Local Foods to expand to Downtown Houston
January 14, 2016 | greystar
Restaurateur Benjy Levit's immediate focus is his new Local Foods set to open May 1 in Tanglewood, which will bring that brand to three Houston stores including Rice Village and River Oaks.
But don't think for a minute that Levit hasn't thought beyond that. He has, and it's all about Downtown.
Levit has purchased the former Georgia's Market at 420 Main at Prairie with plans to make it another Local Foods. The footprint of Georgia's, which closed in October 2014, includes the main floor, a mezzanine and a basement kitchen and bar. Levit's goal is to have his fourth Local Foods up and running by October.
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"It's a building I've always loved architecturally," he said of the Byrds Lofts building (the former Byrd's Department Store), a mixed use development that includes retail and loft condominiums. "I love the scale of the building. It's Art Deco. It's got history behind it."
And potential for a lot of Local Foods customers ahead of it. Levit, whose concepts also include the original Benjy's in Rice Village and a second Benjy's on Upper Washington, said the Downtown building boom and the promise of Super Bowl crowds come 2017 had a lot to do with his decision to purchase the space.
"There's no question. The building abuts the new Hines project. And it's a block from their new office building and two blocks from Market Square," he said. "I would have liked to have been one of the pioneers Downtown. Certainly other people have paved the way and I'm thankful for that. I believe in Downtown. Beyond the Super Bowl I believe in it as a place to work and live and have fun."
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Levit said he likes to customize each Local Foods to its neighborhood. For instance, the new Tanglewood location will feature an expanded, upgraded wine list as well as pizza and other roasted items from a wood-burning pizza oven.
The Downtown Local Foods will feature a central seafood bar with about 25 seats, offering local raw bar and seafood items as well as beer and wine. The basement with its large catering kitchen will service downtown with broad catering capabilities; the subterranean bar will be used as private event space.