Wendys opened the doors to its second Hamilton restaurant in Te Rapa yesterday (Monday 13 January).

Hamiltonians have already taken to the chains old fashioned burgers, with Wendys first Hamilton store setting a new world record when it opened in Frankton six months ago.

The new restaurant on Te Rapa Road has cost Wendys more than $4 million and taken a total of 17 weeks to build, with Auckland company Dominion Construction putting the finishing touches on the fit out over the holiday period.

Wendys CEO Danielle Lendich says a total of 30 new crew have been employed as a result of the opening, with some of the Frankton crew moving to Te Rapa and new recruits taking their place at the Frankton outlet.

"The management team have all been employed since April last year and completed their initial training in Auckland with the majority then honing their skills at the Frankton store.

"Some have also helped with the opening of our new Christchurch restaurant, and a few have now been promoted to more senior positions with crew stepping up into management."

Lendich says local support has been huge with the Frankton restaurant doing the most sales in its first week of any Wendys anywhere in the world and breaking the weekly record by 6.7 percent.

Busy staff made more than 20,000 burgers, and menu items unique to Wendys like its baked potatoes and chili were also top sellers says Lendich. Customers ate their way through more than 200kg of potatoes and 150kg of chili, with extra sacks of potatoes driven in on opening day to keep up with demand.

She says a dedicated Facebook page set up by Waikato supporters had been a big motivator, as had Wendys own Facebook page which had been "going nuts".

"Were proud of both Hamilton stores and the combined team we have in place," says Lendich. "All up weve created 70 new jobs for the local community which I think anyone would acknolwedge is significant."

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Wendy's opens second Hamilton store in Te Rapa

Cold temperatures, snow and ice over the past few weeks has had a big impact in Mid-Missouri and across the country. It seems the weather also hindered the final stages of construction of the anticipated Chick-fil-A restaurant in Jefferson City.

Chick-fil-A has postponed its grand opening by one week, project manager David Whiting said Friday.

The fast-food chicken joint, 3407 Missouri Blvd., was set to open Thursday, but will now open Jan. 23.

Thats final, Whiting said of the grand opening date. The weather has been pretty brutal during the last six or so weeks.

All thats left to do is some landscaping and painting the parking lot stripes, Whiting said. With the 10-day forecast predicting no rain and temperatures above freezing, Whiting is confident the work will be complete on time.

It is a real blessing to have weather like that when we need it, the project manager said.

After working in Jefferson City for the past several months, Whiting said the people here were great to work with.

Chick-fil-A will begin grand opening festivities with its First 100 contest, on Jan. 22 at 6 a.m. The first 100 participants to camp out in the parking lot and be a part of the 24-hour event will be given a free Chick-fil-A sandwich meal per week for a year. The restaurant will officially open for business on Jan. 23.

The restaurant chain serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open Monday through Saturday with dine-in or drive-through services.

For official rules and more details on the First 100 event, go to http://www.chick-fil-a.com.

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BizBeat: Chick-fil-A postpones opening by one week

The line between a dream and a nightmare can be razor thin sometimes, Peter Cabral admitted.

Still, his plans to build a restaurant and banquet hall overlooking Mount Hope Bay remain on the dream side despite almost a year of setbacks to get the former Regatta site into shape.

We hope, in the next two weeks, to get this buttoned up, he said Sunday at the site. Once we close this up, we can really move. We can really start to get some work done. Im looking at an opening date of Memorial Day right now.

On a sunny winter day the draw of the site is obvious. Cabral and his architects, William Starck Architect Inc., of 126 Cove St., redesigned the western and southern walls, opening them up and adding three dozen windows.

The water sparkled. The Battleship Massachusetts loomed large, as did the Braga Bridge. Even without electric lighting, the room was bright enough for sunglasses.

It would be hard to find a better view anywhere nearby, Newport included.

The plans call for a waterfront bar and a dining room that will seat 275. A deck overlooking the water will be open in good weather. A banquet room will seat an additional 200. The building, once 12,000 square feet, was expanded by 2,000 square feet to provide amenities for the boaters who rent the 44 slips at the site. There will also be a 400 foot dock for transient boaters.

With the old building, there was about 4 feet of windows on the back and no view, Cabral said, looking out at the water and shaking his head. We are going to make the most of this view.

Cabral, who was part of the team that started the Taphouse on South Main Street, took over the site a year ago and began demolition.

Permitting took longer than expected and environmental inspectors had to be assured, every step of the way, that the work and the restaurant would not harm Mount Hope Bay, Cabral said.

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Regatta site developer pressing ahead with construction despite setbacks

January 11, 2014 Wheelhouse Restaurant construction on-going

Mary Meaux The Port Arthur News The Port Arthur News Sat Jan 11, 2014, 12:47 PM CST

PORT NECHES Construction of the Neches River Wheelhouse restaurant is moving along at a steady pace with a possible opening date in late March.

Bert Lamson, one of a group of private investors in the project, said recent rainy days have slowed down the construction a bit but not much.

The building is almost dried in and the parking lot has been poured, Lamson said of the restaurant to be located at 720 Lee St. adjacent to Port Neches Riverfront Park. Once the building is dried in and weather-proofed we will start working on the inside.

The investors are also mulling over the menu for the new restaurant that will serve Cajun/seafood type food as well as burgers and po boys.

Once open, the restaurant will have a maximum occupancy of 260 people and feature a 12-foot porch in front as well as another 12-foot porch on top.

The idea of a waterfront restaurant was brought to the Riverfront Development Authority in May by Lamson. From there, the issue went to city council, the planning and zoning commission and the citys economic development corporation.

In August, the city conveyed the property to the Port Neches Economic Development Corporation, as per government code, then sold the 2.5 acres of land for $1 to the investment group. The land is appraised at about $550,000.

E-mail: mmeaux@panews.com

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Wheelhouse Restaurant construction on-going

ESCONDIDO Two Escondido restaurants destroyed by fire in October 2012 are making comebacks.

Spires reopened Dec. 9 as J & M's Family Restaurant in the Vallarta Plaza, and construction crews broke ground Dec. 30 on a rebuild of the McDonald's at Ash Street and Valley Parkway. City officials say the new McDonald's is expected to open in late April.

Joe Goncalves, who ran Spires from the day it opened in 1987 until the fire 15 months ago, said Thursday that he's gotten an overwhelming response to the new restaurant.

"It's been crazy," he said, noting that many loyal customers laid flowers and plants outside to welcome him back. "I brought most of the workers back, which has helped."

Goncalves said the new restaurant is more modern and larger, with 166 seats instead of the 150 at Spires.

Construction was delayed several months, he said, when federal officials raised concerns about the restaurant's presence in a flood plain.

"We had to take the whole foundation out and start over," he said.

Goncalves said the two restaurants and a Walmart grocery store expected to open Jan. 29 will bring new momentum to Escondido's East Valley. The 45,000-square-foot grocery store will be a companion to a 96,000 Walmart general merchandise store that opened last September.

City officials said the McDonald's has been delayed by approvals needed from the state Department of Transportation, which is involved because Ash Street is officially designated as state Route 78 near the restaurant.

Many local residents were saddened when fire destroyed the restaurant, which was inland North Countys first McDonalds when it opened in 1964.

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Burnt restaurants making comebacks

SOUTHAVEN Boiling Point restaurant owners were boiling all right Tuesday when they discovered their popular restaurant virtually awash with water from burst pipes during the recent deep freeze.

"I found water at the front door," Boiling Point co-owner Chris Wilhite said Wednesday as clean-up crews from ServePro and Bedrock Construction surveyed the damage. "A frozen pipe burst in the kitchen area and the water was eight to ten inches deep when we came in the front door. We had total devastation in our office."

The water was not just contained to the kitchen. Flooding occurred extensively throughout the restaurant. Wet sheetrock and warped trim will have to be replaced.

A sign at the front door admonished would-be customers that the restaurant was "closed due to flooding."

"Luckily, the restaurant will be all right," Chris Wilhite said.

Wife Christina tried to be optimistic.

"We're still assessing damage," Christina Wilhite said. "Our plan is to be open by the weekend. The restaurant could be open by Friday. It may be a limited menu."

Wilhite joked it could be a "catfish special."

Catfish, of course, can swim.

Kim Derryberry, owner of Bedrock Construction in Hernando, said her business spent Tuesday and Wednesday across DeSoto County as they helped to repair damage caused by frozen pipes. "We've been busy."

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Frozen pipes sideline Boiling Point

Published: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, 4:56a.m. Updated 14 hours ago

The last chapters are being written in a saga that began when the Coursin Street flyover ramp was built from Lysle Boulevard into the Regional Industrial Development Corp. of Southwestern Pennsylvania's Riverplace City Center of McKeesport.

Ramp construction took out part of the parking lot at one of the Eat'n Park chain's oldest restaurants and prompted a deal to keep the diner in McKeesport, which involved investments by Homestead-based Eat'n Park Hospitality Group and county, state and federal governments.

It's really a commitment of us reinvesting back in the McKeesport community, Eat'n Park spokeswoman Becky McArdle said. We've been here for over 62 years, so we're really excited to continue to be here for another 62.

Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County approved $500,000 in December 2011 to facilitate the renovation and expansion of the restaurant's parking lot and other improvements along Lysle Boulevard.

More funding was obtained through a federal Community Development Block Grant, while Eat'n Park committed more than $1.1 million.

While Eat'n Park officials await action from the county about the outdoor renovations and expansion, interior improvements are nearing completion.

Group vice president for design and construction E. Andrew Dunmire said on Wednesday that everything was redone, from the floors to the ceiling. The soup and salad bar was expanded and moved from the right side of the entrance to the center of the dining room. A podium was placed at the entrance to help employees seat customers faster.

A few seats were removed to make more space for larger parties and families, with round conversation tables and reupholstered booths.

Other upgrades include new registers, kiosks and a bakery case. Restrooms will be renovated within a few weeks.

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Plans finally come together for McKeesport restaurant

by Jaime Cerreta

azfamily.com

Posted on January 8, 2014 at 8:19 PM

Updated today at 8:28 PM

TEMPE, Ariz. -- For 24 years, Chili's restaurant has anchored the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive.

But Wednesday at 2 p.m., Chili's served its last meal and closed its doors for good.

"We used to get beers and have fantasy football stuff here," said Anthony Pappas, one of countless Arizona State University students who have dined at the restaurant.

One of the few remaining businesses in the once booming strip mall owned by ASU, Chili's closed to make way for the construction of a $350 million development.

The development will include a basketball arena where Olympic athletes will train, a conference center, and the city's first AAA Four Diamond hotel.

Nancy Hormann, Executive Director and President of the Downtown Tempe Community nonprofit organization, said the development is a much-needed addition to the Mill Avenue area.

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Tempe Chili's closes doors after 24 years

By STEPHANIE BEECKEN 6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - By the time the Monday morning commute traffic started around 8 a.m., temperatures in Knox County were already 20 degrees. The low temperatures and already wet roads meant a frigid and slick start for many drivers.

Employees at The Amber Restaurant in North Knox County normally get to work at 6:30 a.m., but Monday morning the owner told workers to come in an hour later due to the weather. James Linklater and another employee rode to work together.

"[The] car was frozen shut. I had to pull my door open and kick her's open from the inside so I didn't mess up the handle," said Linklater.

Linklater drove 40 minutes to work from Blaine.

"A lot of slick spots off of Emory Road. There's spots you hit, hit a curve. We slid a few times, but not too bad," said Linklater.

He says while the drive to work was relatively easy, walking in to the restaurant was hard. Linklater joked that he should have worn ice skates.

At 4:00 am many parking lots were just covered in slush, but as hours passed and the temperatures dropped, the slush turned to ice. Before the restaurant opened Linklater put the salt down to melt the ice.

The Amber Restaurant owners Donald and Bonnie Padgett have owned the restaurant for 36 years. They say they've only closed one time. The Padgetts say the people who live in the area rely on the restaurant to be open, especially when there's inclement weather.

"So many people's power goes off, and they'll always come here for breakfast, and we figured that's something people might need to eat," said Bonnie Padgett.

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Cold temperatures and snow don't keep North Knox County restaurant from opening

A New York hospitality recruitment and placement agency is reaping the benefits of new hotel construction and restaurants across the country.

Steven Kamali, a New York-based restaurant consultant, launched The Chef Agency a year ago.

Kamali has been placing big-name chefs, and midlevel and top-tier executives, with hotel, casino and restaurant operators around the globe.

His latest New York deals are interesting developing food and beverage concepts for the new Four Seasons on Church Street and the recently opened Diamond Horseshoe in Times Square, a dinner theater being revived by developer Aby Rosen.

Rosen is spending $23 million to revive the once-fabled nightclub and cabaret from the late 1930s and 1940s at the Paramount Hotel.

Those at the New Years Eve launch of the clubs show, Queen of the Night before the official premiere in early February included actress Bonnie Wright, artist Jennifer Rubell, director Diane Paulus, and actors Ian McKellen and Peter Gallagher.

Kamali just executed a string of high-profile management agreements with three yet-to-be-announced celebrity chefs on behalf of Starwood Capital Group for its new hotel brands under development.In The Chef Agencys first year of business, the company completed more than 50 placements.

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NY restaurant consultant spreads business across USA