By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Back in June 2020 several residents in Millington were excited to hear about the news of Olympic Steak & Pizza relocating into the former Applebee’s building.
Fast forward to January 2022, Olympic Steak & Pizza Owner Harry Sinis announced a change of plans. After purchasing the building at 8472 Highway 51, Sinis evaluated his current location and realized Olympic’s current home is performing well.
“Olympic Steak for now we’re going to keep these four locations,” he said. “We have purchased the Applebee’s building across the street. That will not be an Olympic. Olympic Steak and Pizza will stay here as is.
“What that will be is an Italian restaurant under our umbrella,” Sinis continued. “It will be a little bit nicer, a little bit more upscale than these existing stores. That’s in construction and it will be opening in the fall of this year.”
The Millington Olympic Steak & Pizza will remain at 8500 Wilkinsville Road. The former Applebee’s will become the expanded future home of Harry’s Italian Restaurant.
Back in 2020, the Millington Municipal Planning Commission approved a Site Plan for an existing restaurant that intends to move into a building at a different location.
Commission members took the action during that year’s May 18 regular monthly meeting on a motion offered by Mike Caruthers and seconded by Vice Chairman Brett Morgan.
The motion was passed by six affirmative votes, with Brenda Barber absent.
The Olympic Steak & Pizza restaurant at 8500 Wilkinsville Road plans to relocate to the vacant building at 8472 Highway 51 North that previously housed the Applebee’s and Perkins restaurants.
“It was a good opportunity for us and a good location being located on the corner,” Sinis said. “The initial thought was to move Olympic from over here to over there. But since we’ve been so successful with the concept we’ve had, why mess up a good thing?”
In addition to the Millington Olympic Steak & Pizza, the other three locations are at 5183 Airline Road in Arlington, 10862 Highway 51 South in Atoka and 6250 Highway 64 Suite 12 in Oakland.
Sinis said the ownership will look to invest and renovate current Olympic locations but his plan for the future of the building at the corner of Highway 51 and Wilkinsville Road is a nicer version of the Olive Garden.
With plans to open the fall of this year, crews have gutted out the former Applebee’s. And there are plans for expansion adding 80 dining seats to the undersized establishment.
