For nearly 20 years, Winking Lizard has been a fixture on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. It replaced Pepper Ridge Tavern, which replaced Turkey Ridge Tavern, two popular neighborhood watering holes. That legacy will end in early fall when the Lizard opens its next location, this one in Mayfield Heights. The company recently took possession of the former El Rio Grande (and Buca di Beppo) spot and have begun work to transform it into a Winking Lizard.
“We’re completely gutting the inside of the building,” says Lizard principal John Lane.
When completed sometime next fall, the space will boast roomy dining rooms, high ceilings, and two separate patio bars. One will be devoted to the Winking Lizard brand, while the other will be dedicated to the new Cellarville concept, a 21-and-over pub offering craft draft beers, high-end whiskey and a cigar-friendly perch.
Lane says that when all is said and done, the Mayfield spot will be in the top three in terms of size within the organization.
Meanwhile, the Lizard is killing off its Winks Bar and Grille brand, one that offered a more upscale food experience. The original opened in late 2012 at the Galleria downtown. The second opened in Beachwood late last year. The Beachwood location already has been converted to a Winking Lizard and the Galleria will follow suit.
“The sad thing is, the downtown Winks is doing pretty well, but we just couldn’t get Beachwood off the ground,” Lane says. “We’re finding already that people in Beachwood are much happier since we converted it over. After 31 years of business, we’re still learning.”
Lane says that very little needs to be done to either location for the conversion “other than adding a lizard cage.”
As for his decision to shutter the Coventry location, Lane points to neighborhoods like University Circle, Ohio City and Detroit Shoreway as challenges to the bottom line.
“The competition is insane, and the development dollars are going to certain neighborhoods,” he says.
The Coventry location will remain open until around the time the new Mayfield spot opens its doors.
This article appears in Feb 4-10, 2015.
well that sucks.
One of the few things I liked about Cleveland. Now Ohio will really suck.
Incredibly disappointed.
How does Ohio suck because a restaurant changed locations? I only feel sorry for people in that area. Also, it’s not like there aren’t other locations.
I wish them well at that location….have lived in Mayfield since the 80’s and NOTHING succeeds there! No one can find it! (You Winkers better consider that…I’m telling you the location, behind the shopping center, is very confusing and not “non-locals” friendly.) You really need to know your way around. But, I welcome something new to our town. Good luck!
They seriously need to keep the Winks brand downtown. This is like not liking the Cavs because the Browns are doing shitty.
Awful decision. I live in the area. Now, they will lose all of the college business. Coventry is always packed and well known/liked in the area. Awful awful move.
Nothing wrong, and a lot right, about opening a location in Mayfield Heights, but I don’t see why that means they need to close the one on Coventry. A real loss to the Coventry area. I live in Beachwood, and never heard about the Winks opening – the lack of advertising might have had something to do with it not doing well!
Wow. What a terrible decision. I am really disappointed in the owner’s decision to make this move (and I don’t even live in Cleveland Heights anymore).
Horrible location. Not easy to find – hassle to get to compared to other locations. The new flip side in the old theatre on mayfield will capture the business. B-spot is also closer competition. I like the Liz but think this is the wrong move.
Terrible! Why give up an established customer base to maybe do better or worse somewhere else? Just add the new one! Cleveland Heights will be at least 20 minutes away from any other location if this happens, keeping Coventry open is not going to detract from their other locations.
Coventry seems like a perfect location for Winking Lizard. I think they are making a mistake by leaving.
Who is running this company? Close a popular spot in favor of moving to a historically terrible location that nobody can find. Rebrand a popular concept downtown because Beachwood is struggling. And what they did to the Lizardville (Cellarville?) menu in Lakewood when they moved from Rocky River was shameful cost cutting. Lizardville had an awesome menu and they ditched it for WL’s shitty bar food.
I am really disappointed they are closing Winks. It was my go to place before Tribe and Cavs games when everything around Gateway was packed.
On a side note, blaming Ohio City for your business troubles in the Heights? Really? Different worlds.
The winks in Coventry always seemed pretty full to me. I hope something awesome moves into that spot.
Booooo. Really disappointed. Traveling from Toledo a couple times a month if not more to the University circle area always meant a visit to the Coventry location. I won’t go further east to Mayfield. I have been to several other lizard locations and Coventry was my favorite due to its charm first and location second. Think it’s a mistake.
Such a busy and loved establishment. Draws a crowd that the new one will not. Sad.
The winking lizard has been moving their rented locations for the last few years to nearby real estate that they can buy. If they can find a building big enough in coventry they’ll be back also winks is not closing in the galleria, it’s just becoming a regular lizard. FYI what he’s trying to say is the young people with money are spending their time in tremont and ohio city and Detroit shoreway.
Welp, I’ll never have a need to go to Winking Lizard again.
Aww that sucks I loved that place!!!
Wow. All these negative comments. Winking Lizard is an exceptionally well run organization. The fact that others have failed in the Golden Gate location is irrelevant. WL knows how to market. The others didnt.
Thanks WL. As a resident of Geauga Co., I can’t find enough good, reasonably priced restaurants. You will be only 15 min. away. Can’t wait and I know exactly where you will be located.
The new location (tucked away behind I-271) is NOT a prime location – in fact, the erstwhile Bucca di Beppo failed miserably – primarily due to its inconspicuous location, it was then replaced by El Rio Grande (which whilst not completely a failure – courtesy their outstanding lunch buffet). The new lizard will be hard to get to – will take some maneuvering. I lived in Mayfield Hts and went to the Lizard in coventry forgoing the one on Miles Road (in Bedford Hts). While I am glad that a lizard will open in Mayfield Hts, I am not so sure of its continued success.
How are Detroit-Shoreway or Ohio City any more of a threat to a business in Cleveland Heights than they will be to one in Mayfield? My guess is this has more to do with the continued deterioration of Cleveland Heights, whose latest murder, that of Robert Dudley in a drug deal gone bad, took place literally around the corner from the current Coventry location just weeks before this announcement.
Alot of you are missing the point that was brought up by the owner. Uptown is booming (restaurants, bowling alley, etc). Ohio City, Tremont, and Downtown are much more trendy and populated than in the past. For Case and John Caroll people, there are other options now. Coventry has done little to update itself. They are still recovering from the flash mobs a few years back and the ensuing curfew. McNulty’s also shut down. If you miss your meter by 1 minute, you get a ticket. A Buffalo Wild Wings just opened up on Cedar-Fairmount with better TVs and a more updated feel. There are lots of reasons why this happened.
Mayfield Heights is a white elephant! Loser location behind Eastgate. Very bad move! We always have our Co. Xmas parties at Coventry. It’s always busy and has good energy. Not happy about this.
I think this is a GREAT business decision! Mayfield Road is full of mattress stores and chain restaurants. It will be nice to have a locally owned restaurant that can accommodate families and all age groups. The menu is varied enough that anyone can eat there healthily or not. And it’s not that far from Coventry. As for the inconvenience of accessing the new location, it’s really not that difficult. The great advertising that the restaurant gets from being next to 271 is priceless. Really, better signage with arrows is all that is needed.
That new location will be gone in less than two years. I have not seen anything last there …. EVER. What a shame closing the Coventry location too. That place is one of the two reason I actually go to Coventry anymore. Sad day.
I really don’t understand why Winking Lizard doesn’t take over the old Damon’s on Bagley Rd in Middleburg Hts. It would do as well as the one in Independence. Perfect location.
Winking Lizard doesn’t know what the f**k they are doing with their branding and strategy. They keep making and failing at new brands, combining,closing, renaming. I’ve been to a ton of “Wink” establishments and I don’t know what’s heads or tails. Develop some kind of solid brand consistency.
That’s too bad. Guess nothing ever stays the same no matter how good it is.
Why change Wink’s if it’s doing well? This will just put 2 Winking Lizards less than a mile apart.
I spent my high school and college years in late 80’s-90’s in the cleve’s heights scene. Went to JCU, lived off Coventry in apartments. My dad used to take me to Tommy’s for lunch in the 70’s, I remember going to the midnight Rocky Horror Picture showings on Coventry theater, using all my allowance money for vinyl at Record Revolution, coffee at the original Arabica, I bartended at Tukey Ridge Tavern while in college, and remember the opening of Grog Shop and spent many a drunken punked out nights listening to acts there, then crawling the Lee Road scene. I currently work at Case Medical Center and let me tell you…..Coventry is a FAR FAR cry from what it was 20-30 years ago. Its downright dangerous, scary and undesirable compared to what it used to be. University Circle after work engagements rarely end up at Coventry anymore for these same facts. The few times I landed there for an after work outing, it was not pleasant. I think WL is absolutely doing the right thing in terms of pursuing a location for building ownership,freeway accessibility and surrounding socioeconomic climate. WL is something people are LOOKING FOR. The other failed eateries at this location simply did not have 31 years of brand strength under their belts like WL does. The somewhat obscure location will not be an issue. People know what the WL is , and they will seek it out and find it. For Pete’s sake you turn into Golden Gate shopping center entrance by 271 on ramp, make a right and within 30 feet make another right and its RIGHT THERE. Ample parking and a freestanding building for them to make all the bar noise they want. People are acting like you need a hidden treasure map to find the place just because its behind another building. Love it and I will be a regular there with bells on.
plus Panini’s is right smack across the street from the new location at Golden Gate. That Panini’s is jam packed 7 days a week and WL is going to leverage a sports bar crowd that is already frequenting the location, for the same reasons. Instant starting customer base already there.
I hope they don’t mess around with Lakewood!!
George, I was there in the mid 80’s and i spent a lot of time at Turkey Ridge Tavern and Eatery and I miss it. I moved there from Aurora Co. and what I do not miss about Ohio is the cold winters. I lived there approx. 4-5 years and I remember the Rocky Horror Picture show and that is a Deja Vu moment for me in that I am taking a class online for humanities and the instr. was asking students about the show. I was wondering if the theater is still there,