Owners expanding to bring fresh, gluten-free options to Austintown with new cafe
Raphe Neapolitan and Danielle Davis are the owners of several successful restaurants in the Mahoning Valley area, including Frank’s Cafe and The Landmark Restaurant and Cafe.
This year, they’re getting ready to open the third Frank’s Cafe, serving sandwiches, salads, bowls, wraps and smoothies for dine-in or takeout, as well as catering.
“We wanted to go to Austintown next and we’ve known that for a while,” Davis said.
The restaurant will be opening in early April at 5625 Mahoning Ave. in Austintown where Belleria Pizza used to be located.
There are already two Frank’s Cafes at 8414 Market St. and 1315 Boardman-Canfield Road in Boardman.
“We really are blessed with great people on our team,” Neapolitan said. “We’re always trying to get involved in the community, donating to the teachers and supporting Boardman’s boys’ basketball, football, softball and bowling.”
Neapolitan is a longtime friend of Pat McGlone, a local muralist.
“We were kind of getting some ideas for signage there; it gets kind of congested since we’re going to be right next to Chick-fil-A and Meijer,” he said. “We noticed that the whole side of the building was perfect to have something painted.”
The number one seller according to the couple is the chicken hibachi bowl, but they also recommend trying the triple pepper blackened chicken salad.
“About 99% of the menu is gluten free, because it’s all fresh cut fruit and vegetables, and we do gluten-free bread and wraps, too,” Neapolitan said. “A lot of people say they’re following strict diets or trying to eat healthier, and this is one of the only places that they’ll eat out. That makes us feel good.”
They first opened Frank’s Cafe in 2021 to serve fresh lunches and breakfast items to fuel customers’ work day.
“At that point, there really weren’t a whole lot of places that were doing quick service, other than the big chains like Chipotle,” Neapolitan said. “We put an emphasis on everything fresh and quick to order. You’ll get something that you would want to eat for lunch, then be able to go back to work and not fall asleep.”
Neapolitan and Davis named the restaurant after their dog, a Cane Corso/Boxer named Frank.
“We try to change our menu and refresh it every nine to 12 months,” Neapolitan said. “We’re foodies and whenever we go somewhere, we are always checking out different places and trying to come up with a unique menu. Every year, we’ll take some stuff off, add some stuff. Danielle is always coming up with monthly specials to keep things fresh and exciting.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
