New owners take over Bloomington Roly Poly stores with plans to expand

In March, Tom Seybert was looking for the next owner of two Bloomington Roly Poly Sandwiches locations. It took a couple months, but Seybert found the people he believes will keep the restaurants in Westplex Plaza on West Third Street and at the Ivy Tech Bloomington campus going.

In a recent email, Seybert said: "I sold both of my Roly Poly Stores to Tony Case and Mitchell Thompson. After turning away 5 offers, these 2 were handpicked to keep the tradition going."

Like Seybert, who lives in Greenfield, both Case and Thompson live outside of Monroe County. Case lives in Johnson County and Thompson lives in the Indianapolis area. Thompson attended Indiana University for awhile and is familiar with Bloomington. Both men are business partners already in "the auto dealership world," Thompson explained. "We were looking for opportunities for us both to better ourselves."

Case has been in the restaurant business before and is looking forward to re-entering, this time as an owner.

Thompson said they realized Roly Poly was "such a big part of the community" in how it supports other businesses. That philanthropic ideal is something that appeals to both of the new owners. "We think that is something we can build and expand on," he said. "We plan to follow in (Seybert's) footsteps."

The two may actually follow in Seybert's footsteps for some time since he has agreed to stay on and help transition the business. Thompson said he will be in Bloomington every day Monday through Saturday. Case will be in town on Tuesdays.

While the Roly Poly sandwich shops are doing well already, Thompson said the new owners are planning some minor changes, such as adding some more shelves and items at the Ivy Tech location. The goal is to add more local vendors, supporting them while providing Ivy Tech students, faculty and visitors with more options.

Already Thompson and Case are considering adding another Bloomington location, potentially on the Indiana University campus.

While new avenues for Roly Poly in Bloomington are possible, Thompson said the growth will largely come because of Seybert's guidance.

"Tom has been working with the founders of Roly Poly for years," he said, adding Seybert is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. "With him staying on board, and showing me the ropes, we can do a deep dive into the business and keep the community and workers happy as well."

Pinoy Garden Cafe food truck participates in Taste of Indy 2024

Bloomington's Pinoy Garden Cafe food truck will participate in the Taste of Indy 2024 event on July 6 in White River State Park. Owners Maria St. Clair and Chris Manansala were surprised when they got a call asking if they would join in. St. Clair said Pinoy Garden is the only food truck or booth providing Filipino food. There are 44 food trucks and tents participating.

St. Clair said at first she thought it was a scam but was happy when she realized it was real. The only issue for Bloomington customers is that Pinoy Garden will take a week off afterward, so don't expect to see them at Food Truck Friday.

Contact Carol Kugler atckugler@heraldt.com