Popular Fairport restaurant reopens with new look after 20-month closure. Take a peek inside

Popular Fairport restaurant reopens with new look after 20-month closure. Take a peek inside

A popular Fairport restaurant reopened this week with a fresh look, 20 months after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Riki’s Family Restaurant, 25 N. Main St. in Fairport, closed temporarily in March 2020.

Instead of reopening for in-person dining under the state’s COVID-related safety guidelines, the Demkos family, which owns and operates the eatery and the building it occupies, opted to take time to update the restaurant. 

Renovations, which started in March, however took longer than expected to due to ongoing delays in the supply chain, which pushed back the restaurant’s reopening plans to mid-November.

“It was difficult,” said George Demkos, who first opened the restaurant in 1986. “We depleted our funds.”

On Tuesday, the eatery reopened for in-person dining. Demkos said he and his staff have received a warm reception from longtime patrons. On Wednesday morning, he was greeted by numerous patrons excited to once again enjoy a meal in the refreshed storefront. Demkos said that the first day back was “pretty good.”

While closed, the owners emptied the eatery, and removed its worn booths and aging carpet. New booths, chairs and tables were installed atop new vinyl flooring, the kitchen was updated and Riki’s historic murals were refreshed by Fairport artist Lorraine Staunch.

Riki’s will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. Riki’s breakfast and lunch menus have not changed since before the closure. The ever-popular Friday fish fry will also return, but will be served at lunchtime.

Much of Riki’s staff has returned, including the cooks in the kitchen. However, due to the labor shortage sparked by the ongoing pandemic, Demkos said he’s not sure when he’ll be able to further expand business hours.

The Demkos family also owns two spots in Spencerport — Union Street Coffee House on South Union Street,  which never closed during the pandemic, and Johnny D’s Family Restaurant on North Union Street, which opened in August 2020.

Contact Victoria Freile at vfreile@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @vfreile and Instagram @vfreile. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.