BIRKDALE ADDING FLAVOR OF 3 EATERIES
RED ROCKS, LE PEEP AND DRESSLER'S ON THE WAY
Thursday, April 17, 2003
DOUG SMITH, Staff Writer
Birkdale Village, a 52-acre mixed-use development off Interstate
77 in Huntersville, is adding three restaurants to the stew.
Red Rocks Cafe, Bar & Bakery - a familiar name in south Charlotte
- will open a second location in the heart of the village.
Le Peep, a breakfast-brunch-lunch restaurant chain, will open
its second Charlotte area restaurant there; and Dressler's Restaurant,
a locally owned, dinner-only steak-and-seafood eatery, chose Birkdale
as its startup location.
Together, the restaurants will occupy nearly 14,100 square feet
of the 200,000 square feet of retail buildings concentrated along
Birkdale Village Parkway between Sam Furr Road and the 16-screen
Movies@Birkdale.
With the new leases signed, that space is 92 percent occupied.
Crosland real estate and Pappas Properties, developers of the
$90 million project 15 miles north of Charlotte, officially opened
the village last fall while completing construction of apartments,
offices and shops.
About a third of the village's 320 apartments were built atop
stores and restaurants to help ensure pedestrian activity on the
street, where retail names range from chains like Banana Republic
to specialty shops like Pandora's gifts and home decor.
Planners say Birkdale Village's combination of real estate uses
helps create a sort of town center where people can gather and
socialize.
The National Association of Homebuilders recently awarded it
the 2003 Pillars of the Industry award as the nation's
best mixed-use development.
The organization's 13-member team of judges
cited the village's open spaces, integration
of retail, office and residential uses and its "charming
environment."
Ron Herbert, who owns Red
Rocks with John Love,
believes it's the ideal place to
expand a concept
they've been
refining for 10 years
at Strawberry
Hill
shopping center
near
Providence
and Fairview Roads.
The
Birkdale
Village
Red
Rocks,
opening
in
September,
will
occupy
5,628
square
feet
and
seat
about
230
people.
It
will
be
slightly larger
than
the
215-seat,
5,050-square-foot
Strawberry
Hill
restaurant.
Herbert
said
the
new
Red
Rocks
will
follow
through
on the
owners'
theme
of offering
something
for
everyone:
a family
dining
experience, a
business
lunch
or a
private
reception.
The restaurant's ever-changing menu - more than 80 items from
steak to pasta - capitalizes on local culture by naming certain items
for celebrities. For example: NBA player Dell Curry's chicken penne
pasta, wrestler Ric Flair's filet and lobster, and race team
owner Felix Sabates' filet mignon sandwich.
Herbert said he expects to name items for Lake Norman area celebrities
and NASCAR drivers at the Birkdale Village location.
Le Peep, which is aiming for an August opening, will occupy 3,269
square feet, seat about 120 and include a meeting room.
Menu items include steak and eggs, omelets, bagels, French toast,
waffles and pancakes.
Franchisee Harvey Chesler said the Birkdale Village restaurant
will be his second Le Peep in the Charlotte area. The first opened
about 1 1/2 years ago at the Arboretum shopping center at N.C. 51
and Providence Road in south Charlotte.
Jon Dressler, an 18-year restaurateur who worked the past seven
years at Morton's of Chicago in Charlotte, will open Dressler's
Restaurant in mid-September with his wife, Kim, an 18-year hospitality
industry veteran.
The restaurant will occupy 5,191 square feet and seat about 125
in the dining room, about 35 at the bar and 25 to 30 on the patio.
In addition to its steak and seafood specialties, Dressler's will
offer chicken and pasta dishes, Jon Dressler said. The restaurant
also will have a room that can be closed off for private meetings.
"Birkdale Village itself seems to be all-encompassing in
its entertainment and retail," Dressler said. "We felt
like our restaurant needed to near those big retail names."
Anne Carter Smith handles retail leasing at Birkdale Village for
Crosland.
Doug Smith: (704) 358-5174; dougsmith@charlotteobserver.com
