Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 15, 1992 TAG: 9201150080
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JOE TENNIS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
DINING AT CHAMP'S
Joe Nazare didn't know what to do with the corner at his new Champ's Sports bar.So he built a boxing ring.
You won't find any boxing in the ring at 111 N. Main St. - just a dozen tables for dining.
Watching Burt Reynolds eat lunch inside a boxing ring at a deli in the movie "Switching Channels" was the inspiration.
Nazare, 35, and his wife, Roya, 29, opened Champ's Sports Bar and Champion's Italian Eatery in November. Along the way, they closed the door to Champion's Pizza at 1315 S. Main St. in Blacksburg.
The business move was a long-time dream for the Newport couple. It also was a move necessitated by the "hidden" location of Champion's Pizza at Blacksburg Square. The pizza parlor's business was steady for lunch but often waned later in the day, Roya Nazare said.
Joe Nazare is glad to push the business deeper into the nest of downtown Blacksburg and into a 110-year-old building twice the size of the previous location.
Champion's 25 employees transferred to the new location and Nazare hired another 15.
Champion's Italian Eatery, located downstairs, seats 45.
"We're not going to make it too big. We're looking for a nice, cozy atmosphere," Nazare said.
Outside, the restaurant will feature a courtyard dining area, with construction to be completed in spring.
The menu is similar to Champion's Pizza, with plenty of lasagna, ravioli, chicken parmesan and, of course, pizza.
Joe Nazare also wants to serve veal, but he hesitates.
"In order to serve a good veal, you have to charge eight bucks a plate. A lot of students don't want to pay that much. . . . You have to be careful and stay with the market."
The eatery, as well as Champ's Sports Bar, features a full bar.
Between the hand-pounded tin ceiling and the hardwood floor, Champ's will sport "pub food" - burgers, fries and other munchies, Nazare said.
Dart lanes and four pool tables round out the sports-bar atmosphere.
Nazare leapt into the business world at age 19, opening an antiques store in Florida. He later moved to Virginia Beach to open a string of T-shirt shops.
After his marriage, he opened Lagomar Pizza House, which was a model for Champion's Pizza.
The Nazares sold the restaurant three years ago to move to the mountains.
Years of catering to tourists made them yearn to work less in the summer.
"I'd rather work in the winter," Joe Nazare said.
Now, catering to Tech students, they can take it easy when business slows and the majority of the Hokies are gone during the hot months.
"We now get to take family vacations like normal people," said Roya Nazare.