For Foodies : Development News

A California frozen yogurt chain is sweetening up Annapolis with its first East Coast location. Menchie's Frozen Yogurt will open early April at Annapolis Towne Centre, next to Target and Arhaus Furniture Co.

The growing Encino-based company currently has about 30 locations and is planning numerous new stores in Ohio, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania. Chains like Pinkberry and RedMango have expanded nationally in recent years, but the FroYo craze has largely left the Greater Baltimore region in the cold.

Menchie's co-owner Mary Carney says she chose the Annapolis Towne Centre location because she expects to get good foot traffic from the neighboring anchor tenants, Target and Arhaus. She also hopes that restaurants in the outdoor mall like Gordon Biersch Brewery and P.F. Chang's will pull diners craving dessert after their meal.
 
Located at 2505 Riva Rd., Annapolis Towne Centre is a $500 million retail, office and residential complex that includes a Main Street-style town center. Its other stores include Whole Foods Market, Bed Bath & Beyond, Brio Tuscan Grill and Real Seafood Co.

"It's an upbeat place," Carney says of the outdoor mall.

She declined to say how much she is spending to open the store. But the average Menchie franchisee spends between $340,000 and $400,000 on real estate, equipment, and franchise fee.

Menchie's will feature 14 frozen yogurt flavors and 50 toppings customers can add to the mix -- not unlike the concept behind ice cream franchise Cold Stone Creamery except that it is self serve. Patrons pay by the weight and can choose from low-carb, sugar-free and dairy-free options.

Source: Mary Carney, Menchie's
 Writer: Julekha Dash

Break out the banjo: Blue Grass is coming to town. Blue Grass restaurant, that is. The former chef and general manager of Ryleigh's Oyster, Patrick Morrow and Jorbie Clark, will open the Southern-inspired eatery this month at 1500 S. Hanover Street.

Morrow, who has lived in Federal Hill for nine years, had been looking for a restaurant space for a while and jumped at the chance when the spot that once housed the Vine became available. Though the economy has not been kind to some restaurant owners, Morrow sees a business opportunity in the downturn. He's able to find plenty of qualified staff and get better deals on kitchen equipment.

"You have a lot of people hungry for work, " Morrow says.  And a lot more people are willing to give you good deals because they are hungry to make a sale, he says.

Morrow also liked the spot in Federal Hill because it sits at the intersection of two major roads, Fort and Hanover, that should hopefully attract a lot of drive-by traffic. The business partners hope to capture Federal Hill's young professionals in their 20s and 30s, says Jorbie Clark. This is an age group that is not weighed down by a massive drop in their stock portfolio, Clark says.

"They still have disposable income and will still go out," Clark says.

Morrow and Clark both declined to say how much they are spending to open the 75-seat restaurant. Blue Grass will serve up contemporary American food, including Southern game and meat dishes. Pork chop with baked beans, crawfish hush puppies, and braised gunpowder short ribs reflect Morrow's culinary influences growing up in North Carolina and Texas. Entrees will cost between $19 and $25 and appetizers will cost between $6 and $13.


Sources: Patrick Morrow, Jorbie Clark, Blue Grass
Writer: Julekha Dash

How's this for a restaurant concept: the name Tony? As in Tony Bennett, Tony Danza, and Tony Romo.

"Google the name Tony and you're going to come up with a lot of Tonys," says Kamran Assadi, who plans to open Tony's Diner on Baltimore's West Side.

All the famous Tonys will get a pic on the wall, says Assadi, whose nickname is, by the way, Tony. Assadi, also the owner of Luna Del Sea is spending $600,000 to open Tony's Diner at 8-14 Park Avenue. Assadi picked the West Side location with the hopes of getting business from the convention center, hotels in the area, and people attending plays and concerts at the Hippodrome Theatre and First Mariner Arena.

He also chose the west side over Baltimore's east side because he didn't want to compete with his cousin, who runs Mo's Seafood in Little Italy.

"I didn't want to compete with him," says Assadi, who has helped run Mo's in the past. "He has the east side covered."

Tony's will encompass sthree businesses in one: a deli, bar and diner with a total of 142 seats. Each will have its own entrance. The deli will serve sandwiches that cost between $5 and $12. The dining room will serve up pasta, steaks, chicken and maybe steamed crabs. Dinner entrees will cost between $12 to $24.

The Baltimore City Liquor License board granted Assadi a new liquor license that is available to restaurant owners that invest at least $500,000 in a new establishment. Assadi also received a live entertainment license and plans to occasionally feature piano, guitar and violin players.

The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will employ up to 30 workers.

Source: Kamran Assadi, Tony's Diner
Writer: Julekha Dash

Ryan Perlberg and his father Stuart have traveled throughout the Mid-Atlantic with a single goal in mind: find the best sausages and hot dogs.

Now they are turning the knowledge they picked up during their travels to open a sausage business.  Stuggy's will open at 809 S. Broadway this month. Replete with a soda fountain selling root beer floats the atmosphere will be reminiscent of the 1940s, Ryan Perlberg says.

Perlberg says opening a sausage and hot dog shop has been a dream of his and his father's for a while. They picked Fells Point because that's where they have lived for the last nine years.

"I fell in love with the place," Perlberg says. He likes the cobblestone streets and historic buildings in the waterfront neighborhood.
"There's always a story to be told. It's a well-kept secret," Perlberg says of Fells Point.

He hopes he can get the late night Fells Point bar crowd by keeping Stuggy's open late on weekends. Perlberg declined to say how much he is spending to open the 1,000-square-foot store.

Perlberg will rely on local purveyors to supply Stuggie's stock. He's getting the meat for his bison sausage and bison chili from Gunpowder Bison and Trading, a farm in Monkton. The Italian and Polish sausages will come from Ostrowski's just down the street in Fells Point. While Stuggy's Chesapeake sausage will add a dash of Old Bay seasoning in the mix. Other familiar Baltimore brands at the shop will include Berger cookies and goodies from Jeppi Nut & Candy Co.

"Everything is old school," Perlberg says.

What's for dessert? Try Fried Oreos, a familiar favorite for anyone who has been to the Maryland State Fair.

Source: Ryan Perlberg, Stuggy's
Writer: Julekha Dash

Jim Lancaster wasn't initially interested in the space at the historic Harbor East property known as the Bagby building.

Lancaster, who also owns lunch spots Rosina Gourmet, thought the location was too close to his downtown and Canton venues. But after some discussions with the landlord Chesapeake Real Estate LLC, Lancaster decided he could tap into a new market �  the after dark, red-and-white swilling crowd � by opening a wine bar.

Construction on Vino Rosina recently began and the restaurant at 507 S. Exeter Street will be open by the end of April, Lancaster says.

The 2,200-square-foot store will seat about 100, and is Lancaster's largest to date. It will feature his staple gourmet sandwiches and salads, but made with more "esoteric" ingredients like microgreens. Also on the menu will be flatbreads, crab dip, cheese, and wines by the glass.  The wines will hail from Bordeaux, Italy, California, and South America and cost between $6 and $13 per glass.

Lancaster hopes the Harbor East location can draw foot traffic from residents residing in the neighborhood's apartments and condominiums, and tourists staying at various hotels in the area.

As more businesses like Legg Mason and Morgan Stanley move to Harbor East, Lancaster hopes the suit-and-tie crowd will come to Vino Rosina as well.

To design the new space, Lancaster hired SMG Architects Inc. � the same company that designed the warm, rustic Woodberry Kitchen in Clipper Mill. Vino Rosina will also sport a natural look, displaying cypress, hickory and other woods, along with along with leather and stainless steel.


Source: Jim Lancaster, Vino Rosina
Writer: Julekha Dash

An Italian restaurant owner will be serving up some penne and pizza in a new Timonium store. Pasta Mista will open its third location within the next month at 2135 York Road, across from the Timonium Fairgrounds. The other two Pasta Mistas are located in Towson and Canton.

The 2,500-square-foot restaurant will be Davide Scotti's biggest restaurant to date. Scotti is investing more than $100,000 to open the 70-seat eatery.

Part of the attraction of the new location at Timonium Square Shopping Center for Scotti was that the shopping center received an extensive makeover by Kimco Realty Corp last summer. The renovation included new signage, storefront canopies and a 55,000-square-foot shopping center.

Pasta Mista is taking space in the former Cheeburger, Cheeburger spot. The owners hadn't been looking for a new location, but when they were presented with a good deal on the rent, they couldn't pass it up, Scotti says.

He also thought Timonium had a good client base for him. Many patrons of the Towson store live or work in Timonium.

Scotti opened the 1,800-square-foot Towson location nine years ago with Gianluca Astori, his business partner who grew up in the same town outside of Naples, Italy.

Two years ago, the pair branched out to Canton. The casual restaurants serve pizza, salads, pasta, subs and chicken parmesan.

Though it is a tough time for some restaurants to stay in business, Scotti says he hopes his can continue to pull in customers by keeping prices low. Entrees cost about $8 while a large cheese pizza costs about $11. 


Source: Davide Scotti, Pasta Mista
Writer: Julekha Dash

A British invasion is eating into Howard County. Union Jack's, a British-style pub and restaurant, will open this month at the Mall in Columbia. Located at a pad site next to the mall, Union Jack's replaces That's Amore, which closed in the fall.

Union Jack's  owners currently operate two other namesake eateries: Union Jack's British Pub of Bethesda and Union Jack's British Pub in Ballston, Va.  

The 9,500-square-foot Columbia venue will focus more on the restaurant side of the business, versus the bar, compared with the other locations, co-owner Gary Ouellette says. Of course, Union Jack's will feature the standard British pub fare like fish and chips and bangers and mash. But it will also sell more "upscale" American fare, including filet mignon and seafood entrees, Oullette says. 

Main dishes will cost between $12 and $20 while appetizers will cost around $8.

Located at 10400 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Union Jack's will employ 100 and cost about $750,000 to build, Ouellette says. He expects the mall location should draw affluent shoppers from around the county. Howard County has a median household income of $101,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

"It seemed like a logical pick for us to go to an area that has a strong economic pool," Ouellette says. "It seems to be an area where there is a lot of energy and a lot of momentum."

With each restaurant pulling in between $3 million and $5 million per year, Union Jack's restaurants have managed to keep the crowds coming in spite of a tough economy, Oullette says. The restaurants feature live music, billiards and shuffleboard.

Source: Gary Ouellette, Union Jack's
Writer: Julekha Dash

Ned Atwater could have baked bread in a brand new facility.

But the businessman didn't want to take the easy way out when he opened his latest bakery and retail store last month in a historic building in Catonsville.

Picking charm over convenience came with a price tag, however. Atwater plucked down $200,000 to open Atwater's Naturally Leavened Bread. He says he spent that money renovating the 100-year-old building, including upgrading the utilities and plumbing for the 2,700-square-foot store.

He received some financial assistance from the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development with a $60,000, zero-interest loan that the county offers for businesses that open in areas that have been targeted for revitalization efforts.

But spending the extra dough was worth it Atwater. "I love old buildings," he says. Renting out a single-story warehouse would have cost about one-third less, he estimates. But the Catonsville store is located in the town's main thoroughfare � accessible to folks who want to walk to pick up a loaf of bread.

"I wanted to have a neighborhood bakery in town right," Atwater says.

The location is also close to several businesses, including an antiques store and a couple of restaurants, which means he should get steady foot traffic.

"I think we're in the right place," he says.

The bakery includes a full kitchen, where Atwater bakes his baked goods to supply his four other locations in Annapolis, Towson, Lutherville and in Baltimore's Belvedere Square shopping center.

Why Catonsville? Atwater lives in the Baltimore County town.

"I always wanted to do something in the town where I lived," he says. Abundant with historic buildings, Catonsville has a real "neighborhood feel," making it not that different from his flagship store in Belvedere Square, he says.

Atwater, whose five stores employ 125, says he would like to open other stores in Greater Baltimore, though he doesn't know where yet.

Source: Ned Atwater, Atwater's
Writer: Julekha Dash

The economy may have soured some business plans. But for Scott Nash, things couldn't be better.

MOM's �My Organic Market, Nash's 23-year-old business, is planning a major expansion this year.

The Rockville-based grocer, which Nash describes as a cross between Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's, plans to open two more stores by the end of the year. One will be in Greater Baltimore, and possibly the Timonium area where MOM's has signed a letter of intent for a new store. Nash declined to identify the location. The second store will likely be in Northern Virginia, he says.

Opening a new score costs MOM's anywhere between $500,000 to $1.5 million.

MOM's will be expanding its Columbia store from 8,000 to 10,000 square feet and its College Park store from 5,000 to 8,000 square feet in the next few months. Nash says the company is doing well in spite of the recession. One reason is that people are looking to save money by cooking meals at home. MOM's sells more produce, rather than prepared foods.

So in 2010, the company is going to take advantage of the good real estate deals and availability of labor.
 
"It's time to begin an aggressive expansion," Nash says.

The company just opened its sixth store in Bowie this month after seeing an untapped market. Having grown up in Prince George's County, Nash knows the area is often overlooked by the major chains, with no Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in the area. Bowie is also in between Annapolis and the Washington, D.C., beltway, making it a good location to draw customers from both areas, Nash says.

Located at the Hilltop Plaza shopping center, off Route 3, the Bowie store is also located at a busy intersection that gets a lot of traffic from the surrounding area, Nash says.


Source: Scott Nash, MOM's
Writer: Julekha Dash

"How come there are no Sonics here?" That's a common refrain you'll hear from folks who move from the Deep South to the Greater Baltimore region.

But two local entrepreneurs are making sure that Maryland is no longer deprived of the drive-in burger joint that enjoys a cult-like following of sorts.

Franchisees David Crocetti and Sean Martin will open at least nine Sonics over the next few years, including sites in Randallstown, Lansdowne, Ellicott City, Elkton, and Edgewater. They are also scouting locations in Columbia, Catonsville, and Westminster.

Its Randallstown location will open first, either in late spring or summer, Martin says. Next on the list will be Lansdowne, which will open in the fall, followed by Ellicott City.

Martin and Crocetti declined to say how much they are investing to open the new stores.  However, franchisees can expect to spend anywhere between $700,000 to $3 million per store, according to Sonic Corp.'s Web site. Each store requires about an acre's worth of property.

The partners are now busy hiring the roughly 100 workers who will staff the Randallstown store. They chose the spot on Liberty Road because it is right off the Baltimore beltway and should attract good drive-by traffic.
 
For folks who can't wait to eat Sonic's chili-cheese hot dogs, limeade chillers and tater tots, the business partners have a message: Be patient. It can take nine months to negotiate a lease and work through the zoning and permit process, Crocetti says. So getting the nine stores throughout the Greater Baltimore area won't happen overnight.

Sonic customers order their food at a drive-in window and get their food from a "carhop" � who might even wear roller skates. The Oklahoma-based chain has been expanding northward in recent years as company officials realized that folks in colder states will still eat Sonic burgers in their cars. 

Maryland is a good area to expand because of its high income level, population density and diversity, Martin says.


Source: Sean Martin and David Crocetti, Sonic
Writer: Julekha Dash

Everyone dreams of owning their own winery. And Monica Beeman wants to make that dream a reality.

The entrepreneur is starting a custom wine-making business called Vines to Vino, and has set her sights on the long-vacant Mama Cellina property in Little Italy.

Beeman's concept is this: You select the kind of wine you want. Let's say, a Chilean Chardonnay. Vines to Vino gets the grapes from the South American country. You press them on site once the grapes come in. Then six months later, you take it out of the barrel and bottle it. Then you bottle it and create your own wine label.

The whole process takes about 6 to 12 months, depending on the varietal. Customers pay anywhere from $450 for an eighth of a barrel to $3,250 for a full barrel.  Beeman has tapped Chris Kent, a winemaker at Woodhall Vineyards and Wine Cellars, to help her blend the reds and whites.

Beeman got the idea after seeing similar concepts in New Jersey. She hopes Baltimore takes a big gulp out of the idea. A former director of marketing for the Center Club, Beeman is investing more than $200,000 in the new business.

Initially, she had hoped to open a store in Harbor East. But unable to find the right space, her broker at MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services LLC showed her a spot at 300 Albemarle Street that is undergoing a renovation by its owner Steve Himmelfarb. The Washington, D.C., developer paid $1.1 million to buy the property in 2005 from Orioles owner Peter Angelos. 

She decided on Little Italy because it was a good location after all as it is close to Harbor East, a swanky part of town whose residents would hopefully be receptive to a custom wine shop. It is also close to the Inner Harbor.

Beeman hopes to open the store in April.

Source: Monica Beeman, Vines to Vino
Writer: Julekha Dash

Most business owners wouldn't want to open their doors during a snowstorm. But James Butler was forced to do just that when a heavier-than-expected dose of the white stuff hit Baltimore Jan. 30  �  opening day for Butler's new business, Perfecto Coffeehouse.

The snow didn't deter residents from showing their support for the newest Pigtown business. Nearly 100 people showed up at 784 Washington Boulevard, Butler says.

The Ohio native who currently resides in Washington, D.C., has spent $20,000 of his own money to open the 1,000-square-foot shop. He saw the Pigtown neighborhood as a good opportunity to get in on a neighborhood early on. Pigtown still hasn't reached its full potential, unlike other neighborhoods, such as Harbor East or Mount Vernon, Butler says.

"PIgtown is still in the revitalization stage," Butler says. "I want to get in when it's good."

Butler saw encouraging signs that the neighborhood is taking off. A wine shop and Caribbean restaurant are set to open in the coming months on the same block and a gallery and hair salon opened their doors in recent months. (See related story).

Butler says he's wanted to open a coffee shop for five years but it never came to fruition until a friend told him about the space available in Pigtown. He hopes to soon call Baltimore home for himself and not just his business.

"I look at Baltimore as one of the few lasting gems on the East Coast," Butler says. "You can still get good residential and commercial property at a reasonable cost in nice areas.  We couldn't do what we do in Manhattan or Philadelphia because the cost would be prohibitive."

The caf� is open seven days a week and sells coffee from Baltimore's Zeke's Coffee. The shop also sells baked goods, paninis, salads and, on the weekends, waffles.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: James Butler, Perfecto Coffeehouse

A new chef and owner is saying "ciao" to Locust Point's Pazza Luna.

Milan native Davide Rossi and his wife Christa have taken over the neighborhood eatery at 1401 E. Clement St. from Riccardo Bosio. The owner of Mount Vernon's Sotto Sopra, Bosio owned the trattoria for more than three years.

Rossi says he plans to add a host of new Northern Italian menu items to the 65-seat restaurant, which he started running Feb. 2.

The Rossis come to Baltimore after six years running Ports of Italy in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The couple have put that restaurant up for sale, though if it doesn't get a buyer, Rossi will hire a manager to run it during the busy summer months. 

The two decided to make the move in part because Christa is from Baltimore. Rossi also likes the people and culinary scene here.
"I love Baltimore," Rossi says. "There's great food, great people, great restaurants."

He was also impressed with the receptiveness of his Locust Point neighbors. When they heard that Pazza Luna was getting a new owner, they introduced themselves."That doesn't happen very often in big cities," Rossi says.

Rossi says he his not sure if he will renovate the restaurant's interior. But he is planning a big makeover of the menu. His signature dishes will include lobster ravioli with mascarpone; rack of lamb with a sambuca demi-glaze and beef tenderloin with a gorgonzola brandy truffle sauce. He will also feature fresh pasta and risotto.


Source: Davide Rossi, Pazza Luna
Writer: Julekha Dash

Baltimore's Pigtown neighborhood claim to fame may soon no longer be its annual festival that lets the porcine creatures run through the streets.

The area, also known as Washington Village, will be home to a Caribbean restaurant and a wine-and-cheese shop in the coming months. These businesses follow a flurry of others that are moving into the southwest Baltimore neighborhood.

In April, Michael Mekbib will open Spiritas, a wine and beer store that will hold monthly tastings  at 786 Washington Blvd. And Steel Drum Caf� will offer Caribbean fare and an upstairs lounge featuring Wii games next month. The owners of both businesses are Washington, D.C., natives who saw potential in Pigtown. 

With more young professionals moving into the area, Mekbib says he wanted to be part of the "new wave" of development that caters to them. He first heard about Pigtown from a cousin who owns a building in the neighborhood. "The place is changing," Mekbib says. "The middle class is moving in."

He will invest $40,000 to open the 1,400-square-foot property. He received a $15,000 grant from Pigtown Main Street to use on the building's facade.

Streel Drum CafeOwner Bernard Sanders says he will spend more than $200,000 to open his 3,000-square-foot restaurant at 771 Washington Blvd.  He says he was encouraged by all the businesses moving into the area.

Those businesses include Perfecto Coffeehouse, which opened last month on the same block. (See related story). Other businesses that opened in recent months include Velvet Rose Beauty Bar and Gallery 788.

Daryl Landy , executive director of Pigtown Main Street, says the once-dormant Washington Boulevard is starting to get attention as more people move in.  According to Live Baltimore Inc., 45 homes were sold in the area during the first half of 2009 and 119 were sold in 2008.

"It's virgin territory, untapped," Landy says of Pigtown. "People are starting to discover it."

Sources: Daryl Landy, Pigtown Main Street; Michael Mekbib, Spiritas; Berhard Sanders, Steel Drum Caf�
Writer: Julekha Dash

A fast-growing pizza franchise is moving into Charles Village and plans to open 10 to 12 new stores this year.

Ledo Pizza System Inc. of Annapolis will open a 108-seat standalone restaurant next month at 3105 St. Paul Street near Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Museum of Art. That is according to the restaurant's General Manager and franchisee Burhan Ahmed.

He and his three partners invested $400,000 in the new restaurant. The bulk of that money is going toward equipment, design and construction. The restaurant will employ 40 and house two separate dining areas. Construction on the store began last month.

The pizza chain, which currently counts 90 locations, is eyeing Northern Virginia, Prince George's County and West Virginia  for the new stores it plans to open this year, Ledo's Vice President of Marketing Will Robinson says.

Though the average Ledo Pizza restaurant is between between 2,000 to 2,500 square feet, Ahmed plans to go bigger with the Charles Village eatery. He hopes the 3,500-square-foot restaurant can attract Johns Hopkins students and staff craving its square-shaped, thin-crust pizza, pasta and salads. Pizzas will cost between $6 and $25, depending on the size.

The Charles Village restaurant will also serve beer and wine as Ahmed has applied for a "Class B" liquor license, available to business owners that invest more than $200,000 into a new restaurant.  Store owners are also applying for a license to cater and serve customers outside during the warmer months.

Ahmed expects the restaurant to open between March 15 and March 25.


Sources: Will Robinson, Ledo PIzza;  Burhan Ahmed, Ledo Pizza
Writer: Julekha Dash