(rshsdepot) Sole bid for new eatery granted - Union Station

["Kenyon Karl" <kenyon_@_getglobal.net>]

Date:    Thu, 19 Sep 2002 22:12:00 EDT
From:    PEagan6295_@_aol.com
Subject: Sole bid for new eatery granted  - Union Station

THE TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Sole bid for new eatery granted=20

=20
September 19, 2002

By Jim Bodor
Telegram & Gazette Staff

WORCESTER-- It doesn't have a name yet, but Joseph Petrou believes his
new=20
restaurant inside Union Station will draw plenty of visitors when it opens
..
     Mr. Petrou, owner of Primo's Restaurant on Shrewsbury Street, was
the=20
only restaurateur to submit a proposal to run a restaurant inside the=20
renovated station.
     Yesterday, he outlined his plans to the Worcester Redevelopment=20
Authority, which manages the historic depot.
     The restaurant will be housed in 6,000 square feet on the first floor
o=
f=20
the station and will feature a menu with an emphasis on wood-grilled and=20
oven-roasted meals, he said.

     The decor will reflect the history and the clean new look of the=20
building, he said. With mahogany furniture and warm, dark colors, it will
be=
=20
similar in appearance to the former restaurant in Union Station during
its=20
heyday.
     =E2=80=9CWe want it to look like what it used to,=E2=80=9D Mr. Petrou
s=
aid. =E2=80=9CIt'll be=20
the kind of restaurant for a single person, corporate diners or families.=
=E2=80=9D

     City officials said several Worcester restaurant owners inquired
about,=
=20
submitting proposals to open in Union Station, but none besides Mr.
Petrou=20
did, perhaps because of concerns about parking in the area.
     Mr. Petrou said the restaurant will initially open only for dinner=20
because of the lack of parking near Union Station. After 5 p.m., however,
he=
=20
said, the 285 parking spots at the commuter lots across the street begin
to=20
open, creating plenty of parking for visitors. The restaurant also will
offe=
r=20
valet parking, he said.

     City officials are reviewing Mr. Petrou's plans and hope to move the=20
project forward quickly, said Philip J. Niddrie, the city's chief
developmen=
t=20
officer.
     Mr. Petrou said he decided to open a restaurant in Union Station
after=20
attending two functions there.
     =E2=80=9CThe ambience and cosmopolitan feel of the building is
surpasse=
d by none,
=E2=80=9D he said. =E2=80=9CI really think this is going to be a
destination=
 point.=E2=80=9D

     Now, if only he could think of a name. The restaurant there during
the=20
1920s and 1930s was called the Boston and Albany Restaurant.
     Mr. Petrou just smiled yesterday when asked whether he'd thought of
a=20
name for his restaurant, and admitted, =E2=80=9CNot yet.=E2=80=9D

     With the menu Mr. Petrou is planning, one name comes to mind: The
Union=
=20
Grill.=20
   =20


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railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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