Major League Dawgs rebrands, Chick-fil-A heads to North Canton | Stark Bites

Major League Dawgs changes name, focus

Major League Dawgs, 6817 Wales Ave. NW in Jackson Township, has unveiled a new focus for 2024.

The restaurant has changed its name to The Blazing Pig Fusion BBQ.

Owner and CEO Marc Albert said the revamped restaurant will feature a menu of slow-cooked, fresh BBQ pork, brisket and chicken. The Blazing Pig also will introduce one-of-a-kind fusion foods. Its grand reopening is scheduled for spring.

For more information and updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/TheBlazingPigOH.

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Chick-fil-A, Human Bean to join North Canton development

The redeveloped plaza at Applegrove Street and North Main Street in North Canton has undergone a change in its food offerings before it opens later this year.

7 Brew coffee is out, and The Human Bean is in. Bojangles is out, Chick-fil-A is in.

North Canton City Administrator Patrick DeOrio said construction for both buildings is expected to begin in the summer. They will join a new Wendy's at in the Meijer development.

7 Brew, a coffee drive-thru chain that started in Rogers, Arkansas, now plans a new location at Everhard Road and Belden Village Mall Circle, on the south side of Everhard Road and east of Dressler Road. The drive-thru is scheduled for late spring.

Chick-fil-A and The Human Bean, a coffee chain that currently has two locations in Stark County, will occupy property just north of the existing Burger King along North Main Street.

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Lunch, dinner spot heads to Belden Village location

Cool Cat’s Counter, a new lunch and dinner place from the owners of Sunrise Café, is expected to open in early February at 4404 Belden Village St. NW in Jackson Township. The site formerly was occupied by Cici’s Pizza and Shirley’s Diner. For more information and updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/sunrisecafecanton.

The Galley Boy is one of the signature sandwiches offered at Swensons Drive-In.
The Galley Boy is one of the signature sandwiches offered at Swensons Drive-In.

Swensons listens, changes cheese and ketchup

Swensons Drive-In has made some big changes at the start of 2024. The changes focus on returning to fan favorites.

Jeff Flowers, CEO of Swensons, announced earlier in January that it has returned to its original cheese, butter, and ketchup.

“Swensons has always been committed to listening to our guests, and never compromising on quality,” Flowers said. “Throughout the last few years, we made several changes to our products to improve food consistency or as a direct result of the worldwide supply chain challenges created by the (COVID-19) pandemic. All these changes were made in an effort to maintain the highest quality standards and deliver an exceptional food experience, even during the toughest of times.”

The new products weren’t popular, and diners spoke up.

“Over the past year, we listened to our guests and recognized we simply weren’t delivering what they wanted, and we needed to return to our pre-pandemic standards,” Flowers said. “We had worked with a local dairy company to develop a custom recipe American cheese that tasted as close to our original cheese as possible. We still feel that product was very good, but it simply wasn’t what our guests wanted.”

Swensons has two restaurants in Stark County – 5815 Wales Ave. NW in Jackson Township; and at 1558 N. Main St. in North Canton.

Reach Bev at bshaffer@gannett.com or 330-580-8318.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark Bites: Major League Dawgs rebrands, Chick-fil-A heads to North Canton