The restaurant’s name got shorter while the menu expanded.

The Pasta Junction is now The Junction, and owner Michael Mascagni said he hopes the change will help him reach a larger customer base.

“We’ve been in Brookhaven for four years and with so many restaurants opening downtown, I had to start thinking outside the box,” said Mascagni.

“For the longest time, customers have come in and have said more or less that they try getting people to come eat with them. When asked where they are going, they’ll mention Pasta Junction and people will mention they don’t want pasta,” Mascagni said. “We’re so much more than pasta and that’s what people have not realized.”

The Junction continues to evolve as a restaurant, recently adding gourmet hamburgers and hot dogs to their menu. Shrimp and grits and chips and queso are just a few new menu items.

The Junction staff prides itself in making homemade bread for their sandwiches, and sauces and dressings are homemade as well.

“If you’ve been with us since day one, we’ve always changed and evolved a little bit. In the restaurant business, I feel that you should evolve. If you stay with one thing, people get tired of it,” Mascagni said. “We’ve got some great ideas in the future that we’re going to do. I thought the name change would show people that we’re more th›an just pasta. I have seen an increase in customers since the change.”

In the future, Mascagni wants to continue to get better in quality of food and service to customers.

“I want to prove to Brookhaven that we belong here. I love meeting and getting to know the people of this town,” Mascagni said. “We’ve had a great customer base. We’ve been very blessed. If you put out a good product and deliver good service, people will come.”