When Jill Rhodes purchased the Centreville Luncheonette in Woodfin, she became an integral
part of the community
The first time Jill Rhodes visited the Centreville Luncheonette in Woodfin in the summer of
2025, the little café was busy, so she handed owner Marco Lacagnina her card and asked him
to call her when he had a minute.
He called a couple hours later when service was over for the day. “He asked me if I was looking
for a job and I told him no, I have a really good job,” she recalls. “I told him I was looking for my
future.”
At the time – and for the previous nearly ten years – she was GM of Rocky’s Hot Chicken on
Patton Avenue, but she was ready for a change, and an opportunity to show her two kids it was
possible to step out of your comfort zone and do hard things.
A friend of hers also knew Marco, and that after nearly six years of owning and running the
Luncheonette with his wife Kristin, he was looking to sell. The Italian who grew up on Centreville
Avenue in the Bronx had been in the restaurant business his entire life and had already retired
once when he saw an opportunity he couldn’t refuse and bought and renovated the building on
Weaverville Road.
He built a loyal, local business serving lunch from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesdays through
Saturdays, but when his desire to re-retire met Jill’s wish to build her own business, the wheels
started turning, though it wasn’t always a smooth ride.
She wasn’t able to get a small business loan because the numbers didn’t look great on paper,
but she trusted his assurances about the potential enough to use her house for a Home Equity
Line of Credit; Marco helped with some financing and on January 16, 2026 she took ownership
of the business. “Marco is still my landlord, which is fine because it means as a first-time
business owner, I don’t have to deal with everything,” she says. “He was in yesterday fixing my
mailbox!”
He also spent a couple of weeks after she took possession on site, showing her the ropes,
sharing his – and his Nonna’s — recipes, and introducing her to regulars, all of whom he knew
by name, hobby, job and family tree.
“He has a real gift for that,” Jill says. “Everyone who walked in the door, he would call by name,
ask how their garden was doing, if their kid was coming home for the holiday and how was their
mom.”
Though some of the regulars were anxious about the change, it didn’t hurt that every single
member of the staff stayed on. “They definitely were teaching me, and I was grateful for it.”
Jill says she knew better than to change anything on the lunch menu – especially the legendary
cheeseburger. “It’s Braveheart 100% ground Angus beef, cooked on a flat top but not smashed –
– they’re juicy and have thickness. All the way means American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes,
pickles and mayo. We use several slices of cheese so it’s very cheesy.”

The next two most popular sandwiches are the Reuben and the Philly cheesesteak. The fries
are classic – Idaho potatoes, hand-cut every morning, skin on, par-fried then fried to order,
salted as soon as they come hot out of the basket.
Though she didn’t take anything off the menu, she has introduced some new items as specials,
like onion rings, the mushroom Swiss burger and a grilled chicken sandwich. To her surprise,
the biggest hit has been soup. “I started making soup in the winter and thought I’d take it off the
menu when the time changed in March. But people really like it and ask for it, so I’m still making
it. The chicken soup will cure what ails you.”
She got a beer and wine license in May; there’s not a big selection but offers the option to have
a beer with your burger or glass of wine with your shrimp salad roll. She set up the ‘bar’ under a
sign that reads ‘If you are grouchy, irritable or just plain mean, there will be a $10 charge for
putting up with you.’
“We haven’t had to fine anyone yet,” she says with a laugh.
The two biggest changes she has made are opening on Mondays, which was first suggested by
staff, who were looking for more hours, and adding breakfast service.
“This was Marco’s retirement project,” she points out. “That is not my situation, I have loans to
pay and two kids. We need to be open more hours, there was a call for breakfast, and I don’t
want to work nights. I like mornings, and a nice breakfast is a good way to start your day.”
So far, Centreville’s diners agree, arriving early for breakfast sandwiches on toast, rolls or
croissants, breakfast burritos and hearty plates. She expects that she would be seeing some of
her clientele twice a day. “A lot of our customers are seniors, and this is their place to get out
and be with people.”
Nearly six months in, Jill now puts names with faces and knows their regular orders too. She
says if someone doesn’t come by for a few days, she worries about them until they show up at
the counter again, placing their lunch order and rummaging through the candy dish filled with
Hershey miniatures that Marco started and she is obliged to keep filled. “At this point, I know
who will be digging for a Mr. Goodbar and who wants the Krackel.”
When she runs into them in the local grocery store, they know her by name as well and she
says it’s a good feeling that extends beyond the business.
“This began as a business deal, but this place is such an important part of people’s lives and
this community, that I feel honored to keep it going.”

Centreville Luncheonette