Rudy’s, popular Medina mainstay, seeks to adapt to changes in restaurant industry

Photo by Tom Rivers: Brody Hoffmeister and his wife Jenna Pangrazio are revamping the menu at Rudy’s Diner to help the long-time restaurant meet changes in the industry, and also better compete in a crowded local food scene.

MEDINA – Brody Hoffmeister is proud of a family legacy with Rudy’s Soda Bar & Café, a Medina mainstay since it opened in 1988 by his grandparents, Joseph and Debra Russo.

Hoffmeister’s mother Kelly Duffield also was a key force in making Rudy’s such a welcoming establishment.

Hoffmeister’s mother passed away from cancer at age 49 on Oct. 21, 2019. His grandmother died at age 70 on March 26, 2023.

Hoffmeister, 30, said the losses were painful, and they thrust him into running the popular diner much sooner than he expected. He has been the owner since Jan. 1, 2020, about 2 1/2 months before Covid hit and the restaurant had to close to eat-in customers for a few months.

Hoffmeister and Rudy’s have worked through those challenges. Hoffmeister and his wife Jenna Pangrazio want to go take Rudy’s from surviving to thriving. Hoffmeister works in the kitchen while his wife handles the front. He said Pangrazio has been critical in seeing Rudy’s through the recent challenges.

“Rudy’s has been an everything day for me my whole life,” Hoffmeister said. “But if you don’t change with the times, you’re going to be lost to the times.”

In the past year he has sought to gain more control in his life, and the future of Rudy’s. He has lost 90 pounds. And now he has revamped the menu at Rudy’s, looking to streamline the business and not discard so much food.

Hoffmeister is looking to make some interior renovations to maintain a 1950s’ diner look throughout the eating area. Hoffmeister said the soda bar side is currently in a ’50s’ décor with the dining room more of a country style in the 1980s and ’90s. (Rudy’s is partnering with Manna Made, LLC to reignite the brand and marketing, bringing it back to their roots and classic diner feel.)

Rudy’s has recently introduced a new type of hamburger patty that is juicier than what they were offering the past 25 years. Hoffmeister wants honest customer feedback and so far the reviews of six different burgers has been very favorable.

He also has teamed up with Jimmy Z’s of Brockport using that establishment’s meat sauce and mac salad.

“People love it,” Hoffmeister said about the Jimmy Z’s fare combined with Rudy’s. “We’ve done over 2,000 plates since January.”

Rudy’s is serving up gourmet milkshakes, including a caramel brownie milkshake. Hoffmeister said it is part of a push to return to a 1950s classic diner experience.

For now, that means a leaner menu. Hoffmeister said more specials will added in the fall.

He is trying to adapt to a restaurant industry that has suffered since the Covid pandemic, where at least 10 percent of the establishments have closed since 2020.

Rudy’s used to have primarily eat-in customers. But since Covid, takeouts have gone from 20 percent of the business to 65 percent. Hoffmeister wants to see more long-time customers, and new ones, came back and enjoy a meal in the diner at 118 West Center St. Rudy’s also has utilized the Door Dash delivery service since 2021.

Rudy’s is in a  competitive food scene in Medina. When Rudy’s opened 36 years ago, there were four restaurants. Now Hoffmeister counts at least 17 options.

Rudy’s offered so many items on the menu, 30 to 35 different specials, that it was difficult to maintain consistency in the food, especially when many long-time employees didn’t come back after Rudy’s was forced to scale down during the early days of Covid.

Hoffmeister is going to a smaller menu with the focus on quality and presentation, and then will look to expand the menu in the fall. The core menu will stay with burgers, melts and wraps.

Rudy’s currently has 10-12 employees, which is down from the 25 before Covid.

“With Covid the restaurant industry changed,” he said. “We’re going to make our focus quality over quantity. There will be much more consistency.”