Many students struggle to decide where to go eat, and Zazu is trying to make that decision easier.
The restaurant, located on East Magnolia Avenue, has been known as one of the ritzier places in Auburn since its opening in 2007.
With a large part of the market in the city being college students, owner and executive chef Graham Hage said he wants to draw more of the college crowd.
"I hope not to turn off some of our old customers who think that it would be more of a bar," Hage said. "Hopefully, we keep those people, but also bring in more students and faculty to fill out our bar area. We have such a huge bar that can seat 40 or 50 people at a time, but just isn't being utilized."
Many of the changes regular customers can expect will be menu-related. Hage said the new menu, which should be introduced sometime next week, includes more entrees, an overhauled martini list and more sandwiches.
He said sandwiches will be served all day, and more casual options like fajitas will be offered.
In addition to menu changes, manager Scott Warren said the restaurant will also host trivia nights.
Warren said fine dining in the current economy isn't always practical, and bringing back elements from when the eatery was Buffalos will attract college customers.
Warren added that a long-term goal would be to re-open the bar in the back room of the restaurant.
"When it was Buffalos, they had the trivia nights, and a lot of the faculty would come in and participate," Hage said. "It was kind of a place where grown-ups could come and get away from the 21- and 22-year-olds."
Alison Walker, graduate student in education, said she enjoys Zazu, but will be excited to see less expensive options.
"I generally eat there for special occasions, like a date with my boyfriend or going out for birthdays," Walker said. "I think now I can start eating there more, which is nice because it's close to everything downtown."
Hage said the front room will remain unchanged and will still offer a formal place for patrons to eat dinner.
The owner added that the restaurant will not change much aesthetically.
"I want the back room to be a place where people want to bring their friends for parties and holidays," Hage said. "We are also looking to expand our hours. Right now, we close from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., so we are looking to stay open all day for anyone who wants to come in and have a drink or something.
"Eventually, we hope to be open until midnight or later."
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