ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A new restaurant is slated to move into a downtown Allentown apartment complex after officials approved a liquor license transfer Wednesday.
City Center bought the license from Haaks School House in Germansville with plans to bring a restaurant to the ground floor of The Nines at Cityplace, its 78-apartment complex at 950 W. Hamilton St.
The 1,500-square-foot restaurant is set to have 34 seats, a small kitchen and an exterior takeout window.
“The adage is true: Nothing good happens after 12."Attorney Dave Berger on plans to close the restaurant early
City Center is speaking with several restaurant operators about the space. Whichever one takes over will determine the cuisine, according to attorney Dave Berger.
“The plan is to open the space as a fast-casual neighborhood ethnic spot,” Berger said.
The eventual operator will also play a role in determining hours — it will open around 7 a.m. if it serves breakfast or 11 a.m. if not, Berger said.
But all potential operators plan to close the eatery around 11 p.m., he said.
Councilwoman Candida Affa, a former bar owner, said she supports an early closing time at the restaurant.
“Eleven o’clock is great. We’ve had so many problems in that area with bars,” Affa said. “It’s nice to see something like this closing at 11 (p.m.)”
“The adage is true: Nothing good happens after 12,” Berger said, underscoring plans to not to keep the restaurant open until 2 a.m., as its newly approved liquor license allows.
Supporting role
City Center believes the new restaurant is primed for success, with a new boutique hotel and concert venue set to launch later this year in the same block.
The ground floor of The Nines is “a great spot for a restaurant” because it will be directly across the street from The Archer Music Hall and The Moxy, which will be run by global hotel chain Marriott, according to spokesperson Jeff Vaughan.
Company executives expect the new venue and hotel to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to that block each year.
Another industry leader — Live Nation — is set to run The Archer, according to several sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly of the deal.
Vaughan would not confirm City Center selected Live Nation, but he did not deny that an operator has been chosen.
The developer plans to open The Moxy, The Archer Music Hall and the new restaurant around the same time this fall, company executive Jill Wheeler told LehighValleyNews.com on Wednesday.
'A great idea'
Allentown City Council unanimously approved the transfer Wednesday night after holding a brief public hearing at which no members of the public spoke.
“It seems it’ll be a nice, eclectic, little, quiet spot to go to."Councilman Daryl Hendricks
Councilman Ed Zucal called the restaurant “a good idea” but voiced concerns about the extent of takeout alcohol sales.
The restaurant can sell no more than a 12-pack during a single transaction, and alcohol sales will be a minority of the restaurant’s sales, Berger said.
Councilman Daryl Hendricks said a restaurant in that area is “a great idea” that will bring more people downtown.
“It seems it’ll be a nice, eclectic, little, quiet spot to go to,” Hendricks said.
“And that’s what they're hoping for,” Berger said.
