Penguins' hope is more restaurants
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The Penguins are a couple of weeks away from another milestone in the development of the Consol Energy Center, their new home.
A success on the ice, the team will take its first stab at retail development when a 7,500-square-foot T.G.I. Friday's restaurant opens May 31 on Fifth Avenue at the new arena.
The restaurant will mark the first tangible piece of development to take place related to the 13,500 square feet of retail space set aside on Fifth as part of the Consol construction.
"We think they're the absolutely perfect partner to go into the arena first in terms of that retail space," said Travis Williams, the Penguins' chief operating officer. "I think they will be a sign of great things to come."
It will be the first T.G.I. Friday's Downtown and only one of two in the area -- the other is at Pittsburgh International Airport -- to serve breakfast daily. The Bistro Group is the franchisee for the restaurant.
Mr. Williams said the team was hoping T.G.I. Friday's would be a catalyst for other development in the Uptown corridor. Although the arena has been open for nine months, investment in the area has been slow in coming.
"T.G.I. Friday's will show others who have been looking to enter this market that their thoughts are validated," said Herky Pollock, the CB Richard Ellis executive vice president who marketed the retail space on behalf of the Penguins.
While the Penguins were quick to land Friday's, a longtime partner, for the largest retail spot, filling the rest of the space has been more of a challenge. The team had Qdoba Mexican Grill lined up to take another 2,000 square feet of space, but that deal fell through.
Mr. Williams said the Penguins were close to a lease with another restaurant to take the same amount of space. The team is also in talks with other potential tenants about the remaining 4,000 square feet.
First Published May 17, 2011 12:00 am
