October 23, 2019
The restaurant rush is getting longer
November is becoming a popular opening month thanks to delays
October always seems to be a busy month for restaurants. So far this month, we’ve already seen several new spots open their doors. We hosted a preview of Uptown Italian spot Cicchetti, the owners of Craft opened their new concept Lincoln Street Kitchen & Cocktails, bakery The Batchmaker‘s Batch House replaced Basal Coffee, Foxcroft Wine Co.’s new Waverly location, and Link and Pin should be opening its doors any day now. That’s on top of the continued roll-out of new stalls opening in Optimist Hall.
With so many restaurants setting up for service, you’d think it’s easy to get up and running. But increasingly, that’s not the case. Construction is slower — and more expensive — than ever, thanks to the high demand for workers in a rapidly growing city. Getting the proper permits from the ABC Commission and the county require navigating a lot of red tape and waiting in line. In the meantime, salaries and rent are still being paid.
Two of the most anticipated openings, The Goodyear House and KiKi, have been delayed thanks to those things and will likely now open in November. The Grinning Mule and Billy Sunday are also nearing opening.
It looks like in this restaurant boom, November may become just as big for openings as October. Is your stomach ready? —Kristen Wile
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