YORKVILLE – Bill’s Famous Ribs was once considered a landmark restaurant in Yorkville, having been voted one of the top four eateries in the nation in 1980 by the Ohio State Restaurant Association. In nearly 40 years of business, over 24,000 plates of ribs were sold at the restaurant, co-owned by Bill DelVeccio and MLB Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski.

The success of Bill’s Famous Ribs made it all the more disappointing to residents when the restaurant closed down in December of 2013. However, the building at 510 Public Road has been brought back to life by new owner Scott Wickland.

Now known as Bill’s Famous Ribs & Wings, the restaurant has been open for breakfast and lunch for a few weeks. On Friday, Bill’s began serving dinner and alcohol to customers.

Wickland has kept some of what made Bill’s Famous Ribs successful in the first place. For example, historic photos of Yorkville are featured on a wall alongside booths. Wickland plans to display memorabilia of Mazeroski, who grew up in Yorkville and Tiltonsville before going on to play baseball professionally for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mazeroski is perhaps best known for hitting the series-winning home run in the 1960 World Series game against the New York Yankees.

Wickland has also retained the recipe for the famous ribs. Other items on the menu include a variety of burgers, steaks, pasta, salads, and wings, a personal favorite of Wickland’s. Carla Schrader, former lead cook for Bill’s, is on hand to help out and train new cooks.

While key factors of success remain the same, Wickland has made changes to the interior design of Bill’s. After buying the building in December of 2014, he demolished a wall that sat in the middle of the dining area to separate tables from the bar.

“It just felt claustrophobic,” Wickland said.

Additionally, Wickland pulled up carpet and two layers of tile, added shelves to display alcohol behind the bar, and painted the walls red. With a background in construction, Wickland felt he was well-suited to renovating the nearly 100-year old building. Bill’s is now more technology-friendly, with free Wi-Fi and outlets along the bar for charging tablets and phones.

Additionally, Bill’s now features eight LED flat-screen TVs for watching sports. While Mazeroski will remain a focus, Wickland also plans to make Bill’s the place to go for Ohio State University fans. There will be specials on football and basketball game days, with staff wearing OSU gear. Wickland also plans to reach out to former OSU players in the area to ask them about potential autograph sessions.

There will be live music regularly. Jim Berze, an acoustic guitar and classic rock cover artist performed Saturday night, while country music artist Colin G. McCoy will perform this coming Saturday, May 2 at 9 p.m. Karaoke is also on tap at Bill’s.

Bill’s Famous Ribs & Wings is being managed by Wickland’s friend Tom Jonseck, an Arizona native who spent several years working as a chef. Wickland is also from Arizona; he has been traveling back and forth to get the restaurant started, and he plans to bring his family to Ohio for the summer. A grand opening for Bill’s is being planned for early June.

“We’re going to get to know this area and the East Coast,” said Wickland.

Wickland explained that he bought Bill’s after buying the former Yorkville High School, located just a block away. He is working to renovate the old school and create an apartment complex.

Despite all the changes, Wickland would like customers and residents of Yorkville to know that Bill’s Famous Ribs & Wings will feature the same family atmosphere it had under DelVecchio’s ownership. He said he has received nothing but positive feedback about reopening Bill’s.

“Locals didn’t think this place would ever open again,” he said, noting that the building had fallen into disrepair.

Bill’s Famous Ribs & Wings is well on its way to becoming a staple of the community. The restaurant is already an official sponsor of Buckeye Local Schools and will be promoted during sporting events.

Bills’ Famous Ribs & Wings is open every day of the week. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., with lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner is served from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. The bar will be open until 2:30 a.m. except for Sundays.

Applications for cooks are currently being accepted. To learn more, call (740) 859-9267 or find Bill’s Famous Ribs & Wings on Facebook.

Warner may be reached at mwarner@timesleaderonline.com.