Seth Stanfield managed a steakhouse for the last 11 years. He wasn’t sure if he should mention which one, but said it was obvious when considering his last name.

The Florence native had wanted to branch out on his own for some time, but doing so was an expensive gamble dependent on more than just what’s on the menu. So, Seth bided his time until a friend’s wife told him an old barbecue joint in Athens had closed and its owner was looking for a new tenant.

Seth came to Athens and looked at the A-frame building on Hobbs Street that had once been home to a diner, an automotive repair shop and, until this past spring, the original LawLers Barbecue. Seth’s favorite show is the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” where host Guy Fieri travels the country looking for folksy places to grab great food.

“This looked like one of the places on (the show),” Seth said. “It’s got a cool history to it.”

Seth mulled his options. He and his wife Savanna had just flipped a home and sold it for a profit, so he had the startup cash. So, he took the plunge and signed the lease.

For the last several weeks, Seth and his parents have been at the Hobbs Street location tearing out the old and renovating the interior. Seth’s dad custom-built some light fixtures and the family installed new flooring. The old drop ceiling was removed and the exposed beams were stained. The restrooms were renovated. The restaurant’s interior is no longer a bass fishing-themed place with figurines of pigs stuck in every nook and cranny.

“The concept is modern industrial,” Seth said. “I want it to be a date place.”

Seth wanted to name the restaurant something that would make it stand out as his own. Originally, he wanted to go with “Savanna’s Grille,” but he knew of several other places with similar names. Instead, he named the restaurant after the daughter his wife is carrying, Caroline Ro.

“No one has Ro’s,” he said.

As for the menu, say goodbye to the meat and vegetable lunch. Ro’s will serve burgers, sandwiches and a salad bar for lunch, with chicken entrees and hand-cut steaks at dinner.

Seth is looking to hold a “soft opening” of Ro’s Grille during the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention on Oct. 2 and 3. He said they plan to have the full menu minus the salads, because the specially ordered salad bar is still in the mail.

Seth is eager for the doors to open and is looking forward to getting back in the kitchen. He foresees Ro’s becoming a part of the downtown Athens identity.

“It’s going to be a cool place,” he said. “I think it’ll be a little downtown spot people will like.”