Broadway Grill Reopens as food.

Three weeks and three days – that’s how long the Broadway Grill was closed before it reopened Friday under new ownership and with a new name: food.

With a fresh, modern look and a menu still focused on burgers and comfort food, the restaurant is in what’s known as a “soft launch” as the kitchen and wait staff learn new routines and figure out what works well and what doesn’t. It is open each day this week at noon for lunch and again at 5pm for dinner. The restaurant will serve brunch on Sunday and expects to open for breakfast hours next week, said food.’s managing partner, Jerry Rotunno.

The restaurant’s large windows and location at the corner of Summit and Springfield Avenues have sparked curiosity in its transformation, Rotunno said. More customers have come in to try the place than he expected, and he’s had to increase the week’s orders of bread and meet to keep up. Tuesday afternoon around 2 pm, the restaurant was half-full of diners eating a late lunch.

“We took the paper off and there was a line out the door,” Rotunno said. “It’s a great problem to have.”

Rotunno replaced the Broadway Grill’s décor – brown and gold, with framed show posters – with bright white tables and funky light fixtures. Blue paint and a black floral design make for simple but bold wall accents. The lunch menu includes a variety of salads, burgers, stuffed crepes, and fries; the dinner menu lists similar offerings but adds dishes like lamb. Breads are from Balthazar Bakery, and the ground meat and coffee are also from specialty purveyors, Rotunno said.

Rotunno describes the restaurant as “contemporary comfort” -  meaning “kid-friendly” and “come as you are,” with “gourmet food” and a “fine-dining feel kept at a decent price." For the record, its name is pronounced “food,” not “food, period,” he said.  

The restaurant is still hiring servers, Rotunno said. Its website, www.foodinsummit.com, contains phone numbers and directions and will soon list its menus.