AUBURN - The sign outside Kosta's on Grant Avenue may suggest it's still a family restaurant, but several changes inside the building have transformed it into a bar and grill.

The most immediately noticeable change is the bar itself, which was installed where the restaurant's breakfast counter was once stationed. The renovation took four months to finish, but Kosta's owner John Gotsis is pleased by the results.

“The response has been really good and positive,” said Gotsis, whose brothers, Tom and Sam, own the Port Byron Diner and Zorba's Pizzeria in Liverpool, respectively.

The bar's decor matches that of the dining room, but with a few extra flourishes like the martini glass chandeliers that hang from the ceiling. The walls are lined with new LCD flat screen TVs on which Gotsis hopes to broadcast NFL games once the season begins. To complete the football-watching experience, he hopes to add chicken wings and pizza to the menu by week one.

Construction is under way in the area adjacent to the bar on a 10-table patio space as well.

Gotsis, who has owned Kosta's since 1995, feels the shift in the restaurant's direction will strengthen its appeal to diners in the Auburn area. He used to own Flop's Sports Bar further down Grant Avenue, but when that closed, it left a gap in the lineup of restaurants on the road. Several regular patrons of Flop's have since found Kosta's to fulfill that absence.

“I was glad to see them come back,” Gotsis said. “We get more of a mixed crowd now.”

As Gotsis steered the restaurant through its renovation, he was met with some reservations from longtime patrons who were worried Kosta's might become less family-friendly. But Gotsis believes the changes haven't alienated anyone. He has not subtracted any items from the menu, and the restaurant's ice cream stand remains open.

“It's still casual dining and a family diner,” Gotsis said.

Frequent patron Joe Fiegl, of Fleming, enjoys having the option to eat his lunch at Kosta's bar. He also believes the change to a bar and grill benefits the restaurant by widening its appeal.

“I think it's a nice atmosphere that brings something more with the sports,” Fiegl said. “It brings in a different variety of people, from families to single men.”

The Kosta's menu has also been revised to include several steak and seafood dishes that fit in with the bar and grill motif. Monday specials like half-price hamburgers and chicken sandwiches are also new features at the restaurant.

But many changes are still in progress at Kosta's. Gotsis hopes to soon replace the Kosta's Family Restaurant sign outside the building, and he is also planning to print new menus that will make patrons aware they can now order alcohol at their tables. The new menus will include a list of wines from non-local and Finger Lakes wineries such as Swedish Hill.

Since the Kosta's bar opened, bartender Missy Pratt has been happy to return to serving drinks after several years as a waitress at the restaurant.

“It's like riding a bike,” she said.

The bar's 3 to 7 p.m. happy hours are currently its most crowded period, but Pratt and Gotsis expect the stools to be filled come football season. Other patrons, like Dana Carnicelli, believe the bar has already reinvigorated the restaurant and the Grant Avenue strip.

“I think it's good for the business,” she said. “We need more sports bars around.”

Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net