She did not disclose the purchase price. Roost’s owners expect to invest about $200,000 in the expansion and construction project, Downs said. The restaurant, which employs 16, will likely add about four new positions as a result of the expansion, which Downs said she would like to have complete by this summer.
Roost’s current, relatively small dining room seats 34, and another six at the bar. An outdoor patio seats another 32 diners but is not in use over the winter. After the planned expansion, the restaurant would seat about 70 year-round in its dining room, and another 12 to 15 in the bar.
Downs said the purchase of the building and the expansion plans reflect the robust health of the Oregon Districit’s dining scene, which earlier this year added Lily’s Bistro and Salar Restaurant & Lounge.
“Roost is very, very busy,” she said. “And the new competition has brought new people into the district.”
The restaurant owners will take designs of the expansion to the city for approval in the coming weeks, Downs said.
Downs and Hirschbach launched Veritas Catering in 2009 and opened the Black Rooster Pasta Bar at the 2nd Street Market later that year before opening Roost in October 2011.
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