Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Connie Hale jokes with Andrew Smith (center) and Isaac Ogle as they eat lunch at her Buffalo and More restaurant in Riner. "The chicken and dumplings are a big hit," said Smith, who also said he and Ogle are regulars at the place.

RINER -- A Riner landmark is back in business.

Buffalo and More reopened Sept. 16 after a 2¹₂-month closure.

The restaurant started as Brush Creek Buffalo Store in March 1995 as a meat store for former owners Jim and Jan Politis of Riner to sell the meat produced at their bison farm. They sold the store in July 2007 to Alan Manzak, who operated it for a year before selling it to Connie Hale in July.

"Owning a restaurant is something I always wanted to do," Hale said. "It already had an established clientele, so who knows where we can go with it."

Hale already has a full-time job as an independent contractor for FedEx Ground and said she intends to work both jobs.

"I like to stay busy," she said.

As the new name says, Hale has expanded the menu to more than buffalo products, including chicken and dumplings and rotating Sunday specials that include meat loaf, baked spaghetti and soups.

Jim Politis said he still works at the store three days a week, helping out where needed.

"They've done a real nice job, and I think that will continue because they're getting a really good reputation," he said. "It's a real hometown place."

During the 2 ¹₂ months the restaurant was closed, Hale replaced or decorated nearly everything in the restaurant, including tables, light fixtures, wall decor, kitchen equipment and bathrooms.

"I used to come every so often, and it's completely changed from what it used to be," said Doris Brugh of Roanoke.

She said she also likes the fact that buffalo meat is lower in fat than hamburgers.

Brugh brought her sister-in-law, Kathleen Hale of Salem, who is not related to the owner, to Buffalo and More for her first taste of buffalo meat.

"I liked it," Kathleen Hale said. "I intend to buy some ground buffalo meat to take home."

Meat is available for customers to buy and take home, and the Politises are still selling through their farm to wholesale and retail customers.

It's important to support local businesses through change, especially in a place as small as Riner, Politis said.

"I think one of the most important things anybody can say is to support your local business. If they're good, go back. And if they're not, let them know," Politis said. "It's a good local restaurant with good quality local food."