Royal Oak’s Bastone reinvents itself during economic hardships

Bastone, one of Royal Oak’s biggest and most popular restaurants, had to switch a few things up to stay one of Royal Oak’s biggest and most popular restaurants. Excerpt: Ritchie says Bastone is one of the largest restaurants in downtown Royal Oak and in order to help it through the recession, it needed something of a makeover. So he created a new menu that was easier to afford and less European than the menu that first got he restaurant noticed. “We eliminated 19 items and added 19 items to the menu,” Ritchie said. Gone were some expensive entrees, replaced with less expensive items. “We added more comfort food,” he said, noting the new menu includes items such as thin crust pizzas, grilled cheese and a macaroni cheese dish. Read the entire article here.