The Table at Timberland Town Center

We have decided to build a second restaurant less than four miles away at Timberland Town Center on 118th and Barnes Rd. Within this seemingly simple statement there are a thousand stories to tell. What an adventure!

For years we have been holding off on making some necessary improvements to the restaurant as we coveted the space next door, longing for enough space to cure our ambiance deficit and create a well-appointed kitchen. Last winter, with the County breathing down our necks about the non-compliant use of our space, the building shrouded in scaffolding and plastic netting, and having had our offer to build a pizza shop in the Starbucks space across the way rebuffed, we cast our gaze at the fabulous new buildings being constructed by Gramor, where Market of Choice was to be the anchor tenant. Many of you participated in conversations with us as we ruminated on all of our options? Should we move? We’d rather not. Should we sell our business here? No, that would just hand off the goodwill we needed to fuel a fresh start. Should we simplify the menu to and serve artisan pizza?

We became more committed to the move but no more certain about our future in the Village. What we heard from so many of you was resoundingly consistent: Please don’t go! Knowing that the yogurt shop wanted to stay but desired less space, we hired an architect to design a permanent solution. With that in hand we wrote up a lease proposal that would give us a new 10-year term with two 5-year options. Then we did the deal. That wasn’t so difficult.

But building a new restaurant from scratch is another matter. It is not something one can accomplish just by wishing for it. The opportunity to move into a first class space with enough room to meet the demand for group dining and events was right before us. We needed to claim it. So we looked at one building and drew up a plan. We almost launched before we realized that the outdoor space we were counting on was not particularly usable. We chose another building, an even better location and design than the first, but there were hurdles, barriers really, that restricted that spot from being used as a restaurant. But with a little help from the Market of Choice folks and some great cooperation from Gramor, we finally got what we wanted. The lesson here is: be careful what you wish for.

Building a 120-seat fine dining establishment (195 seat including the outdoor area) is not cheap. But how cheap isn’t it? One can’t ask for the money if one cannot tell the source of capital how it will be used. So you hire an architect. You select a contractor and pay for their collaboration with that architect. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, your new landlord wants you to pony up, and cash is flying out of your hands. All of this was occurring while we finalized our permits for the kitchen improvements and were spending money like drunken sailors on installing a new hood and cooking line. That was in September. We signed the lease in October and now we are hell bent for leather. We'll keep you posted.