business.

M.R. Onions, located in the Atlantic House on Par-la-Ville Road, resumed business on March 9 after a five-week period of major renovation.

Many changes were made to please the discerning eye of the well-seasoned onion regulars.

"It's always time for a change after seven years,'' said owner Mr. Brian Hetzel. "I decided if I'm going to make changes and spend some money, I might as well make them so that they're really noticeable otherwise there's no point.

`We put in a new carpet and the chairs were all redone by Fairylands Upholstery. The paint was changed from green to white and the bar has been moved from three to four sides. It's mirrored on the fourth side which gives the room a lot of depth.'' The restaurant offers a unique feature to its customers, unheard of in many eateries -- separate dining rooms for smokers and non-smokers.

The smaller dining room, once an open area located behind the bar, is now closed off and reserved for 45 smoking patrons. The larger room, for non-smokers, can seat 105 but can fit up to 130 on special occasions.

"The separate dining room for smokers has it's own air conditioning and `smoke buster','' he said. "a device which takes the smoky air out, puts it through a filtering system and pours clean air out again.'' Mr. Hetzel said refurbishing was done and a few special touches were added to the non-smoking dining room to make it appealing.

"We added a few plants and refurbished the chairs similar to those in the lounge and the smoking room,'' he said. "We will also be bringing in an espresso machine in the near future.'' A lounge area with a seating capacity of 40 greets customers at the doorway. A large television and a piano are present for everyone's entertainment.

"We're thinking of making it into a piano bar,'' he said. "We want to get away from the rowdy happy hours that used to happen here every Friday.'' When it opened in 1985, the restaurant quickly became famous for great food at reasonable prices.

"Our goal is to try and satisfy the market,'' he said. "We cater to everybody. Some people come in here in neat jeans and others come in evening attire. It's just the great way it developed. They come here and know they can get good value for their money. We have very good meals at reasonable prices.'' The very name of the restaurant conjures up images of the Island, of days when Bermuda onions were more prevalent and residents were commonly referred to as `onions'.

"I came up with the name one day while sitting around the pool. When I bought the business it was green and a bunch of us were throwing names around, trying to find something to go along with the green theme. I came up with onions as Bermuda onions are sort of green. I suggested M.R. and everybody went `boo'.

But I said it's my restaurant and I'm going to name it what I want.'' An added attraction is the number of Bermudian characters whose faces, caricatured by artist Walt Horton, now line the walls of the Hamilton establishment.

"The `Onions of the Month' are very popular,'' he said. "I choose people who are well-known Bermudian characters such as Yeaton Outerbridge and Sheila Gosling. After the month is up they are replaced and take their place of honour on our walls with the other past onions of the month.'' Mr. Hetzel said in addition to its many in-house offerings, the restaurant also holds events for its friends, customers and associates to mix outside of the dining room.

"We have a golf tournament each year in May -- The M.R. Onions Invitational.

This year it's being held May 11 and 12. It's proven quite popular in the past. First place winner receives a replica onion and other goodies and lots of crystal.'' SUDS UP -- Mr. Tony da Ponte helps keep the pots and pans in the kitchen of M.R. Onions on Par-la-Ville Road sparkling clean. The wares are constantly cleaned as they are used by both the regular kitchen and the bakery staff.

GARDEN PARADISE -- The main dining room at M.R. Onions restaurant on Par-la-Ville Road is shown after the completion of five weeks of renovations.

Plants were added to the decor, creating a garden-like setting. The room can seat from 105 to 130 customers depending on how the tables are arranged.