By Brock Fortman

The Kroger located on Stroop and Shroyer roads demolished the vacant Friendly’s restaurant on Tuesday. Plans also show another building previously owned by Liberty Savings Bank that sits on the same lot also had papers filed for demolition permits but has yet to be demolished. 

The Friendly’s restaurant had been vacant for over eight years after a widespread restaurant closure occurred for the company back in 2014 including when a single franchise owner closed 14 Ohio locations at once according to Cleveland.com.

The owner of the lot which Liberty Savings Bank and Kroger sit on is Jack W. Eichelberger Trust, with Gary Froelich as the trustee of the shopping center. 

The cited reason for the destruction of the restaurant lot was to make way for more parking and landscaping according to the Dayton Daily News.

The CVS store directly next to Kroger closed last year, with many questioning whether Kroger would expand or not. Kroger officially refused to comment on the topic early this spring per the Dayton Daily News.