A wine and burger bar concept will be the seventh restaurant to open inside the Mall at University Town Center.

Building permits filed with Sarasota County this week shows that the restaurant chain plans to open its third store in Florida at the $315 million mall under construction at University Parkway and Interstate 75. The Phoenix-based chain operates about 10 stores across the country, including two which are in development in South Florida.

The Florida locations are owned and operated by Briad Group, one of the countrys largest franchisees of brands like TGIFridays, Hilton, Marriot and Wendys. Briad Group has a licensing agreement with Fox Restaurant Concepts, the creator of the restaurant brand, to open franchise locations in the U.S. east of the Mississippi, said Tom Beyer, spokesman for ZinBurger.

ZinBurger locations are usually in upscale malls or around larger retail centers, Beyer said. The South Florida locations will open inside Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, one of the nations largest outlet shopping destinations by square foot, and the Boca Town Center Mall in Palm Beach County.

The chain has been expanding aggressively in the southeastern region, and plans to open an additional store in Atlanta this year, Beyer said.

Zinburger's menu features a full bar with cocktails, 18 wines by the glass and 17 local craft beer selections. The chain's classic "Zinburger" comes with manchego cheese and zinfandel braised onions. The menu boasts handmade milkshakes, salads and other entrees.

To see a slideshow of mall tenants, click here.

Zinburger will join several other chain restaurants that have committed to opening inside the 880,000-square-foot Mall at University Town Center, like Capital Grille, Brio Tuscan Grille, the Cheesecake Factory, Kona Grill and Seasons 52.

Other tenants include Apple, Athropologie, Brooks Brothers and more than 100 others. More than half the malls tenant mix will be new to the region, mall officials say. The Mall at University Town Center will be anchored by Macys, Saks Fifth Avenue and Dillards.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read Whats In Store in print on Tuesdays.

Continued here:
Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar to join University Town Center

The West Australian

The Jamie Oliver juggernaut rolled into Perth yesterday for a brief visit so the superstar chef could see, for the first time, the most successful Jamie's Italian restaurant in his 45-venue global chain of restaurants.

The multimillionaire chef was ushered in through a basement loading dock while breathless fans, smart phones at the ready, and paparazzi staked out both entrances of the William Street restaurant to try to catch a glimpse of the "Cheeky Chappie".

Inside the restaurant, Oliver's staff were waiting with barely concealed excitement as the father of four made a fashionably late rock star entrance.

Oliver's Perth restaurant "does better business than all the others" in Dubai, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, Sweden, Hong Kong and Britain.

"When we started Jamie's Italian five years ago there was very little good, well-priced food at the middle tier of the restaurant business," Oliver said.

"Between restaurants and cafes there wasn't a lot of value around. It was our dream to put good food on people's plates for moderate prices. Perth people just got it. They understood exactly what we were doing."

During a wide-ranging interview with _The Weekend West _yesterday, Oliver expressed his abhorrence of traditionally accepted bullying in restaurant kitchens, his plans for the future - including an "incubator fund" to get young people into their own restaurants - and how he has no more ambitions for "the Jamie Oliver brand", preferring instead to look forward to spending the next 20 years working with young people in the restaurant game.

When pressed about future expansion in WA, Oliver hinted that his upmarket London steakhouse Barbacoa may be headed for Perth because, "no one gets good steaks cooked over coals like an Aussie".

"I've got a scaled down, hybrid version of Barbacoa in development, which would be perfect for a first outing in Perth," he said. "We cook everything on coals. No gas. No electricity and just the best meat we can find."

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Success on a plate for Jamie

Scott Picard thought he had a sure thing in the fall when he moved back to the Roaring Fork Valley with his family and opened a restaurant at Willits Town Center. Four months later, it sure looks like he was right.

Picards Sure Thing restaurant draws a steady mix of retail clerks, construction workers and office folk during weekday lunches, and its a magnet for families with kids and couples out for an evening date.

Hes built the better burger and craft beer place purely by word of mouth and with high visibility in the Parkside building of bustling Willits. Sure Thing is a few doors down from Starbucks.

Picard provides proof that a person can succeed when they switch directions in a career and pursue their passion. He started his working career as a bus boy at a long-gone Aspen restaurant in the early 1980s. A love of skiing lured him to High Alpine restaurant, where George and Gwyn Gordon recognized his talents as a barker the person who collects orders from customers and barks them out to the cooks. It takes a certain flamboyance to do it right, and an ease with people. Picard possesses both.

Nevertheless, he got out of the restaurant business when he left Aspen for the real world. He owned and operated a graphics business in Los Angles, commuting back and forth from Hawaii. By 2005, he was ready for a change and yearned to get back in the hospitality industry. The recession nixed the idea of getting into hotels, but Picard had an opportunity to acquire a 380-square-foot kitchen that soon made its mark by offering gourmet tacos sold out of a window. Word-of-mouth soon had hordes coming to the small commercial area where the taco stand was located. Customers would pester the other operators about the whereabouts of The Window. The restaurant gained a name by default.

Thats when I knew I was probably born to be in food hospitality, Picard said.

The taco stand evolved into Sure Thing at Lahaina, Hawaii. The restaurant was known for its high quality, grass-fed beef from cows raised on Maui.

Scott and his wife, Tammy, decided in 2013 that they wanted to move to the Roaring Fork Valley to raise their girls. They closed the Maui restaurant and set their sights on Willits. Its the latest entry into what Picard calls the better burger category. It includes The Grind, in Glenwood Springs, Fat Belly Burgers, in Carbondale, and CP Burger, in Aspen.

Picard said he never seriously entertained thoughts of opening his restaurant in Aspen. Offseasons are too brutal, he said, and rent would make it impossible to serve a $6.95 burger.

Picard vowed well before he opened that Sure Thing would be affordable as well as clean and comfortable with delicious food. Unlike many restaurant operators who discover they cant keep prices as low as they planned once they open, Picard has kept to his word. The menu features a slightly larger-than-quarter-pound burger with grass-fed, no-hormone beef from 7X Ranches in Hotchkiss. It remains priced at $6.95.

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Restaurant dream becomes Sure Thing at Willits

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) March 19, 2014

Leading restaurant furniture manufacturer and distributor Affordable Seating recently launched an informative Youtube video called "Restaurant Chairs 101". The video is aimed educating restauranteurs, business owners, managers and the public at large on which qualities to look for when purchasing high quality commercial chairs. It also highlights the superior construction methods and materials used by Affordable Seating as opposed to the competition.

The Youtube video focuses on the Ladder Back Chairs Affordable Seating produces. The chairs are made in the USA by skilled craftsman. "The Ladder Back Chair is the most popular chair in America," according to salesperson David M. "It has classic looks that allow it to blend into any setting and is very durable."

The chair is constructed of solid wood with sleek lines across the back. The chair measures 17" wide, 35" tall & 21" deep. Customers can customize the ladder back chair with their choice of solid wood seats and not plywood like our competition. Another option is a padded seat which is also proudly made in the USA. The seat is upholstered using American made foam and vinyl or fabric.

Affordable Seating's Ladder Back Chair is available in 5 different finishes. Custom finishing is also available upon request. The chairs are finished in a 7 stage process utilizing premium polyurethane from Sherwin Williams.

The commercial chair is assembled with mortise and tendon style construction & reinforced with heavy duty wood bolts glued for ultimate support. Each chair leg has a nylon glider attached to protect the floor.

All of Affordable Seating's chairs and bar stools are tested and certified by BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association), which requires the highest standards for construction of commercial furniture. This gives Affordable Seating the confidence to warrant furniture free from defects for 2 years.

Other important differences between Affordable Seating and the competition is the support frame in Affordable Seating's Ladder Back Chairs is made from 1" thick solid wood, unlike the completion which uses smaller, inferior wood. Another difference is the width of the chairs back. Comfort is key when purchasing furniture. A wider back rest provides extra comfort. Affordable Seating's chairs are at least 1/2" wider at the back rest.

Most of Affordable Seating's wood chairs and all of its solid wood table tops are made in the USA. This means that they not only support the local economy where the furniture is produced in the Midwest, it also means there is more quality control and faster shipping time for its customers. Affordable Seating is one of the few furniture distributors that also manufactures its own furniture in the USA.

To view Affordable Seatings full selection of restaurant chairs, bar stools, booths, tables and patio furniture visit http://www.affordableseating.net or call a customer service representative at (888) 495-8884.

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Affordable Seating Launches Informative Youtube Video on Restaurant Chairs

By Teresa F. Lindeman / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

By the end of the year, the 25,000 Pittsburghers who drive by the Eatn Park restaurant on Banksville Road each day will be able to describe that spot as the place where the Eatn Park used to be.

The new place wont be far away just down the parking lot from the site that has been cooking up breakfasts, burgers and fish dinners for decades but management promises the place will represent a generational leap.

The new restaurant will have the same staff and the same menu but it will be built with construction techniques, including skylights to let the kitchen staff enjoy natural light, that aim for the LEED Silver certification meant to honor attention to reducing the impact on the environment.

Its time that our building matches the team members and our food, said Jeff Broadhurst, president and CEO of Eatn Park Hospitality Group, a Homestead company that operates more than 70 restaurants and also runs food operations for hospitals, universities and other businesses that two years ago began pulling in more revenues than the restaurants. Last year company revenues hit $403 million, up from $355 million the previous year.

This Thursday, Mr. Broadhurst and his brothers Brooks Broadhurst, senior vice president of food and beverage, and Mark Broadhurst, vice president of corporate dining and retail development will bring the shovels to the Banksville site to hold a ceremonial groundbreaking on the new restaurant that will replace one that went up in the late 1960s.

The new Banksville restaurant is a long time coming and a significant investment. It took awhile to work out the deal that adds approximately one acre to the existing 1.4-acre site a neighboring auto body shop was torn down and theres an adjacent cliff that pens in development.

The project is costing well over $2 million, said Jeff Broadhurst, and it isn't even the only overhaul planned this year. Eatn Park plans five remodels (Greensburg and Latrobe locations are on the to-do list), in addition to tearing down the Banksville restaurant and another on Library Road to replace with new structures.

Since 2008, the company has remodeled 27 of its Eatn Park restaurants and added 41 pick-up windows.

In advance of Thursdays groundbreaking, Mark and Brooks sat down at Eatn Park headquarters with Jeff tapped in via conference call from Maryland to talk about the state of the company.

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Eat'n Park starting from the ground up after decades on Banksville Road

By Jonathan Smith

jsmith@currentargus @CCAJonSmith on Twitter

Jon Smith -- Current-Argus Building shows the progress of McAlister's Deli at the Carlsbad Mall. Local officials say the restaurant is scheduled to open its doors in May.

CARLSBAD >> Construction on three new hotels and a popular deli are still on track for openings this year in Carlsbad, according to local officials.

McAlister's Deli, a national restaurant chain, should open its doors first good news for local residents who are craving the chain's sandwiches and sweet tea. The restaurant is currently set to open some time in May, said John Waters, director of the Carlsbad Department of Development.

"As far as we've been told and from what we've seen, everything is still on schedule for a May opening," Waters said. "We are really excited about that."

The deli is not the only buzz going around town for construction. Three new hotels are in the first stages of construction. All three hotels are scheduled to be open before the holiday season later in the year, Waters said.

Jon Smith -- Current-Argus Signs for McAlister's Deli lie the Carlsbad Mall for the restaurant chain. Local officials say the restaurant is scheduled to open its doors in May.

The hotels include La Quinta, Comfort Suites and Marriott Suites.

Marriott Suites, located at the old Furr's restaurant site, was the last new hotel to be announced and start construction. According to county records, the property, which is now split into two lots, was sold in June 2013.

Link:
New restaurants, hotels on track to open in Carlsbad in 2014

A massive warehouse that for 70 years has perched at Duke Street on the Alexandria waterfront would be replaced with high-end residences, retail and a restaurant with views of the Potomac River, according to plans presented to the citys Waterfront Commission on Tuesday.

Robert D. Youngentob, a principal in the development company EYA, outlined the firms concept for an approximately $200million project that he said will transform the 3.5-acre site from industrial to a modern residential-commercial mix.

The presentation was the first public glimpse of what would replace the building known as Robinson Terminal South, which Graham Holdings the former owner of The Washington Post agreed to sell to EYA last year.

In addition to about 100 condominium units and townhouses, the project includes a public promenade and an upgraded pier that would allow boats and yachts to tie up for daytime visits. It is a key part of the Alexandria waterfront plan, which was the subject of a pitched two-year battle over the eight blocks of Old Town that border the Potomac. Opponents objected to the traffic and congestion that more development could bring.

We know there is a lot of controversy and history with the citys waterfront plan, and we want to balance, not overwhelm, the area, Youngentob said in an interview.

Lawsuits by opponents have failed to stop the waterfront plan, twice endorsed by the Alexandria City Council. It allows two boutique hotels, new residences and expanded parks along the river. Traffic, landscape design and flood mitigation studies are underway.

The Waterfront Commission, an advisory group appointed by the City Council, received the proposal with little discussion early Tuesday at its meeting.

People were in general pretty pleased, said council member Paul Smedberg (D), who serves on the commission. There were some questions about environmental issues, the piers, how people would get in and out.

The next significant step will be when the developers turn the concept into an actual plan. EYA officials said they expect to stay within the citys 50-foot height limit for the site, with condominium buildings of four or five stories.

The land will be raised, an effort to prevent flooding. The waterfront street, called the Strand, will be extended through the old warehouse property, then connected with Union Street.

Link:
Developer proposing upscale housing, restaurant on Alexandria warehouse site

In a far corner of campus in the Mateer Building, students bustle around for their first-ever restaurant management position at Caf Laura.

Caf Laura, open for lunch and dinner, is an educational opportunity for students to manage every aspect of running a restaurant in preparation for jobs outside of the classroom, restaurant manager Scott King said.

The student-run restaurant is planning for reconstruction that will begin May 1, the first time since 1998, King said.

The restaurant is almost entirely run by students, and it is used as a tool to prepare students for management positions after they graduate, King said. In order to better prepare students, the restaurant has to keep up with industry trends, such as environmental awareness.

The renovations will allow students to practice these industry trends, and they will even try to stay ahead of trends in the restaurant industry with new technologies, lead instructor George Ruth said.

Some of the new technologies include registers that will help the dining experience run more smoothly, he said.

With the renovations, teaching assistant Carly Szyszko said she thinks the restaurant can be more functional.

During lunch time, thats just a mess in there, Szyszko said.

But during the operating hours, students learn valuable lessons about managing a restaurant, King said.

Since the restaurant works with campus food services, students have the pressure of making sure everything finances, customer service, food quality works well.

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Student-run caf plans construction

Public Kitchen and Bar is expected to open this summer along Sixth Street in Lowertown St. Paul. (Facebook photo)

The space between Barrio and Bin Wine Bar in Lowertown St. Paul will be home to another restaurant early this summer.

Owner Carol March says Public Kitchen and Bar will serve American food with two full bars, one upstairs and one down.

March, a real estate broker, said she's never really left the restaurant business since working in one as a teen, and she's always had dreams of opening her own place.

She couldn't resist the opportunity to open a restaurant in the historic building on Sixth Street.

"I'm from St. Paul originally," March said. "I love history, and I love old buildings. I'm really excited to open my own restaurant in my hometown."

March has already ripped down the awnings that were blocking much of the natural light -- and the view of Mears Park. Interior construction will begin soon.

The inside will retain the integrity of the "historically significant" building, March said.

She just hired a chef, but she's not ready to say who it is just yet. The menu should appeal to nearby businesspeople and condo-dwellers alike. Lunch, served upstairs only, and dinner are planned.

March is hoping for an early-summer opening.

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Lowertown: New restaurant opening across from Mears Park

The James Beard Foundation announces finalists for its annual culinary awards Tuesday at The Publican, but five restaurant operators already know they are winners.

The foundation's America's Classics honor favors destinations across the country that involve more cooks than chefs, diners than bistros and ethnic than eclectic cuisine.

If this were the Oscars, the honor would be a lifetime achievement award for character actors whose long and steady careers avoid split personalities and outlandish costume changes. The Midwest is well represented in this elite group, which tends to favor blue-collar sensibilities and decor that is vintage.

Consider these past Chicago winners: Calumet Fisheries in 2010, Tufano's Vernon Park Tap in 2008 and The Berghoff in 1999.

Now another Midwestern restaurant takes its place among the Classics winners (see sidebar). Sokolowski's University Inn in Cleveland is a cafeteria-style restaurant that began as a tavern in 1923 and started serving Salisbury steak to bridge construction workers in the 1950s. That entree and Polish foods pierogi, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage rolls still are served and recipes are shared online.

"We've seen the neighborhood change and the city change," said co-owner Mike Sokolowski of the third-generation business. What began as an ethnic mix of Poles, Ukrainians, Russians, Greeks and Slovakians as neighbors today is "more artsy, kind of yuppie," yet full of the same customer devotion, he added.

"A lot of people have been good to us," Sokolowski said, and it doesn't seem to matter that the business sticks with cafeteria-style service. "We're a dinosaur in that regard. If I had to do it again, I'd do it again."

Sokolowski's University Inn is at 1201 University Road in Cleveland, 216-771-9236; sokolowskis.com.

Earning a Classics award doesn't guarantee an easy future, however. The Berghoff closed in 2006 then reopened. The same happened at Pickwick Restaurant & Pub in Duluth, Minn., an America's Classics winner in 2007 and sold by the founding Wisocki family in 2010.

The Pickwick began serving simple grub as a beer brewer's pub 100 years ago. Now it is known for char-grilled steaks, seafood and pastas. The setting shows off locally crafted, ornate woodwork and murals of brewing and immigrant life.

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Beard foundation names new culinary classics in the Midwest