Coach & Four gets new owners
The Roanoke Times l File photo
The longtime owners of Coach & Four Restaurant on Williamson Road recently decided it was time to retire, so they sold the place to three brothers who come from a restaurant-owning family.
Coach & Four opened in 1977 and has been owned by Ronnie and Wally Niccolls for the past 24 years. The new owners are Julian, Erion and Marjel Tani, who also own Harbor Inn Seafood restaurant on Williamson Road. Julian Tani said nothing will change at Coach & Four, including the staff. The Niccolls couple are staying on for about a month to help the Tanis with the transition, Ronnie said.
Julian Tani said his family came to Roanoke from the Detroit area a couple of years ago because they were tired of the hard winters there. His parents owned restaurants in North Carolina and Detroit in the past but have retired here in Roanoke. The brothers bought Harbor Inn Seafood about two years ago and decided Coach & Four would also be a good investment.
“Once I heard Coach & Four was for sale, it was a no-brainer for us,” Julian Tani said. “It’s been around for so many years.”
The sale was finalized on December 17. Ronnie Niccolls said they enjoyed their time as restaurateurs. Any outstanding gift certificates for the restaurant will still be honored.
January 2, 2013 - 1:56 PM
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Bummer.
Another one bites the dust…
It isn’t closing. It’s just an ownership change.
I love their meatballs!!!
You know the staff is relieved. I wish the new owners well.
Why do the comments no longer show up on the side anymore?
Debbie, it must have something to do with the blog’s move from PlateUp to the Roanoke.com wrapper. I’ll ask if the comments can be brought back. Thanks!
You’re welcome!
The comments show up in other blogs on this website. The lack of continuity between the various blogs on RT.com is amazing. Some still are so weak they don’t even bother to edit and space between paragraphs typed by users. It seems to all be based on the interest shown by the blogger. Dan Casey – volatile as he might be – seems to get it, as do a couple of the sports blogs and Kevin Myatt. Other sports blogs are horrid, and most of the general blogs display an apathy that is sad and indicative of why the website is so weak overall. You can look at the blogs that have about 5-10 posts a week, and they’re the ones the most deficient in user friendliness. It is what it is, and probably why the RT is in the financial status it continues to dwindle towards. I won’t rant any more, but the results are self evident. Count the comments on a blog for a week, and it pretty much explains itself.
Ive never been to this restaurant. Is it good?
“It’s just an ownership change.”
Like I said, bummer. Have you dined at Harbor Inn lately?
I hope the quality of the food and the prices don’t change. One of my favorite places to eat. Best of luck to the new owners!
I don’t often eat here, but it has always been good food. Hope it stays the same.
Having dined at “The Coach” hundreds of times over the years when owned by Ronnie and Wally, and even before, I can say with certainty that they will be bissed. But I am glad to read that the new owners don’t intend to change anything, nor change the staff. The wait staff at The Coach is fantastic… To Donna, Gwen, Shannon and all the others, I hope to see you for dinner soon!
@crooked road, Debbie is referring to the recent comments that always appeared in the top right corner of the Fridge Magnet blog. As you can see, my blog was moved out of the red and green PlateUp wrapper and into the same Roanoke.com wrapper that almost all of the other blogs are in. When that happened, the recent comments were accidentally dropped off. As soon as Debbie mentioned it, I went to the online team. They are working to get them back up.
I’m not sure what you mean when you say “they don’t bother to edit and space between paragraphs typed by users.” Could you please elaborate? It sounds like you’re saying the blogger should edit reader comments, which we do not do.
Lindsey, I understood about the absence of ‘Recent Comments’. As for the other issue, I was referenced the setup of the blogs. If you scan through the blogs, there is a lack of continuity. Some display recent comments with a ‘preview’ of the comment, some display the poster and the thread, some don’t even display recent comments. Once into the blogs, there is also discrepancy between even the posting displays. That was what I referenced. There is a large diversity between the blogs in functions where it would seem logical to provide continuity. It seems the less user friendly the blogs, the fewer the comments, though, so it could be a Catch-22 that would only be solved by more participation by the blogger. I’m not claiming that you guys go in and edit/change comments, I’m saying that the approach varies from blogger to blogger in the presentation of the blog. That was the larger point.
@crooked road, I see what you’re saying. Thanks for clarifying and for the feedback. I think one of the goals with the redesigned Roanoke.com is to improve on some of that inconsistency.
If Wally is retiring, and he did the majority of the cooking, then the asset of this business, being the quality and consistency of the food, will be retiring as well. I agree with the “Harbor Inn” comment. Food there is not as good as it used to be. Best of luck to Ronnie and Wally. Your presence and friendliness to those of us who have been longtime customers will surely be missed.
@Debbie, recent comments are back — you should see them above the Twitter feed.
Lindsey, I think you do a great job and I enjoy reading your articles, both in the paper and online.
I do have a question, though, when I read through the Dining listings, especially from what I saw listed for Salem, many listings are old and outdated. T Bone Jacks closed years ago, as did Elderberrys, Henry Memphis BBQ and Ernies. I think it maybe confusing to new visitors looking for somewhere to eat and find it and it is closed.
Also, many new businesses have opened in Salem and are not on the list.
Hi Salemite. Are you referring to the “Find a restaurant” listings on this site: http://www.roanoke.com/food/
I want to make sure we’re on the same page. Thanks!
I just saw them, Lindsey.
Lindsey, yes it was that page, over on the right i put in Salem.
Ronnie and Wally of “The Coach” have been excellent hosts & I wish them well. Love the restaurant, food, service (& those yummy meatballs),so I do hope the new owners will maintain the high quality of the menu and the friendly, charming atmosphere. It’s a delightful place !
Ronnie and Wally thanks for all the wonderful times my wife Denise and I had dining at your establishment. Coming from a family who was in the restraint business I know this long a stent in the business is almost unheard of this day and time. We often dined and spent many a special moment at Coach and Fore. The food was always good and Ronnie always was appreciative of our loyalty. Although we have moved away from the Roanoke valley and have not been back in a while we often remember and talk about the food and atmosphere you and Wally embodied. God bless and happiness to you both in your well dissevered respite, I know you both will be back doing something soon, it is just the kind of people you are.
David and Denise Hagy