Cupertino: The Counter coming to Biltmore site

Cupertino residents some time in 2015 will be able to create their own hamburgers when The Counter comes to Stevens Creek Boulevard. Representatives with the custom burger-creation restaurant shared their plans to come to Cupertino during a Dec. 9 city planning commission meeting.

The restaurant will come to new retail frontage just steps from the under-construction Biltmore Apartment project near 10159 South Blaney Ave. The restaurant will take up 3,735 square feet of a 7,000 square-foot building pad. The Counter will have 76 indoor seats, 15 counter bar seats, and 12 outdoor patio seats near a fire pit. A maximum of 14 employees will be on hand during operating hours, according to Cupertino city staff.

South Bay residents might already be familiar with The Counter's locations in Mountain View, Palo Alto, Fremont and within Santana Row in San Jose. When it eventually opens, the Cupertino location will operate Monday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Representatives from The Counter visited the Cupertino Planning Commission Dec. 9 asking for a use permit to operate a counter area that will serve alcohol. Project applicant Jared Taylor referred to the chain as "iconic" in the Bay Area and said it would help generate interest along Stevens Creek Boulevard. The building will sit roughly 125 feet from the south-west corner of Stevens Creek Boulevard and South Blaney Avenue.

"We really draw in a nice clientele of families, and people coming in for lunch," Taylor told the commission. "We really feel that this restaurant and this location is going to help activate Stevens Creek Boulevard by having people out there on the patio, having the fire-pit out there, and seeing people at lunch as you drive by."

The Counter is a full service, sit down restaurant and bar that offers lunch and dinner options to customers. The proposed floor plan includes a separate bar area integrated within the restaurant and an outdoor patio area. Representatives from The Counter will also work with Cupertino city staff to tinker with how the exterior facade looks facing Stevens Creek Boulevard. Ideas include clear glass, back lit design features, or local artwork.

The retail building that will serve as The Counter's home is part of a much larger apartment complex expansion that been in the works for more than three years. In September 2012, the Cupertino City Council gave developers the go-ahead to add 80 residential units and the 7,000 square foot retail and commercial building along the Stevens Creek Boulevard frontage. The development is currently under construction and is expected to be operational by early 2015, according to Cupertino city staff.

The project wiped out the Blaney Plaza strip mall, which also was home to Chilli's and Shan Restaurant. The Village Falafel is the only retail pad that was not acquired by developers and has remained operational during the months and months of construction.

Prometheus, a San Mateo-based real estate and property management group, manages the property. The new apartments will be a continuation of the already-established Biltmore Apartments on S. Blaney Avenue. An additional 12 units were also planned to be added at the current Biltmore apartment site.

For more information about The Counter, visit thecounterburger.com

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Cupertino: The Counter coming to Biltmore site