Two restaurants in Pulaski County had ribbon-cutting ceremonies this week as one opened for business and the other officially opened a new patio.

Many area residents are familiar with Sandro’s Restaurant & Pizzeria in Fairlawn. A second location of Sandro’s opened its doors on July 14 in Dublin just off Highway 100 and I-81 near Wal-Mart at 5239 Alexander Road, Dublin. Sandro’s owner Alessandro Pugliese (shown in middle wearing black shirt in ribbon cutting photo) said the Fairlawn Sandro’s will soon become Sal’s Jr., an offshoot of the famous Radford restaurant Sal’s, originally owned by Pugliese’s father and now owned by his brother.

Pugliese said he was excited about the new location of Sandro’s in Dublin and he believes the Interstate traffic will be good for business. “At our Fairlawn location,” Pugliese said, “we already had a lot of people coming from Dublin and Pulaski to eat, so this will make it easier for them. And we expect to get customers just stopping in from off the Interstate as well.”

Those familiar with the menu items and specials at Sandro’s will continue to see their favorites, whether that be pizza, calzones, sandwiches, or wraps. One thing that will be different, however, is that the new Sandro’s offers counter service rather than having a server come to your table to take your order. “That eliminates the middle man,” Pugliese said.

With the first day of business on Monday and the ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Pugliese said he is hoping that area residents are now aware that the Dublin location of Sandro’s is open and ready for their business.

Just up the Interstate from Sandro’s new location, MK’s Gourmet Pizzeria & Shoppe recently celebrated its new addition, an expansive patio.

Located at 4941 State Park Road in Dublin off Exit 101 of I-81 and just before entering Claytor Lake State Park, MK’s has been in business about 2 1/2 years. Owner T.J. Van Dyke (pictured at left) spoke at Wednesday’s ribbon cutting of the evolution of the restaurant. “We thought we were going to mostly be a carry-out-and-go restaurant,” said Van Dyke, who owns the establishment along with his wife, Sherry. “But we saw quickly that the customers wanted a dine-in restaurant. We kept adding seats inside, and then decided to expand outside.”

MK’s had offered a few tables outside but Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) required an enclosed area in order for alcoholic beverages to be served. The Van Dyke’s spoke to business neighbor Arthur Cox of Indian Creek Hardscaping and they contacted Deb Brown at H.T. Ferron Company in Charlottesville. Together they worked up a design and used a synthetic stone wall called Redi Rock.

T.J. laughed as he stated that the project grew to “about twice the size it was going to be,” but he said he was thrilled with the finished product. “We wanted something that was going to enhance our business,” he said. “We want to make sure that this is a clean, nice-looking place to be.”

He said that the new patio opens lots of opportunities, including being rented out for parties or receptions. On the day of the ribbon cutting, MK’s offered live acoustic music, and T.J. said that occasional live music might be something MK’s offers in the future.

One of the important reasons for the addition, though, is that many people using Claytor Lake State Park or residents of the Claytor Lake community enjoy coming in off the lake in the summer and enjoying some food and beverages outside. The new patio definitely accommodates those desires.

MK’s proudly boasts its wood-fired brick oven pizzas but also offers an array of appetizers, calzones, strombolis, pasta, and sandwiches. The restaurant also serves nightly dinner specials.

Inside the restaurant, customers can shop for Virginia-produced agricultural products, such as specialty foods, wine, hams, honey, and snack items.

The Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce organized the ribbon cuttings for Sandro’s and MK’s, and Chamber Executive Director Peggy White said the progress of these two restaurants continues to show that Pulaski County is a great place for business development.

Tim W. Jackson is Editor of the New River Voice and loves pizza.