Later in the Spring, a 1400 square foot quick-service Veloce by Pizzeria Paradiso (www.eatyuourpizza.com) will open in the former Cozy Café location at 1828 L St. NW in downtown Washington DC. An offshoot of the three-unit Pizzeria Paradiso chain of full service restaurants, the new concept will include seating for about 30 as well as a small patio area. It will offer a breakfast and lunch menu. The menu will include various pizzas and choices, calzones, sandwiches and salads. Chef and author Ruth Gresser owned the Pizzeria Paradiso restaurants and the new Veloce restaurant and Miller Walker Retail Real Estate (202/333-0303)handled the site selection…….
Last week, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Chanticleer Holdings Inc. (704/366-5122 www.chanticleerholdings.com) closed on the acquisition of Lansdowne, Virginia-based BGR: The Burger Joint (571/223-5946 www.brgtheburgerjoint.com), a better burger concept operating in the Maryland/Washington, DC/Virginia area. BGR ended 2014 with over $15-million in system wide retail sales, nine corporate owned locations and nine franchises. It added two additional locations in first quarter 2015 including its first international franchise location in Kuwait. The chain has over eighty franchise locations under development agreement almost equally split between domestic and international markets……
In October 2014, Richard Gonzmart, President of the Tampa, Florida-based Columbia Restaurant Group (813/248-3000 www.columbiarestaurant.com) acquired the rights to Goody Goody, Tampa’s homegrown hamburger restaurant on Florida St. that closed in 2005, after 75 years in operation. Gonzmart acquired the rights to the Goody Goody name, the famous ‘secret sauce’ and signage, according to reports in The Tampa Tribune. Earlier this month, veteran restaurateur Marc Zudar joined Columbia Restaurant Group as the Operating Partner of Goody Goody. A search is currently underway for a site and plans are to open the new Goody Goody restaurant later this year…….
Meriden, Connecticut-based Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (203/440-1924 www.pepespizzeria.com) will enter the Boston market later in the Summer with its first location in Massachusetts. Called one of ‘The 13 Most Influential Pizzas of All Time’ by TIME magazine, the 90-year old chain will open a 3200 square foot, 85-seat restaurant at The Mall at Chestnut Hill on Boylson St. in the Chestnut Hill suburb. The unit will feature the popular coal-fired, brick oven pizza menu. The family-owned and operated chain presently operates seven restaurants in Connecticut and one in Yonkers, New York……..
On April 10th, Darden Restaurants (407/245-4000 www.darden.com) will open its fine dining Eddie V’s (www.eddiev.com) seafood and steak restaurant on the lobby level of the mixed-use Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Virginia. Along with its prime seafood creations, USDA prime beef and chops and fresh oyster bar selections, the 9950 square foot unit will offer live nightly music in its V-Lounge. Inspired by the classic restaurants of New Orleans, San Francisco and Boston, the 15-year old Eddie V’s chain operates twelve locations in Texas, Florida, California, Arizona and one in Chicago…...