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DAYTON — John Henry's, which opened last July at 520 E. Fifth St. in the Oregon District, has suspended its restaurant food service and is operating as a bar, co-owner Chris Sassenberg said today, July 14.

"Whether we start again is up in the air at this point. The business and the property are for sale," Sassenberg said.

The co-owner said "too much overhead and not enough volume" led to the suspension of food service and the decision to put the business and property up for sale.

"We didn't achieve the volume level we anticipated," Sassenberg said, in part because the timing of the restaurant's opening and the poor economy hurt business. The restaurant — which specialized in steaks, chops and gumbo — opened in late July 2007 in a location that housed the Blue Moon restaurant for nearly a decade.

Sassenberg said the suspension of food service and the possible sale will have no impact on the nearby Trolley Stop, which like John Henry's is owned by Sassenberg, his sister Gail Davis and their spouses.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2258 or mfisher@DaytonDailyNews.com.