A proposed restaurant in Allentown's historic Schoen's building is one step closer to opening with the approval of a liquor license transfer Wednesday.

The restaurant, which was described as an upscale American bistro with European inspiration, would occupy the first floor of the former furniture store in the 600 block of Hamilton Street which is being redeveloped within Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone.

Allentown City Council heard about the proposed plans Wednesday before voting 6-0 to approve the transfer of a liquor license from Beef House, Inc. on Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem. The license will now be held by the Brown Brothers Restaurant Group, a partnership of W. Jeffrey Brown and his father W. Douglas Brown, who are also majority owners of the building.

As proposed, the 6,500 square foot restaurant would have 225 booth and table seats inside the bistro and outdoor seating for an additional 40 people, said attorney Ted Zeller who represented the Browns during the meeting. A 14-seat bar would be available in the front of the restaurant and private dining space in the back.

The restaurant will be open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. That schedule could be adjusted depending upon what kind of draw the city's new downtown hockey arena proves to be, Zeller said. There would be no live entertainment.

Plans call for the restaurant to be upscale, Zeller said, but not as polished as Melt, an upscale Italian-inspired grill located at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

"It's going to be the type of place where a suit like me will be comfortable, or a guy in a Phantoms jersey is going to be comfortable," Zeller said.

W. Jeffrey Brown said no name has been picked for the restaurant. He and his father have been courting a operating partner to work with, but they will remain involved with the operation regardless of that decision, he said.

A tentative opening date for the restaurant has been set for Sept. 1, but that could be pushed back until spring to take advantage of warm weather, Brown said.

Construction at the Schoen's building is ongoing, and developers hope to receive occupancy permits by Aug. 1. Closed since 1990, the 103-year-old building will be largely used as office that will be leased by Trifecta Technologies and Shane Patrick Construction.

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Restaurant proposed for Allentown's Schoen's building gets OK for liquor license

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

Plans for a new center city restaurant were shared with Allentown City Council Wednesday night, which helped the project along by unanimously approving an inter-municipal liquor license transfer for it.

The unnamed establishment will be at 612 Hamilton St., which is known as the Schoens building.

It was described as an upscale, American bistro restaurant ---American cuisine with some European inspirations by Atty. Theodore Zeller, who represented the owners before City Council.

But he also said it will not have that type of polish as the Cosmopolitan restaurant in center city or Melt in Upper Saucon Townships Promenade shopping complex.

Zeller said its going to be a place where a suit like me is going to be very comfortable or a guy wearing a Phantoms jersey also is going to be comfortable.

He promised the restaurant will be family friendly and one of the most attractive restaurant spaces we have downtown.

The owners were identified as Brown Brothers Restaurant Group, LLC, of Allentown.

Jeff Brown, co-owner of the business, told council: Were excited to be a part of the downtown revitalization. The restaurants an important part of this puzzle. Were looking forward to moving forward.

Brown told council he would love for the restaurant could be completed by Sept.1, but were not rushing it. Its more important that we get everything right.

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New Allentown restaurant gets liquor license transfer

COURTESY BROWNS RESTAURANT GROUP Enlarge Image

The Browns Socialhouse in Red Deer, Alta. The Brandon location, to be built on the site of the former A&W on Queens Avenue, is expected to open by October.

A new watering hole will be setting up shop in Brandon, and its being touted as a hybrid between a neighbourhood pub and upscale casual dining.

Enlarge Image

The view of the Browns Socialhouse patio in Surrey, B.C. (BROWNS RESTAURANT GROUP)

Enlarge Image

A look at the Browns Socialhouse patio at its New Westminster, B.C., location. (BROWNS RESTAURANT GROUP)

"We have the mentality of Cheers, where everybody knows your name, so to speak," said Andrea Baxter, director of marketing with Browns Restaurant Group. "Its much more community, neighbourhood focused."

Browns Socialhouse will be built where the former A&W restaurant was located, at 1847 Queens Ave. Construction of the two-storey building is expected to take five to six months, and Baxter says if all goes well, the doors should be open by October.

"Were excited. I think just with the uniqueness that weve got in terms of the smaller footprint, weve really immersed ourselves in these smaller, tighter-knit communities," she said.

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Getting Socialhouse: 'Cheers'-style watering hole to open in Brandon

Services, the biggest chunk of the U.S. economy, picked up in April as gains in orders and sales signaled even faster growth ahead.

The Institute for Supply Managements nonmanufacturing index rose to 55.2, the highest level since August, from 53.1 in March, the report showed Monday. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

Retailers, restaurants and construction companies were among the 14 industries reporting growth last month as the worlds biggest economy rebounds from a weak first quarter. Increased hiring sets the stage for stronger consumer spending that will benefit companies such as United Parcel Service Inc.

Its a solid report, consistent with what we saw in the April employment numbers and in manufacturing, said Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York, who projected a reading of 55. The economy is emerging nicely from the winter doldrums.

Confidence is building, Anthony Nieves, chairman of the survey, said on a conference call with reporters. Employment has to increase in this sector if business keeps growing.

The ISM nonmanufacturing survey covers an array of industries including utilities, retailing and health care. It also encompasses construction and agriculture.

It paints a better picture of the economy, said Kathleen Bostjancic, an economist at Oxford Economics USA in New York. We have a decent pace of job growth. It boosts confidence and will support consumer spending.

The figures show the U.S. expansion is strengthening, while China cools and Europe struggles to pick up. Chinese manufacturing contracted for a fourth month in April, according to figures from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit.

Demand is getting a boost as more Americans find work. Labor Department figures last week showed Americas job-creation machine kicked into higher gear in April. The 288,000 gain in payrolls exceeded the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey and followed a 203,000 advance in March. The unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent, the lowest level since September 2008.

The economy has started the quarter with a lot of momentum, said Markus Schomer, chief economist at PineBridge Investments LLC in New York. We have moderate but accelerating growth, inflation is no longer falling, and the Federal Reserve is expected to keep rates very low for a very long time.

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Orders lift U.S. service companies as sales improve

May 03, 2014

The construction sector has recovered with employment also returning to the industry. Reuters pic, May 3, 2014When the United States economy crashed in 2008, following the implosion of the housing market, Dave Klein's southern California construction company almost folded.

Overnight, he went from employing 40 construction workers to four. Some returned home to El Salvador, others to Mexico. Several left the state to find work in pork and chicken factories in the Midwest.

But in the past two months, Klein says, some of them have returned as he has started hiring again moves that reflect a recent trend in the US construction industry as the American economy continues to pick up steam.

"There is a little bit more money out there and there are a lot of apartments being built," Klein said. "So things are getting a little better. Some of these guys went into the restaurant industry, but they are coming back. Or friends of friends are."

The US construction industry saw its largest gain in jobs since the start of this year, and the highest number since 2009, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics yesterday.

The construction sector added 32,000 jobs in April, the fourth straight month of gains over which 124,000 building site jobs have been created. The gains were part of an unexpectedly bright jobs report which saw the overall unemployment rate drop from 6.7% to 6.3% as US employers added 288,000 jobs in April, well above estimates.

The construction industry was obliterated in the wake of the housing crash. Of the 8.2 million jobs lost during the Great Recession, 2.3 million were in construction, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In April 2006, there were over 7.7 million construction jobs. By April 2011, the number was under 5.4 million. Now it is back up to 6 million, still a long way below the pre-recession boom, but on an upward tick.

Yet the demand in construction jobs is not just being met by former workers returning to the fold, according to company bosses and industry analysts. Many of these former workers have been lost forever, forcing companies to hire and train new, inexperienced employees.

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BATTLE GROUND Construction crews this week began work on a planned widening of state Highway 502 between Interstate 5 and Battle Ground, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The $88 million project will expand the highway to four lanes and install a median barrier while rebuilding intersections at Northeast 29th, 50th, 72nd and 92nd avenues. The project will also add bicycle paths and sidewalks in Dollars Corner at Northeast 72nd Avenue, according to WSDOT.

Drivers should expect weekday lane closures and delays between about 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., the agency said. After clearing the corridor of trees and brush, crews will start excavation and utility work. The bulk of the widening work is planned for 2015 and 2016, with the project wrapping up in late 2016.

Construction on the project was supposed to begin in 2013, but was delayed due to a longer-than-expected property-acquisition process. WSDOT had to acquire at least a portion of 180 properties along the corridor to widen it.

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Work begins on planned Highway 502 widening

Edward Gately, The Republic | azcentral.com 2:44 p.m. MST May 1, 2014

SkySong and its development team are now leasing a planned10,500-square-foot retail building to be built onthe northeast corner ofScottsdale Road and SkySong Boulevard.(Photo: Skysong)

SkySong, the Arizona State University Scottsdale Innovation Center, will be bringing more retail and restaurant space to the McDowell Road corridor.

Leasing has started on a planned 10,500-square-foot restaurant and retail building to be built at Scottsdale Road and SkySong Boulevard, just south of McDowell and east of Scottsdale Road.

"We plan on breaking ground in the fall," said SkySong spokesman Tom Evans. "We have to go through the (city's) Design Review board but do not have to go to City Council. The total cost of the building is approximately $5 million."

It's part of the overall mixed-use vision for SkySong, which will include 1.2 million square feet of development upon completion. A third office building, SkySong III, and parking garage are nearing completion, with a fourth office building expected to be under construction before the end of the year.

Also, the 325-unit SkySong Apartments complex was completed in April.

Plaza Cos. is the master developer of SkySong, in partnership with the ASU Foundation and Scottsdale. Tucson-based Holualoa Cos. also has partnered with Plaza Cos. for the project.

SRS Real Estate Partners is handling the leasing for the retail building, which will include adjacent surface parking for visitors to the restaurants and stores.

"We kept hearing from people that they wanted more restaurant and retail options to be a part of the future of SkySong, and this will help us accomplish that goal," said Sharon Harper, Plaza Cos.' president and CEO. "We have a wonderful caf on site and have had smaller retail presences in the past, but this will truly bring back strong, established retail to this property and provide some great services for the area."

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SkySong adding restaurant, retail to Scottsdale campus

On Feb. 25, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors issued a stop-work order for the Checkered Parrot, a two-story bar and restaurant under construction on Prytania Street near Touro Infirmary.

The first Checkered Parrot, now closed, was in the French Quarter. Construction began in the summer 2012 on the second location at 3629 Prytania St.

A spokeswoman for the state licensing board said a stop-work order was issued "because the contractor was acting as a contractor without a license." The issue remains under investigation. A date for a hearing has not yet been set.

According to the state licensing board and various media reports, the Checkered Parrot is owned by Mark Morad.

Last May, Morad was charged with Medicare fraud by a federal grand jury.

Morad also operates the Italian Pie restaurant across the street at 3706 Prytania St.

That Italian Pie location is currently closed for "systems modifications," according to a sign posted outside, and will reopened in "approximately 710 days."

The recorded message on the Prytania Street Italian Pie's phone was less specific, stating "if we answer, you will know we are reopened."

Morad could not be reached for comment. The number listed on the Checkered Parrot website was temporarily disconnected.

The Checkered Parrot is franchised by the same company that operates the Fire of Brazil chain in Atlanta and Latin America. A Fire of Brazil restaurant in the French Quarter closed in 2008.

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At Checkered Parrot bar and restaurant on Prytania Street, state stops construction

Oliver's, a new casual neighborhood restaurant proposed for Old University Avenue, wants to bridge the culinary gap between Lombardino's high-end Italian and burgers at the Blue Moon Bar & Grill.

The food, as described in an application to the Alcohol License Review Committee, would be approachable and familiar salads with roasted beets; pan-roasted brussels sprouts and candied nuts; sandwiches with hand-carved turkey, grassfed beef, braised pork and pan-fried walleye; entrees of mussels, perch fish fry and a half chicken with frites.

"There will be food that will take people back to when they were young, maybe something grandma made for Sunday dinner, said Bob Harriman, who will run the restaurant with Don Michelson. Thats the environment.

The proposed restaurant at 2540 University Ave. would be located on the first floor of the six-story apartment building recently completed by the Mullins Group, 2550 University.(City planners have recently pushed for taller, denser construction in the area.)

At 3,016 square feet, Oliver's would have seating for 93 people inside and 24 more on an outdoor, seasonal patio.

The current proposal is to open quietly for business on Labor Day, serving lunch and dinner from Monday through Friday, with brunch, lunch and dinner (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.) on weekends.

No chef has yet been named, but the application lists Chad Vogel (Maduro) and Craig Madigan (Johnny Delmonico's) as manager/collaborators. Harriman is a co-owner of Sardine and his construction company has had a hand in building many restaurants including Heritage Tavern and Francesca's al Lago.

Harriman, 67, calls himself an "old west side kid." Both he and Michelson, recently of Michelson Associates in Middleton, graduated from Madison West High School.

"Oliver's is the culmination of 35 years of around or in the business," Harriman said. "My grandmother owned a restaurant and bar on Lake Wisconsin I would have been 11 years old when I started bussing tables."

Harriman chose not to be a manager or owner but "simply a designer and builder of restaurants," until now.

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Restaurant veteran brings Oliver's, contemporary comfort food to Old University

There's a lot of construction underway on Duling Street in Fondren.

A new restaurant, Saltine Oysters and Brew, is setting up shop in the old Duling school.

"We really want to celebrate the oyster," said Saltine owner Jesse Houston. "We're going to have varieties from all over the world -- the East Coast, West Coast. Of course, we're going to celebrate our Gulf Coast and all of the seafood and oysters that come out of there. We're going to get oysters from Canada, Japan and Europe."

The restaurant, which is slated to open in August, will also serve special beers from local breweries.

A few feet away, Duling Hall is getting a $50,000 renovation in the hope of bringing in more acts. The improvements include a new stage, kitchen, and repainting. A dressing room has also been added upstairs for performing artists.

"If the music is coming in, you can come in, sit at a high top, get out of the racket. This will be a new bar here just to open up and have better service for our customers," said Arden Barnett of Ardenland Entertainment.

A concert is scheduled for Friday night for the new Duling Hall debut.

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New restaurant opening in Fondren