Havana Central owner to expand in countyÂ
Jeremy Merrin is not bashful that his midtown Manhattan restaurant is Bacardi Rum”™s largest single-store user in the tristate region.
“Mojitos are in,” and so is the microchain ”“ that contemporary model of steady, concentrated growth.
Next month, the head of Havana Central Restaurant and Bar will begin construction on a 9,000-square-foot, 225-seat (not counting the 40 at the bar) location at Forest City Ratner Cos.”™ Ridge Hill in Yonkers. It will cost him an estimated $4 million to $5 million.
“We needed a place with high traffic to get the numbers we needed,” said the founder and president of the eatery, which serves authentic Cuban cuisine. “We negotiated on a couple of pieces of property in White Plains, but they didn”™t pan out. ”¦ Ridge Hill and its spectacular assortment of retailers ”¦ it”™s going to be a grand slam.” The restaurant and bar is scheduled to open in February 2012.
Havana Central, the brainchild of the former head of fine jewelry design and manufacturing firm Ardian Corp., opened its first location in Union Square in 2002, although its lease ended about two months ago. There is a Havana Central in Times Square and on the Upper West Side.
The logistics and draw of the Ridge Hill development sold Merrin on expansion in Westchester.
The Monarch luxury residential component at the mixed-use development represents delivery potential after-hours when the mall portion closes, Merrin said.
“We”™re planning our growth to be the P.F. Chang”™s or Cheesecake Factory of Latin restaurants,” he said. “There”™s a tremendous demographic that”™s really looking for this food.”
Construction on Ridge Hill coincides with the Havana Central location planned for Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City.
Alfresco dining on the Yonkers waterfront
Houlihan & OӪMalley Real Estate Services in Bronxville arranged a 10-year lease for 2,000 square feet at 1 Van Der Donck St. in Yonkers for the owners of The Dolphin Restaurant and Bar to open alfresco accompaniment Caf̩ Hudson.
Café Hudson will feature specialty drinks and small plates, with plans to turn “an underused space into a sought-after destination,” said Jimmy Rugova, general manager of The Dolphin, who operates the restaurant with fellow Rugova family members.
Houlihan & O”™Malley represented Hudson Park”™s landlord Collins Enterprises L.L.C.
The Dolphin opened just over a year ago in a space vacated by The Pier View in 2009 following that restaurant”™s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.
The former tenants told the Business Journal that tensions with the city of Yonkers had fueled the business”™s failing; the city retorted back that developing the waterfront has always been a top priority.
Swarovski concept store to open at Cross County
Swarovski is scheduled to open a 1,168-square-foot store at the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers this week.
The retailerӪs collection of crystal jewelry, accessories and home d̩cor will be displayed in horizontal and vertical cases splashed with LED-lighting with a front, stainless-steel exterior. Floating window boxes will showcase Swarovski products.
There are 240 Swarovski stores in the U.S. with close to 2,000 retail outlets in 120 countries. There are 19 retail stores in New York state.
DGC Corp. gains construction contracts
DGC Capital Contracting Corp. in Mount Vernon has completed a 13-day renovation project at Starbucks”™ 54th St. and Lexington Ave. location in Manhattan and has begun construction on a 4,000-square-foot branch for JPMorgan Chase in Cos Cob, Conn.
The general contractor routinely manages renovations and new-builds for national retailers including TJ Maxx, Sears, Home Depot, 24 Hour Fitness, Century 21 Department Stores and Ann Taylor.
We’re pretty excited about the opening of Havana Central at Westchester’s Ridge Hill. Our residents will have a great night-spot to enjoy and weekend entertainment — and the business professionals in the office building at Ridge Hill will have a delicious lunch destination.
As more retail options join and open in the Lifestyle Center, Westchester’s Ridge Hill is rounding out an all-inclusive living experience for residents and the surrounding community!