Major Changes at New Bedford’s Endzone Will Make Restaurant ‘Unrecognizable’

If you're a homeowner, you know what it's like. You decide to make a home improvement, when one change leads to another and another.

The same goes for legendary New Bedford restaurants. Just ask Troy and Ryan Demelo, owners of Endzone Restaurant and Bar on Coggeshall Street.

"The plan was to shut down for 10 days to give us the chance to replace the floor and update the menu," Troy Demelo said. "Replacing the floor was going to cost $30,000, but when the contractor started ripping the old one up, we realized we'd also need a new subfloor at an additional $9,000. So, then we're saying, if we're going to be spending all this money on new floors, how can we put back the old tables and booths? So we went shopping for new tables and booths. Then, we decided to repaint the walls and the ceiling. The place is pretty much gutted right now. The restaurant will be unrecognizable when it's done."

Demelo isn't exaggerating. The floor plan will be different. The bartop will be totally new and redesigned. Gone will be the team jerseys and sports pictures. Replacing them will be between 12 to 20 TVs that are bigger than what was there.

The main dining room will have booths around the perimeter, but the center of the dining room will have tables and chairs instead of booths. The walls will be stained a two-tone medium and light gray and the ceilings will no longer be tan but white.

Demelo said the menu is undergoing some changes, as well. All of the crowd favorites (such as the boneless buffalo wings) will remain on the menu. However, he is adding two new selections to each category while also dropping two from each. Watch for things including a seafood paella with lobster, fish and shrimp tacos, and lobster rolls.

"This change is my last hurrah," Demelo said. "It's a big one."

The owner's goal is to open back up for daily lunches.

"If we go back to lunches with this new menu, it's going to be really good."