Pardon our dust: Construction goes on apace into the new year

Highland Community News photos by Charles Roberts - Taking shape. The In-N-Out restaurant on Greenspot Road is taking shape, expected to open in March.

Civic Center Plaza, across the street from City Hall, is getting a new face. Most businesses are open during construction.

Final grading is being constructed at the Chevron station next door to In-N-Out.

Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2012 12:00 am

Pardon our dust: Construction goes on apace into the new year By Charles Roberts, Editor Highland Community News HighlandNews.net |

Big plans and big hope are ushering Highland into the new year with several projects under construction and more waiting in the wings.

The long-awaited In-N-Out restaurant is expected to be serving burgers and fries at its new Highland location in March, with the next-door Chevron station expected to open by then.

A new small office complex is under construction at the corner of Greenspot Road and Church Street.

The new Dairy Queen is now training its 22 employees and is expected to open in about a week.

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Pardon our dust: Construction goes on apace into the new year

Ken Grassi looks over rsums for a new wait staff at the new Grassis Ristorante and boutique Monday in the space formerly occupied by Affairs Cafe & Bakery on Bridgeport Way in University Place. Grassi moved his longtime restaurant and boutique near UWT to University Place, where he already has deep community connections. PHOTOSBYDEANJ.KOEPFLER/STAFFPHOTOGRAPHER

After closing his restaurant and boutique near the University of Washington Tacoma, Ken Grassi figured it would take another six months to open a new edition in University Place.

It took almost double, he said last week.

He cited negotiations, permits, indoor construction and exterior improvements planned during winter weather.

Where his downtown ladies boutique occupied 1,000 square feet, the new Grassis fills 1,500, and it is in a space next door but separated from the restaurant if only so the Italian aromas of garlic and onions do not cling to the cottons and silks.

The restaurant occupies the space that formerly housed Affairs cafe and truffle emporium at 2811 Bridgeport Way. So well-remembered is Affairs that Grassi said of owner Gay Landry, She had a great reputation. We love her. She left such a heritage. Were grateful for what she did here. Well have a blessing ceremony, and I am going to ask her to that.

Gone is the case where the truffles were, and in their place sits a counter where the specialty will be wine. The dining room remains, upgraded to embrace an air of the Italian countryside.

A portrait of Grassis father, Julio, graces one wall so intensely that the son said, I feel like hes watching me.

Uncle John looks across the room from a sepia-tinted photo, and theres another that records the wedding of Grassis sister, Bonnie. Wife Kim and daughter Melanie look across from a hutch.

The wine counter is supported by a brace of ancient radiators, and an Italian accordion stands beside a lamp made to resemble a vertical bouquet of hydrangeas. Nearby, cherubs watch over a burbling fountain. Windows circa 1850 hang from the ceiling near an elderly Hotpoint electric range.

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New Grassis sets sights on April opening dates

5:45 p.m. update: A pump used to pour wet cement malfunctioned on the 16th floor of a downtown construction site Tuesday evening, causing some of the material to fall and hit a man sitting at a nearby restaurant, an official said.

Joe Garza, the regional safety manager with DPR Construction, said that workers were using a pump to pour the wet cement into a column when pressure built up, causing it to overflow and fall. He said the company is still investigating the incident, but that it is considering putting up more nets on the construction site and to coordinate times for when workers pour wet cement so they have a spotter in place downstairs to prevent such an incident from happening again.

Police said Tuesday night that the man was sitting at the Market, 319 Colorado St., when the incident happened.

Earlier: A man who was hit by wet cement Tuesday evening had been sitting at a nearby restaurant, officials said.

The incident occurred about 6:40 p.m. near the site where the Colorado Tower is being built at 303 Colorado St. The man was taken to a hospital with bleeding to the head, but his injuries were described as minor, an official with Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services said.

Construction is being performed on the mixed retail/office space by DPR Construction. Workers had been pouring cement into a column when some fell onto the man, an official said.

Were in the process of investigating it, said Joe Garza, regional safety manager with DPR Construction.

Further details were not immediately available.

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Pump malfunction caused wet cement to fall from building, official says

Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) March 28, 2014

Uncle Maddios Pizza Joint, the original and fastest-growing fast casual pizza chain in North America, will open the 19th unit on March 27th in Auburn, Ala. at the Heart of Auburn complex at 339 South College Street, Suite E. To celebrate the newest Uncle Maddios Pizza Joint opening, the restaurant will serve free 9-inch, any three topping, fully-customizable pizzas to all customers in line from 11:00 a.m. through the afternoon on Saturday, March 29th. One patron in line will be awarded PIZZA FOR A YEAR!

The Auburn Uncle Maddios location marks the first of five planned Uncle Maddios restaurants in Auburn, Montgomery and Prattville, Alabama. Led by owner operator Troy native Michael DiChiara and several partners, including Auburn University graduates and Auburn, Alabama residents Ernest Lee, Jr. and Clint Wilson, along with Troy, Alabama native Will Hudson, the new Uncle Maddios franchisees bring a combination of restaurant, legal, real estate and construction experience. Hudson is a multi-unit owner of restaurants in Alabama, while Lees company Colvin Evans Construction is building its five Uncle Maddios units.

I have strong ties to the Auburn community and there is no other place I would rather open an Uncle Maddios than here, said franchisee owner Michael DiChiara. Uncle Maddios offers a different kind of pizza restaurant experience where everyone can have a personal pizza made exactly as they want it or select a salad or panini. I cant wait for the students and residents of Auburn to create their own favorite pizza and experience the Served with Love philosophy for our customers.

Opening its 19th location in three years, Uncle Maddios is growing faster than any other fast casual pizza brand. With 175 units in development, Uncle Maddios is attracting multiple unit operators due to the popularity of pizza, the quality of Uncle Maddios products, and an executive management team that offers more than 50 years of experience in the restaurant industry including Uncle Maddios CEO Matt Andrews who was the co-founder of Moes Southwest Grill. Many current Uncle Maddios franchisees are in the process of opening their second and third locations.

Uncle Maddios offers a made-from-scratch 9-inch individual pizza with up to three toppings, baked in 6-minutes, for $6.99. Guests choose one of three crusts, including whole wheat and gluten-free options, and have the choice of 48 toppings - six sauces, 27 vegetables and 15 meats. Guests can also order one of the chains chef-prepared pizzas for $7.99, along with take and bake options for the Uncle Maddios experience at home.

Additionally, the menu features create-your-own salads and signature salads, such as Greek, Tuscan Antipasto, and Santa Fe. Toasted panini sandwiches round out the Italian-style menu.

For those with dietary restrictions or specifications, Uncle Maddios serves up a huge selection of healthful options like whole wheat and gluten free crusts, hormone-free chicken, fresh local vegetables, Daiya vegan cheese and organic greens.

We are thrilled to open our first Alabama and college town location, says Founder and Chief Pizza Maker Matt Andrew, an industry veteran. This is just the start to our great partnership with Michael as we expand into Alabama.

For more information on Uncle Maddios Pizza Joint, visit http://www.unclemaddios.com or http://www.unclemaddios.com/franchise-info/.

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Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint Opens 19th Restaurant, First in Alabama

Published: Thursday, 3/27/2014 - Updated: 18 hours ago

BY MATT THOMPSON BLADE STAFF WRITER

With the final city approval expected today for the Costco project in Perrysburg, a city official said the company would not begin construction for a year.

The holdup appears to be because of the needed approval for rerouting an underground natural gas line which cuts diagonally across the 28-acre horse farm site near the southeast corner of State Rt. 25 and Eckel Junction Road.

Demolition of the buildings on the site is to occur in the next few months, but construction of the store won't occur for a year, said Brody Walters, city planning and zoning administrator. From what he was told by Costco representatives, he said, the delay stems from the pipeline owned by Columbia Gas Transmissions. He said he did not have details of the problem.

The store construction postponement is significant, as Costco told city officials in November that it wanted to have the store opened by this fall, in time for the Christmas shopping season.

After getting approval on Tuesday by the Perrysburg City Council for a needed special approval use permit, the project needs one more city approval. At 7 p.m. today, the Planning Commission is expected to decide on the final site plan to allow the 154,300-square foot store, a 16-pump gas station and two outlots which are expected to be a bank and a fast-food restaurant. Also, shown on the plan are 720 parking spots.

Costco had expected to get city approval on its needed special approval use permit and its site plan in December, but delayed city consideration of those items as it tried to work out an agreement with Columbia Gas Transmissions. The pipeline company said it would not allow Costco to put a parking lot over the 4-foot deep pipe because it would hinder monitoring the line for leaks and in making repairs. Costco said last month it had reached an agreement to reroute the pipeline along the edges of the parking lot, but Columbia Gas Transmissions said this week no such accord is in place.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would have to approve the rerouting. To move the pipeline, an application must be submitted to the federal agency for a "certificate of public convenience and necessity," said Tamara Young, a FERC spokesman. The agency's staff conducts an environmental review and then the commission decides, a process that typically takes a year to 18 months, she said.

The Costco project was given the council's approval on Tuesday in a 4-2 vote. But first there was a 3-3 vote to approve it with some conditions, including adding another through lane on Eckel Junction at the main entrance to the store. Mayor Mike Olmstead cast the tiebreaker against the the proposed conditions.

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Costco construction stalled

By Ashley Barker abarker@scbiznews.com Published March 24, 2014

A Maverick Southern Kitchens restaurant is no longer in the works for the Mount Pleasant area, according to the company.

A 145-seat restaurant was expected to open in March in The Boulevard, a mixed-use development on Coleman Boulevard. The property was sold by The Beach Co. in January for $66.5 million to TR Boulevard Corp., an entity of Heitman Capital Management LLC. Its represented locally by Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC.

Maverick Southern Kitchens founder and president, Dick Elliott, said in a statement that he and the new owners mutually agreed to terminate the lease contract that began last June.

Planners discovered in September that major building changes would be necessary for the construction of the restaurant. The design, engineering and permitting of the changes were complete in mid-January, the news release said. But the new owners found that it would take much longer to complete construction than expected so the lease was terminated.

When we learned the process was delayed an additional four to five months, we decided the restaurant could not wait that much longer, Elliott said in a statement. We were excited to be part of the revitalization of Coleman Boulevard, so were disappointed that wont happen.

Maverick Southern Kitchens owns and operates the Old Village Post House; Slightly North of Broad; High Cotton in Charleston and Greenville; and Charleston Cooks in Charleston, Greenville and Columbia.

Reach Ashley Barker at 843-849-3144 or @AshleyNBarker.

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Plans for restaurant at The Boulevard canceled

Salisbury, North Carolina

Salisbury Police officers were called to a construction site located behind Katana restaurant after someone burglarized the site, located at 200 Castleberry Drive.

A construction worker reported that on two separate occasions, the same black F-150 was seen at the site with someone loading construction equipment onto it that included scaffolding and cast iron pipes. The employee thought the driver was a plumber, but realized the person was not part of the work crew.

The incident was reported on Thursday, but reports show the first theft occurred sometime between 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday. A report said the thieves returned to the site on Wednesday around 8 p.m. In each theft, employees estimated the value of the items stolen to be around $800.

Also from the Salisbury Police Department:

Auto Magic Car Wash, 721 W. Jake Alexander Blvd., reported a vandalism occurred sometime between 1 p.m. Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. Thursday at 11;30.

Superior Oil Co., 316 Roy St., reported on Thursday someone damaged their windows.

Someone forced their way into the Harold B. Jarrett American Legion building, 1022 Lincolnton Road, sometime between March 15 and Thursday.

A 20-year-old woman went the police department, where she reported a larceny from her vehicle had just occurred in the 800 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

Police responded a home in the 700 block of East Liberty Street regarding a domestic violence situation. When officers arrived, they discovered someone had damaged an interior wall of the home.

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Crime blotter: Thieves hit construction site behind Katana restaurant twice

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.

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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