Two local restaurateurs are planning to remodel and reopen the empty Taco Bell and Bridgeman's buildings on 66th Street in Richfield in the next several months.

Ahmed and Amy Mohamed told about 20 people at the Penn Central group's Third Thursday meeting this morning that they hope to open Aida (pronounced A-dah) in the old Taco Bell building near 66th and Penn in mid-February.

The renovation this winter left the orginal building footprint as is, but the insides will be brand new.

The Mohameds, who will be new to the restaurant business,  said Aida will feature fresh, grilled Mediterranean-style food--shish kabob, gyros and panini--prepared by a chef with 19 years experience who most recently worked at a restaurant in northeast Minneapolis.

The old Bridgeman's restaurant at 800 66th St. W.,  just east of SuperAmerica, will become Pizza Luce's seventh restaurant, with an opening planned in June or early July, according to CEO J.J. Heywood. The company plans to complete its purchase of the buidling this week.

She said Thursday the company will totally gut the existing building and increase the square footage only slightly when it puts in a new entrance. 

A new parking lot, streetscaping, a full bar and a patio are all part of the company's plan for the site. The new facility will have the same menu as other Pizza Luces--pizza, hoagies and pasta--and offer delivery, take-out and seated dining. 

"Richfield for us is a great location," Haywood said. "We like urban areas, and Richfield as a first-ring suburb fits us very well. We like that urban feel, and we like old buildings." She said some other Pizza Luces are located in a former a Baker's Square restaurant and a 19th-century textile plant.

The Richfield restaurant will seat 140 inside and use the building's finished lower level for food preparation, food storage and restrooms accessible by elevator. 

Haywood said she expects to employ 60 to 80 full- and part-time employees, with hiring expected this spring.

Other Penn Avenue news

Those who attended the Penn Central meeting at Hope's Silver Spoon Restaurant also heard good and bad news about other developments on the avenue:

• Lori and Don Swetala plan to open Woof Central, a dog daycare business, at 6315 Penn Ave., where Dave's Furniture World used to be located. A public hearing on their plans to include a dog kennel with an outdoor relief area is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 23 at City Hall.
• Richfield lost its bid for a Metro Transit transit hub at Penn and the Crosstown Highway to Southdale. 
• Ralph's Shoe Service will move from its location in Southdale, where it had been since the shopping center opened in 1956, to 6623 Penn Ave.