hospitality : Development News

A happy hour mojito will soon only be steps away for workers at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
 
Cuban Revolution Restaurant and Bar will join Teavolve and Milk & Honey Market as the newest restaurant in the John G. Rangos Sr. Building at The Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins.
 
Owner Edward Morabito plans to open the 106-seat restaurant serving Cuban fare Sept. 1. He is investing $938,000 in the new business, according to testimony at the Baltimore City Liquor License Board hearing where the restaurant received conditional approval for its liquor license.
 
The items on the menu range from tapas to pressed sandwiches and wraps to entrees. Some of the highlights include handmade empanadas, steak chimichurri, garlic shrimp, and seared sea scallops. The restaurant will also offer live jazz music.
 
A longtime government official turned restaurateur, Morabito owns and operates two additional restaurants in Providence, R.I., and Durham, N.C., with similar concepts and menus. 
 
More than 30 people will be employed at the location and hiring will include people from the community surrounding the restaurant, Morabito says. The science and technology research park has come under fire for not including enough people in the surrounding community in its development plans. 
 
Morabito calls Baltimore a 'dynamic city,' and was drawn to the collaborative aspect of the redevelopment of the area around the Johns Hopkins medical campus.
 
Just north of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Rangos Building is part of a more than 80-acre urban redevelopment project under the direction of the East Baltimore Development Inc. which will include housing, retail and office space, research labs, and more.
 
Source: Edward Morabito, owner and CEO of Cuban Revolution Restaurant and Bar
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 
 

Workers in Hunt Valley will soon have another place to grab some grub.
 
Nalley Fresh, a fast-casual restaurant that serves salads, wraps, rice bowls, and burritos at its downtown location, plans to expand to Hunt Valley and additional locations in the area, says owner Greg Nalley.
 
The 3,000-sqaure-foot, 60-seat restaurant will open Sept. 1 in the Schilling Green II complex currently under construction at 225 Schilling Circle near the Hunt Valley Towne Centre. Nalley will employ at least nine employees at the new location.
 
Nalley says he believes that Hunt Valley is becoming a hot commodity for businesses planning to open and relocate and he hopes to serve the growing community of workers in the area.
 
The restaurant's first location on the ground floor of the Sun Trust building on East Baltimore Street downtown opened last March. The response to the location has been overwhelming, Nalley says.
 
In addition to the Hunt Valley expansion, Nalley says there is room to expand his business and he is currently considering several sites for additional locations.
 
Prior to starting Nalley Fresh, Nalley worked as the Executive Chef for the Maryland Jockey Club for close to 10 years. In 2002, he opened Harvest Table in Locust Point. He sold the business and later opened Nalley Fresh.
 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
Source: Greg Nalley, owner of Nalley Fresh

Baltimore’s Intercontinental Harbor Court Hotel will be changing flags to Royal Sonesta later this month.
 
Starting May 31, the hotel at 550 Light St. will be known as the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore, according to hotel owner Hospitality Properties Trust.
 
The Newton, Mass., real estate investment trust has identified 40 hotels in its portfolio that it wants to either sell or rebrand under the Royal Sonesta flag, says Ken Bonang, the company’s vice president of investor relations. He couldn’t say whether some of those hotels will include other properties in Maryland.

Boston's Sonesta International Hotels Corp. is taking over management of the downtown Baltimore property. Hospitality Properties Trust has no plans to sell the 196-room hotel, which Bonang says will remain an upscale property. 
 
Hospitality Properties Trust bought the Harbor Court Hotel in 2006 for $78 million and gave it a $4 million facelift. It was Baltimore’s only five-star property until the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore opened last year. 

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Ken Bonang, Hospitality Properties Trust 

Opa! Baltimore's tony Harbor East neighborhood is getting another new restaurant this summer. 

Greek restaurant Ouzo Bay is opening at 1006 Lancaster St., the same building that houses Charleston. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant seat 140 inside and 70 outside, according to a liquor license application Alexander Smith filed in Baltimore City.

The owners will invest at least $500,000 to open the Ouzo Bay, according to the liquor license application. The restaurant will serve modern Greek specialties, with an emphasis on fresh seafood.

Harbor East is home to Cinghiale, Arhaus Furniture, White House|Black Market and the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore. The area is getting a slew of new retailers this summer, including Anthropologie, J. Crew, Lululemon and MAC Cosmetics. The area and surrounding neighborhood of Fells Point have attracted a number of new eateries within the last year, including Waterfront Kitchen, Wit and Wisdom Tavern, the Inn at the Black Olive and Bond Street Social.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Baltimore City liquor board

Matt Lallo didn't plan on opening up a restaurant when he moved down to Baltimore from Philadelphia two years ago with his wife to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
 
But retired life didn't quite suit him.
 
"I don't golf," Lallo says.
 
After owning three restaurants in the Philadelphia area over his career, Lallo needed a project.
 
Lallo's fourth restaurant, the Blue Sage Cafe and Wine Bar, is expected to open June 1, pending the permitting process, at 1604 Kelly Ave. That's the former location of The Falls in Mt. Washington.
 
Lallo says his family used to have brunch at the Falls when they visited Baltimore and when the restaurant closed, he decided to look into leasing the space. He describes Mt. Washington as a very family-oriented area.
 
The cafe will feature a "pan-global" menu with craft beers, offering light breakfast with good coffee, in addition to a lunch and dinner, Lallo says.

He hopes to provide a neighborhood-based cafe that creates extraordinary food.
 
The 2,400-square-foot space reminds Lallo, he says, of a corner restaurant in Manhattan.
 
While the restaurant was pretty much move-in ready, Lallo says they rearranged it to give it a clean look. The restaurant also plans to hire at least 12 employees when they open.
 
In Philadelphia, Lallo operated the Purple Sage Cafe. He also served as the director of operations for Culinary Concepts Inc., a catering company. 
 
Source: Matt Lallo, owner of the Blue Sage Cafe and Wine Bar
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Soon you’ll be able to pick up a spicy tuna roll and chardonnay before you fly on AirTran Airways or Southwest Airlines.

A sushi restaurant by the name of Gachi will open late spring at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, airport spokesman Jonathan Dean confirmed. It will be located in the food court in Concourse A, according to the county liquor board.

Adding new shops and restaurants is a priority for the airport as airport traffic picks up, Dean says. BWI had a record year last year with 22,391,785 passengers.

“The airport is working to add a number of concessions,” Dean says. He couldn’t specify the type of concessions.

BWI wants to beef up offerings in Concourse A/B since AirTran shifted its operation there following its merger with Southwest Airlines, Dean says.

Gachi received a special airport concessionaire license, which allows it to sell any kind of alcoholic beverage.

Inez M. Setiabudi and Daniel Kurniawan, listed as the holders of the liquor license, could not be reached for comment. 

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Jonathan Dean, BWI; Anne Arundel County liquor board 

Joe’s Crab Shack is on its way to building its fourth Maryland restaurant at Hunt Valley Towne Centre, according to the Baltimore County liquor board.
 
The board approved a liquor license transfer to the Houston-based restaurant chain, says Mike Mohler, chief administrator of the Baltimore County Board of Liquor License Commissioners. The building will go on a pad site opposite Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Mohler says.
 
“We’re very excited about having them in Baltimore County,” Mohler says. “We’re looking forward to it.”
 
The other Maryland crab shacks are in Greenbelt, Gaithersburg and Abingdon.
 
Officials at Greenberg Gibbons Commercial Corp. – Hunt Valley’s developer – and Joe’s Crab Shack said they did not yet have a formal announcement on the new site.
 
The crab restaurant typically employs around 250 to 300 at each location. In addition to crabs, the restaurant sells New Orleans-style and Caribbean-flavored seafood dishes, such as crawfish etouffee and coconut shrimp.
 
Anchored by a Wegmans Food Markets, Hunt Valley Towne Centre’s shops include White House/Black Market, the Greene Turtle and California Pizza Kitchen. 

Writer: Julekha Dash; [email protected]
Source: Mike Mohler, Baltimore County liquor board

Yorkridge Shopping Center in Timonium has signed up Towson How Bagels & Deli and Massage Envy as clients, making the center fully leased.
 
Kohl’s, Michaels and MOM’s Organic Market are the anchor tenants at the 180,000-square-foot shopping center. It will be Towson Hot Bagels & Deli’s third location in Greater Baltimore when it opens next month. Massage Envy, a national chain that offers several types of massages and facials., will open in the summer.
 
Mark Renbaum, CEO of developer Schwaber Holdings says there is currently has interest from a number of tenants, including national restaurants and clothing shops. The Pikesville real estate company has completed $1 million in renovations to the center in the last 18 months, Renbaum says. This includes the replacement of sidewalks and portions of the roof and landscaping.
 
The county has approved a parking variance that could enable the center to add 15,000 square feet of commercial space.  

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Mark Renbaum, Schwaber Holdings 

David and Dad's, a breakfast and lunch cafe and carryout, plans to add a new downtown location in May.
 
Located at 100 E. Pratt St., the new 2,100-square-foot location, Cafe Express, will feature a similar concept to David & Dad's.  The cafe hopes to provide fast-food speed and prices, with restaurant quality food and service, says owner David Cangialosi.
 
The space will undergo a renovation upwards of $200,000 to be paid for by the landlord, Cangialosi says.
 
The location was previously occupied by an Italian deli that closed and the landlord needed the space filled as quickly as possible, Cangialosi says.
 
Cangialosi says hopes to keep his customer base and thinks the restaurant will be successful in the new location. He plans to have between six and eight people running the cafe.
 
The cafe offers a revolving menu of sandwiches, salads, paninis and other lunch specials.

The company currently has a main location at 334 N. Charles, a smaller express cafe at 1 N. Charles, and a coffee shop inside the Southeast Anchor Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
 
Cangialosi always wanted his own business. He bought his first cafe more than 18 years ago after working for Mrs. Field's Cookies. When Cangialosi decided to expand, his father invested in the business, and Cangialosi named the cafe in part to thank to his father. 

Source: David Cangialosi, owner of David and Dad's
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Baltimore wine lovers rejoice: Little Italy will soon have another wine bar. 
 
V-NO, a wine bar in Fells Point, plans to open a new location within the next three to four months with a similar concept but twice in the space, says owner Mark Bachman.
 
Located in the old Fallsway Spring building at 415 S. Central Ave, V-NO's new location, V-NO II, will push the company’s concept of providing sustainable wines even further. Currently 70 percent of the wines at the Fells Point location are sustainable. Bachman plains to expand the sustainable wine offerings by featuring wines on tap.
 
Nationally, a growing amount of quality vineyards are offering wines in small, reusable stainless steel containers as opposed to bottles.
 
The packaging solution is a win-win for vineyards, businesses purchasing the wine, and the environment, Bachman says. Less packaging lowers costs for all involved and also dramatically reduces the carbon footprint. Plus, the first glass is as good as the hundredth, Bachman says.
 
In terms of the ecosystem, it's the best way to drink wine, Bachman says. He hopes his customers in Baltimore will also buy into the idea.
 
"It just makes sense. I've got a six year-old son, I want to leave the world in a decent place for him," Bachman says.
 
Additionally, the wine bar will offer light food and a larger selection of wine. V-NO II will occupy 25 percent of the Fallsway Spring Building. The 1,500-square-foot store will be located on the Eastern Avenue side of the building. Bachman plans to employ six people in the new business.

The building's developer, Larry Silverstein, is responsible for several other redeveloped retail and restaurant buildings in East Baltimore. His Union Box Company is the developer for the Holland Tack Factory, home of Heavy Seas Ale House and Red Star Bar & Grill, among other projects.
 
At one point, it was reported that the developer wanted to turn the space into condos with retail and office space. Silverstein bought the building for $750,000 in 2007, according to state property records.  

Source: Mark Bachman, owner of V-NO II
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]


 

Satisfying your caffeine craving in Baltimore's downtown is about to get a little easier.
 
While an exact date has not been announced, a company spokesperson says that Starbucks plans to open a location at 100 E. Pratt St. location sometime later this month. The address is also the corporate headquarters of T. Rowe Price Group Inc. and Italian restaurant Brio Tuscan Grille, which opened this month.

It will be the second standalone Starbucks in downtown. There's another Starbucks on the west side at 1 E. Eutaw St. On the other side of the city, there's a Starbucks in Harbor East next to Landmark Theatres and one in Canton's Can Company. 

Starbucks' Ellicott City location on Baltimore National Pike, has just been remodeled and given an expanded cafe menu, says a spokesperson. The renovations include new chairs, floors and coffee counter. 
 
The expansion is a marked shift for the Seattle coffee giant, which closed 600 stores around the country several years ago during the recession, including two downtown locations on Charles Street and at Harborplace. It also closed a store in Belvedere Square. 
 
In all, Starbucks currently has more than 50 stores in the Baltimore area including stores in Charles Village and Mount Washington.

Source: Starbucks spokesperson
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

Hiring for the Lotte Plaza in Catonsville will begin early this summer as the grocery will employ as many as 75 for the new location.

The positions will be "typical retail supermarket positions," from cashiers to managers to bookkeepers, says Lotte Plaza Director Alvin Lee.  The company plans to hire from within the organization first and then reach out to the community at large, Lee says
 
The Asian market plans to open a store at One Mile West Shopping Center in Catonsville this summer and will compete a multimillion-dollar renovation of the 46,000-square-foot space, says Bob G. Pollokoff, president of The Fedder Co.

The remodeling of the building will begin later this month and will include renovations to both the inside and outside of the building. Lotte Plaza will remodel the interior of the building, turning it from a space formerly used as a toy store into a full-service grocery store, Pollokoff says.
 
Lotte Plaza will take over the space formerly occupied by Toys-"R"-Us at the shopping center that also includes Panera Bread and Pier 1 Imports at 6600 Baltimore National Pike. The Fedder Co., a commercial real estate development, investment, and management company that manages more than 1.8 million square-feet of commercial property in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, owns the property.
 
Lotte Plaza operates 13 markets in seven states including locations in Ellicott City, Germantown, and Silver Spring and employs over 300 employees.
 
Sources: Alvin Lee, director at Lotte Plaza and Bob G. Pollokoff, president of The Fedder Company.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

A pair of local entrepreneurs hopes a planned cultural arts center will bring new economic vitality to the Howard Street corridor.
 
Renwick Bass and his business partner, Dr. Larry Gaston, plan to open a 13,500-square-foot cultural center and banquet hall in a former bank building at the intersection of Howard and W. Mulberry Streets near downtown Baltimore. And three more could open in other parts of the city. 
 
The pair plans to invest around $750,000 to turn the former Liberty Savings and Loan into a youth development and cultural arts center offering classes in the performing and fine arts. The pair also hope to partner with local theater groups, musicians, and dancers to host performances at the space. Shows will be accompanied by gourmet food catered by local businesses as well as the culinary arts program at Stratford University, the former Baltimore International College. Art classes for seniors are also in the works, Bass says. 

The pair plan to finance the center without outside funds, but are planning to fundraise and possibly partner with businesses to cover operating costs until the centers become profitable, Bass says. 

The Downtown Cultural Arts Center is one of four cultural centers planned for Baltimore. Other center locations will be based on interest and need in the local community and locations have not yet been established, but Bass hopes to open additional centers in  West, East, and Southeast Baltimore.  
 
Renovations on the property are currently underway with a planned completion date in the next two weeks, but the property still needs approval from the city's zoning appeals board before opening.
 
Some of the renovations to the building include general cosmetic and electrical work, adding a dance floor and a stage, and installing a music production studio. Hiring for the center is currently underway, as Bass plays to hire 15 instructors to teach creative and performing arts classes.
 
A Baltimore native, Bass has honed his skills mentoring youth over the past 25 years. In 2006, Bass, along with two partners, founded a mentoring program, Blueprints for Youth, Inc. that has operated within the Baltimore City Public Schools.
 
While not an artist himself, Bass encouraged his daughter to participate in the arts and saw an increased sense of focus. He became convinced that youth have a better chance of being successful if they participate in the arts.
 
Additionally, Bass observed a disparity in communities where families don't have the resources to send their children to expensive arts programs. One of the goals of the center is to make classes affordable for parents to send their children to get arts enrichment, Bass says.
 
Bass hopes that The Downtown Arts and Cultural Center is just the first part of major renovations and an influx of new businesses to Howard Street and in a section of the city that struggles with vacancy.
 
Bass and Gaston also own and operate The Shops at Charles and North a retail location at 23 E. North Ave.
 
Bass believes that their business made a positive contribution to businesses along North Avenue, helping to attract additional business and contribute to the area’s revitalization. He hopes that now he can be part of a transformation of North Howard Street.
 
“The history of the arts and dance is in downtown Baltimore, and soon the whole of Howard Street will be revitalized,” Bass says.
 
The zoning appeal for the property will be held April 3. Bass hopes to open the center immediately following the hearing, if approved. 

Source: Renwick Bass
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

A Baltimore businessman will open a Middle Eastern restaurant and smoke shop in Upper Fells Point, not far from the Brass Monkey Saloon, Asahi Sushi and the Latin Palace.

Akram Ayyad will invest between $20,000 and $50,000 to open a 1,200-square-foot restaurant and smoke shop at 1611 Eastern Ave. The plan awaits approval from the city's zoning board, expected next month. Ayyad has yet to determine a name for the venue. 
 
Ayyad hopes to create a upscale casual venue that will serve light fare falafel and hummus, soft drinks and desserts. The business will also offer tobacco products such as cigars and possibly hookah. No alcohol will be served.
 
No major renovations are expected even though the building was used formerly as a clothing store, Ayyad says.
 
Ayyad plans to run the business with his brother. Together the brothers also operate additional business ventures such as a deli, and a small towing company. Ayyad moved to Baltimore 12 years ago from Jerusalem to join his extended family that has been here since the 1950s.
 
Baltimore’s zoning board rejected Ayyad’s initial application because unlike tobacco shops, smoke shops are not listed as permitted or conditional uses in Baltimore.
 
Smoking in restaurants has been banned in Baltimore since 2008 and is currently regulated by the Baltimore City Health Department. However, some businesses can apply for exemptions from the indoor smoking ban such as retail tobacco establishments.
 
A retail tobacco establishment can qualify if at least 75 percent of its revenues come from non-cigarette tobacco products, and the entry of minors is prohibited.
 
If the appeal goes through, tobacco products will make up 75 percent of sales at the yet unnamed restaurant with the remainder on food, Ayyad says.
 
Pending approval for the zoning board and other city agencies, Ayyad hopes the establishment will open in late May.
 
 
Source: Akram Ayyad, business owner
Writer: Alexandra Wilding
 

Camden Yards is hoping for a home run off the field this season. 

The stadium is building on the winning combination of beer and baseball by creating a brewpub and on-site brewery inside Camden Yards. 

The new restaurant planned for Oriole Park at Camden Yards will be a family-friendly brewpub with a sports focus and will open around opening day this spring, says Delaware North Cos.' Food and Beverage Director Adrian Sedano. Delaware North Cos. provides food, beverage and retail merchandise services at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
 
While the name and menu of the restaurant is still being determined, the brewpub plans to brew its own beer on-site and offer a traditional brewpub menu including burgers and sandwiches. Sedano says he can't yet disclose the number of seats or square footage. 

Oriole Park at Camden Yards hopes to become a year-round destination by creating concession areas that overlook the baseball field. In late December, the Stadium Authority requested $1.8 million from the state's Board of Public Works to renovate picnic-areas and create a year-round "park-like destination."  
 
Delaware North Companies Cos., a hospitality and food service company headquartered in Buffalo, is receiving consulting on the restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc. a corporation in Chicago that owns restaurants in Illinois, Nevada, Washington, D.C, Minneapolis and Arizona. It owns Bethesda French bistro Mon Ami Gabi. 
 
The restaurant has started the hiring process and expects to employ between 30 and 50 employees at its location at 333 W. Pratt St.
 
Sedano says he thinks the future brewpub will be a place where families can come to enjoy a great sports atmosphere, in-house brewing, and a view of Camden Yards.
 
The brewpub concept with on-site brewing is the first of its kind for Delaware North Cos., Sedano ays.

Source: Adrian Sedano, food and beverage director for Delaware North Companies
Writer: Alexandra Wilding