Gourmet burger joint headed to Liberty Center

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio - A Funny Bone Comedy Club and a Flip Side gourmet burger restaurant are the latest tenants coming to Liberty Center, the $350 million mixed-use project under construction in Butler County.

An executive with the Columbus-based co-developer of the project identified the tenants in a speech Tuesday to Commercial Real Estate Women of Greater Cincinnati.

Restaurants are important to the project because they really for us act as another anchor, AnneMastin, executive vice president for retail real estate at Steiner + Associates, said in an interview with WCPO following her talk. It brings shoppers into the center that are not competitive with specialty retailers. It brings people in that spend a long time in the project.

Mastin said a pair of new to the market restaurants will be announced in the next few months. A steakhouse and Mexican restaurant will be on the ground floor of the AC Marriott Hotel property, one of several key Liberty Center attractions previously announced.

The 65-acre project at I-75 and Ohio 129 will include a Dillards department store, the regions largest Dicks Sporting Goods store, along with the regions first Kona Grill, a 13-screen Cobb Theatres CineBistro and an AC Marriott Hotel.

An October 8 opening date has been announced for the project, which is modeled on Easton Towne Center near Columbus.

A press release describes Flip Side as a chef-driven burger, shake and craft beer concept using exclusively Ohio raised, grass-fed beef. The comedy club at Liberty Center will be the 11th Funny Bone location, featuring a complete menu of food and drinks.

Mastin is a 20-year veteran leasing executive who has filled more than two-dozen retail centers in her career. Mastin said restaurant tenants generated more than $100 million in revenue at Easton Towne Center last year, more than any department store anchor.

Liberty Center will have 62,000 square feet of restaurant space in its first phase.

It is a very good time for the restaurant business in America because of a lot of reasons that are macro-economic, shesaid. Gas prices are down. People feel they have more disposable income to go out for dinner. You cant buy your nightly meal off of the Internet.

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Gourmet burger joint headed to Liberty Center