The renovation plans have been stretched out and scaled back slightly due to extended lease negotiations and the loss of revenue from the Memorial Day tornadoes, which forced the mall to shut until crews could restore power, Spinoza’s founder and owner, Glen Brailey, told this news outlet this morning.
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“The tornado really hurt us more than it might seem to the average observer,” Brailey said. “In addition to being shut down for a week and losing our entire inventory of food, and losing our rooftop AC units ($40,000 replacement cost!), we lost a great deal of normal business in the weeks after because so many people were spending evenings cleaning up and repairing damage and not spending money on normal activities like dining out.”
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Spinoza’s will undertake its renovation project in phases, its founder said. “The first phase will include painting, installation of new wall and ceiling tiles, installation and finish work on the new draft beer cooler, and updating some lighting.”
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“Zoning permits have been approved and we are working on county building permits for the new Spinoza’s sign that will be located on the Mall Ring Road near BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, and also new decorative signage on the mall exterior wall. These will be installed, along with the expansion of the patio, as soon as possible,” Brailey said.
“The next phase of renovations will likely take place in early 2020 and will include re-arranging the dining room to accommodate the planned conversion of lunch to a (quick)-service model, new carpeting, and a new bar top.”
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Initial plans for installation of a garage-style door at the patio entrance have been cut from the renovation plans due to HVAC concerns, Brailey said.
Credit: Teesha McClam
Credit: Teesha McClam
The restaurant was designed more than a decade ago as a California Pizza Kitchen, and at that time, the focus appeared to be packing as many diners into the smallest possible space, Brailey said. The new seating design will probably reduce interior seating capacity from 120 to about 110, but patio seating will likely expand from its current 25 to about 40, the Spinoza’s owner said.
Brailey has said he was leaning toward adopting a counter-service concept that would be in effect at lunchtime only and would offer a scaled-back menu. Diners could order from a kiosk or place call-in orders, or they could place their order at a counter.
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“It would be more efficient and quicker, and there would be no tipping, so it would be less expensive,” Brailey said in April when he unveiled his plans. “That would accommodate (Wright-Patterson Air Force) base employees who have a limited time for lunch. Then at 4 p.m., we would switch back to full service, so it will become a hybrid business model of sorts.”
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