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Erie's Odis 12 to spread its wings with expanded location

Jim Martin, Erie Times-News, Published 9:55 p.m. ET April 27, 2022

Michael Miodus, owner of Odis 12 Bar & Grill, remembers what it was like in 2014 when his restaurant moved out of its West 26th Street location and into a larger location in the Harley Davidson of Erie building at 3702 W. 12th St. Suddenly Miodus, who had been in business for a decade by that time, found himself awash in space in the Millcreek Township location. Six years later, it's still a big space, but not as big as Miodus would like. "There is no waiting area. It's not a lot of wiggle room. We want to make it a little bigger," he said. When Kelly and Susan Lapping, owners of Harley Davidson of Erie, which occupies the larger share of the building, offered him a chance to buy the space he was leasing and another 6,000 square feet, Miodus jumped at the chance. Kelly Lapping said his motorcycle dealership isn't going anywhere. More: Erie County sees plethora of new restaurants opening despite COVID-19's continued surge "He (Miodus) preferred to own something rather than lease," Lapping said. "It's a win-win for him. It's a win-win for us." According to records filed at the Erie County Courthouse, an entity called Ugly Cousin LLC — a name inspired by one of the more popular wing flavors at Odis 12 — borrowed $1.9 million to buy a portion of the building at 3712 W. 12th St,Miodus, who had been leasing about 7,500 square feet, said extensive renovations are planned to make use of the expanded footprint. Related content Organizers cancel Erie BikeFest motorcycle rally planned for summer That will take some time and will cause some inconvenience. But Miodus expects to keep serving drinks and food, including a selection of 150 wing flavors with names like Driving Miss Daisy, 12 Horse, Ugly Cousin and Scorpion Blood. But there will be some disruptions during four months of construction that's expected to end before the late-summer arrival of football season. Odis 12, which currently has two kitchens and a banquet room, will shut down one of those kitchens and reduce the number of kegs in its draft beer system from 20 to 10. Both moves are temporary, Miodus said. He said he's excited about the opportunity provided by the purchase of more than 13,000- square feet of space. "Going forward, I will have a bigger banquet room, an all-new kitchen, a new bar, and we will be adding 20 to 30 more chairs." Miodus said he's also hoping to improve on what he calls "wiggle room" by making more space for both patrons and his staff of between 40 and 45. Both groups also stand to benefit from an expanded banquet room that will hold up to 100. Like many restaurant owners, Miodus said he has been faced with staffing issues over the last year or so. "We are shorthanded, but I have a really good team that is really grinding," he said. "We are hoping with this remodel and the way we build the kitchen that it will make our lives easier." Odis 12 is expected to remain open throughout the renovations. "Eventually, we will have to close the dining area and keep the bar area open," Miodus said. Even then, he said, patio seating and the addition of some tents could provide space for up to 80 patrons. Miodus said he's grateful to be in this position. "We are excited about this," he said. "We are blessed for this community and the business that people have given us throughout,

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNMartin