Tuesday, October 9, 2007

BEEF CAP

Expansion of Short North steakhouse in the works
Monday, Oct. 8, 2007
By GARY SEMAN JR.ThisWeek Staff Writer
Hyde Park, the steakhouse that has become wildly popular during its short run in the Short North, soon will occupy the entire west side of the Cap at Union Station.
Rick Hauck, president of the Cleveland-based chain, announced Monday that the company will take over the remaining 7,000 square feet of the strip, which will be used for banquet dining.
"Our private dining space just is not large enough," he said.
In turn, confectioner Shokolad will move out of the Cap. Two other storefronts, once housing Quizno's and Cold Stone Creamery, are vacant.
Hyde Park currently occupies 5,000 square feet at 569 N. High St. Hauck said the additional space will have its own kitchen and bar, and also will seat 200. It will be ready early next year.
"It will all feel like the same restaurant," he said. "We'll try to make it feel as much of a restaurant as possible, not a dining hall."
Hyde Park has been a smash hit since it opened in the Cap two years ago, grossing more than $5-million a year, Hauck said.
"It's been pretty much a home run for us," he said.
It's known for its celebrity steaks, including those named after Archie Griffin, Jim Tressel, Kirk Herbstreit and Jack Nicklaus. The restaurant chain, which has four Columbus locations, was founded in 1988 by Hauck and Joe Saccone in Cleveland Heights.

2 comments:

Walker Evans said...

Nice. "Beef Cap" is the best thing I've read all day. ;) hahah!

cmhindependent said...

Cap Update

NO APPETITE FOR RETAIL
I-670 cap becoming restaurant row
Short North block redefines itself as dining destination, shop-free zone
Thursday, October 11, 2007 3:42 AM
By Amy Saunders

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

JAMES D. DeCAMP | DISPATCH
Retailers on the I-670 cap say the lack of parking in the Short North hurts their businesses. The cap's restaurants solve that problem by offering customers valet parking.



KYLE ROBERTSON | DISPATCH
Retail businesses on the I-670 cap such as the Thomas Jeffrey store are making way for restaurants.


KYLE ROBERTSON | DISPATCH
The Cold Stone Creamery has closed its doors. Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse will expand into its space.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Changing times
Stores that are closing soon or have closed at the Cap at Union Station, a shopping area along High Street that spans I-670:

Tropical Trends

Thomas Jeffrey

Schakolad Chocolate Factory

Cold Stone Creamery

P.J.'s Cap Deli & Brew

Quiznos
After three years of nearly constant transition, the Cap at Union Station is starting to chart a clearer direction: all restaurants, no retail.

Once Tropical Trends and Thomas Jeffrey move out by November, restaurants will rule the shop-free cap, the broadened overpass on which High Street crosses over I-670 in the Short North.

National restaurant chains are considering the soon-vacant spaces, while across the street, the Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse is expanding.

"I think the marketplace is speaking," said local retail analyst Chris Boring of Boulevard Strategies. "The marketplace is saying it wants more restaurants in that space."

And restaurants with valet service are what seem to work best in an area that's notoriously short on parking.

The owners of Tropical Trends and Thomas Jeffrey both named parking among the reasons for moving to Gahanna and the Kingsdale Shopping Center, respectively.

"Our customers would say they saw the store (on the cap), but that it's so much easier to go to Kingsdale," Thomas Jeffrey owner Jeff Ross said.

At Tropical Trends, which is successful at its Polaris Fashion Place and Bethel Road locations, there were days when only solicitors or homeless people would come into the store on the cap, co-owner Wendy Rinehart said.

Rinehart said store traffic was better on the weekends, but people usually came in on their way to or from dinner to browse, not to buy.

"We've been in the business 18 years, and this is the first store we've had that has been a complete failure," Rinehart said.

Meanwhile, Hyde Park is popular enough to be taking over the entire 12,000-square-foot building it calls home, adding 5,000 square feet to its existing restaurant.

When the expansion is complete, Hyde Park will be able to accommodate an additional 200 people for corporate meetings, Greater Columbus Convention Center functions and other events. Hyde Park has had two private dining rooms that can seat 20 people each.

"We're turning away a lot of business that wouldn't fit in those rooms," co-owner Rick Hauck said. "We get calls almost daily for groups of 30 to 40."

Across the street, Paul Liu's Chinese Restaurant is considering an expansion into the Tropical Trends space next door, said Larry Lehring, vice president of retail development for Continental Real Estate Cos., which shares ownership of both cap buildings with a group of investors.

And just north of the cap on Poplar Street, C&W Investment Co. owner Lou Cabrel is getting a lot of interest from restaurants for his vacant, multicolored storefront.

But the space isn't equipped to accommodate a kitchen; Cabrel wants a retail or office tenant.

Continental hasn't ruled out shops, either, with two national retailers also evaluating store openings on the cap.

Retail can clearly thrive in the Short North, whether it's a national chain such as American Apparel or a local store such as Dr. Mojoe, said John Angelo, executive director of the area's business association.

And not all the food offerings on the cap have been well-received.

Hyde Park's expansion was made possible only by the departure of Cold Stone Creamery. The adjacent space, formerly occupied by Quiznos and then P.J.'s Cap Deli & Brew, has been empty for about a year.

The building's other tenant, Schakolad Chocolate Factory, was "doing fine" but is looking to move to Polaris in light of Hyde Park's plans, co-owner Anna Stossel said.

Whether restaurant or retail, the key to success in the Short North is "a matter of fitting in the mix," Angelo said. "The businesses that work really well marry their mission with the spirit of the Short North."

asaunders@dispatch.com