Ambrosia plans downtown location
The owner of the popular Broad Ripple Italian restaurant Ambrosia plans to open a new location downtown on the first floor of the Hampton Inn along Maryland Street. The…
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Two Indianapolis restaurants close
Sister eateries Café Nora and Ruth’s Keystone Cafe have closed, owner Jim Nethercott said.
Cafe Nora, Ruth’s Cafe close
Owner Jim Nethercott said he had to shut down Saturday because of falling traffic and other financial troubles.
His…
New restaurants planning to open this month
New restaurants include Iozzo’s Garden of Italy, slated to open July 17 at 946 S. Meridian St.,
in the former home of Leland’s and Cafe@Ray. The owner’s grandfather in the 1940s owned an
800-seat restaurant of the same name where the Hyatt Regency now stands.
Conrad Indianapolis adding wine bar, sidewalk dining
Plans are in the works for a wine bar called Tastings that would take the first-floor corner space at the Conrad Indianapolis.
The $1 million project would add an entrance to the luxury hotel at the northeast corner of Washington
and Illinois streets and include a total of 80 outdoor seats along both streets, in the shadow of the
Artsgarden.
Steak n Shake sales, traffic rise
Steak n Shake Co. yesterday reported big increases in customer traffic and same-store sales for its fiscal third quarter,
which ended July 1. Customer traffic rose 13.4 percent and same-store sales jumped 5 percent in the quarter compared to the
same period a year ago, it said in a brief Securities and Exchange filing.
Around town restaurant roundup
Several tasty nuggets today:
Iozzo’s Garden of Italy is slated to open July 17 along Meridian Street just south of Shapiro’s and Greek
Islands, in the former home of Leland’s and Cafe@Ray. The…
Panera plans outdoor dining
Panera hopes to include sidewalk and atrium seating for its new restaurant under construction at Claypool
Court. The bakery cafe, which is taking second-floor space next door to Weber Grill, has asked…
So long, SoDo
The owners of a 1.3-acre parking lot southeast of Meridian and South streets have put the property up for sale, apparently putting an end to the dream…
Clean air strategy: Some nightspots opt to tighten smoking rules
Coaches Tavern, MacNiven’s Restaurant and Bar, and The Jazz Kitchen are among Indianapolis bars that recently limited or banned
smoking. Those establishments join a short list of bars that already buck the trend in Indianapolis. Smoking in public places,
including restaurants, has been banned in Marion County since 2006, but it’s still OK to puff away in places that don’t admit
minors.
Restaurant in a bit of a Pickle
Indianapolis didn’t exactly warm to Spicy Pickle. The Denver-based restaurant chain shut down both of its Indianapolis-area locations shortly after opening them last year. But the chain hasn’t rid itself…
Remove barriers to lower costs
By preserving residency as a condition to distribute booze, our Legislature is protecting Indiana’s existing liquor distributors, many of whom do business in neighboring states like Illinois and Michigan. This antiquated standard is anti-competitive and ultimately means higher prices and reduced selection for Indiana residents.
Owner has gourmet vision for Za
The proprietor of a planned new pizza joint called Za in Broad Ripple, Michael Keenan, says he has enlisted an all-star…
Touring the JW Marriott complex
The developers of the new JW Marriott hotel complex gave photographer Robin Jerstad and me a tour of the $425 million project earlier this month….
Steak n Shake hoping to roll out lower-cost, limited-service stores
TV spots for Steak n Shake Co. used to play up the chain’s full-service restaurants, complete with friendly servers, real plates
and glass ketchup bottles—a departure from the "workaraunts" operated by McDonald’s and Burger King. Now, Steak n Shake is developing plans for its own workaraunts.
Restaurants step up despite hard times
Restaurants are so often asked to support non-profits and many times give very generously—their support means so much to local organizations.
Conservancy work begins & more
The Nature Conservancy broke ground Thursday for its new Indiana headquarters. The organization still needs to raise most of the $4.4 million cost of the building, but…
Steak n Shake nixes $4M contract with ad firm after less than 3 months
Less than three months after hiring a new advertising agency, Steak n Shake has jettisoned and is now suing Georgia-based The Varnson Group.
DINING: Saffron’s food, customer service is exemplary
Saffron Cafe’s staff is so friendly and courteous and its food so delicious that I am urging everyone to eat at this downtown
restaurant.
Hungry for customers, restaurateurs dangle deals
Restaurateurs are responding to the recession, be they the proprietors of fine-dining establishments or burger joints, by offering low-cost dining deals.