Eataly to City Center DC?

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by Prince Of Petworth April 4, 2012 at 12:00 pm 11 Comments

Rendering courtesy of City Center DC

It’s been fun speculating where Eataly will end up. PQ Insider spotted a great lead from an interview in Washingtonian with one of the developers:

“Since you emphasize residential tenants, do you plan on having markets?

Yes, in two different ways. We are considering the possibility of integrating a market-like concept into our retail strategy, along the lines of Grand Central Market at Grand Central Station in New York. We’ve also been evaluating some of the market-restaurant concepts.

Such as Eataly?

Yeah. We may have a farmers market, too.”

Awesome.

Old Convention Center site/Future home of City Center DC 11th and H St, NW in Dec. 2008

Photo of City Center DC in Dec. 2011 by PoPville flickr user mosley.brian

Ronald

By the size of the project, I don’t think it’s going to be a Little Eataly.
Anonymous

This doesn’t bode well for this Eataly having a brewery like Sam Caligione’s project in New York. Has anyone heard if they’ll be brewing on site, or just shipping beer down from New York given DC’s easy import laws?
- Beer is the Best
  
  It was my understanding that City Center was going to be a dry development because the main investors are Qataris who don’t care for that sort of thing.
  
  http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2011/06/23/who-needs-liquor-laws-when-youve-got-qatar/
  
  That would mean definitely no beer/wine stores, and likely no on-site brewing…except for residents brewing their own.
  - classic_six
    
    Really? …Soon to be London.
  - jcm
    
    She wrote a follow up a week later that explained that it’s no big deal.
    
    http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2011/07/06/the-prophet-motive/
    
    “Hines did plan for a “wine store” and “wine bar/café,” but those are apparently kosher with the Qataris (or halal, rather).
    
    “In our plan terminology, a wine store or wine bar/café would serve food or sell specialty foods,” Hines Senior Vice President Bill Alsup says by email. “A stand-alone bar or liquor store would not sell food and would not be consistent with the lively, enjoyable, and neighborhood-friendly shopping and living environment we are trying to create.”
    
    But the major reason there’s apparently no difference between what the Qataris wanted and what Hines would have done anyway is the Qataris’ flexibility. All restaurants will be able to serve alcohol and pork. “
EdTheRed

No way in hell Eataly goes to City Center DC, unless the owners of the project are willing to waive their “no alcohol” rule. Without wine and beer, I doubt they can make the store work, from a financial perspective.
- Josh
  
  Was it no alcohol, or just no liquor stores?
- 14thstreeter
  
  City Center does not have a “no alcohol” rule. I think City Center is just limited to the amount of sales their tenants can derive from alcohol sales.
  “their hesitancy on bank branches meshed with the policies of their financial partners, who adhere to the restrictions of Shariah, or Islamic law, including the ban on collecting interest. Restaurants will be able to serve liquor, but retailers whose primary business involves selling alcohol will not be allowed, Mr. Alsup said.”
  
  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/realestate/commercial/washingtons-citycenterdc-project-is-finally-under-way.html
  - EdTheRed
    
    Hmmm…well, if Eataly can comply with City Center’s restrictions, hey, good luck to them. Although if you combine how much revenue they’ll bring in from alcohol *and* pork products combined, you may well cross 51%…presumably, though, the developers have thought of that.
    - Ronald
      
      Butternuts Brewery’s “Pork Slap Pale Ale” will be hard to find.
dcdude

If only they would sell wine out of a barrell like the original one in Torino. That would be awesome.

https://picasaweb.google.com/vanessavara381/TorinoItalyEataly#5131984240555309298

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