Paint Creek Cider Mill to Reopen With Vintage Vibe, Fresh Menu, Year-Round Hours

The Paint Creek Cider Mill, which is closed for the season, will reopen March 1 with a new look, a fresh menu and year-round hours.

, said he has been busy gussying up the cafe's interior and plans to add at least two hand-crafted sodas to the revamped pizza and lunch menu. Cider and doughnuts, as tradition dictates, will be mainstays in the fall.

"We've been redecorating with kind of a vintage style, back five or six decades," said Granchi, who grew up in the area and came to the cider mill as a kid.

He also plans to keep the eatery open year-round beginning in 2013, Granchi said.

"We closed this year because we didn't have the time (after taking over in October) to promote being open year-round. Everyone had closed (during the winter) for the past 7 years," he explained. "I'm excited to go through a whole season."

Granchi said he took over a lease on the property – with two 2-year renewal opportunities – and expected to have it until at least May 31, 2017.

However, Oakland Township, which owns the Paint Creek Cider Mill building recently put out a request for proposals for the space.

"This was all a huge surprise to me," Granchi said of the township's request. "My wife and I invested our life savings to have a business of our own. ... But, at the same time, it made me stronger and confident that we'll have the best RFP.

"The place means a lot to me, so I hope everything works out," Granchi said.