyboys Deli in the works in Beavercreek is still navigating the maze of final inspections that are necessary to open and has pushed pack its opening date.

The restaurant's owners are now targeting Jan. 12 for its grand opening — but that date is not set in stone, Flyboys Deli co-owner Steve Crandall said.

>> EARLIER: New locally owned restaurant shoots for Dec. 15 opening in Beavercreek

“We’re close, but we’re not there yet,” Crandall told this news outlet via email. On the restaurant’s Facebook page, followers saw this message this morning, Jan. 2:

“Flyboy's Deli Beavercreek is adding finishing touches and we are enthusiastic to announce our official opening date following final inspections! Hang tight, it'll be worth the wait!”

The 7,400-square-foot restaurant is located outside of the main entrance to the Mall at Fairfield Commons. This will be the second location for Flyboys, which operates a restaurant at 2515 Far Hills Ave. in Oakwood.

>> BEST OF DAYTON: Liberty Reuben from Flyboys Deli wins best sandwich

The new deli is part of a surge of dining options at the Mall at Fairfield Commons that include the recent openings of MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub, Melt Bar & Grilled, FUSIAN, Gyro King, Asian Too and Sbarro Pizza, among others. Earlier this month, a Subway sandwich shop departed the mall’s food court, leaving an opening for a new entrant to the mall’s restaurant roster.

>> RELATED: Flyboys Deli makes ‘Ohio’s 14 best patios’ list (April 2017)

Crandall and his wife Eunice Kim opened the Oakwood Flyboys Deli in January 2013. The restaurant evokes a New York-style deli, with a design and decor that celebrate Dayton’s aviation heritage and its history as a cradle of invention.

>> Get your tickets NOW for Dayton.com’s Best of 2017 party! 

Crandall is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel; he and his wife moved to the Dayton area from Maryland in 2010. Eunice Kim spent 10 years as owner or manager of delis in Maryland and Washington, D.C. area prior to coming to Dayton, and she served as manager for about a month of Flyboys Deli’s predecessor, Cooper’s Deli.

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Flyboy’s Deli was a reader favorite in Dayton.com’s Best of 2016 Best of Dayton, winning the online vote for “Best Deli,” “Best Place for a Business Lunch,” “Best Sandwich” (for its Liberty Reuben) and “Best Secret Menu Item” (for its Philly Beer Cheesesteak). And it placed second in “Friendliest Staff/Best Customer Service.”

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