Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Zoes Kitchen on the way to Columbus area. (Atlanta: apartment complex)

[Columbuskidd92]

The flow of new restaurants and eateries into the Columbus market, some new to the area and others already with a presence here, remains strong.
Five Guys Burger and Fries, along with Zoës Kitchen, are among the new faces coming to an increasingly crowded Columbus Park Crossing shopping and dining area.

The two are locating in a 14,000-square-foot strip shopping building now being constructed on Whittlesey Boulevard at Columbus Park. The center is tucked between a new Longhorn SteakHouse closing in on completion and an existing Arby’s outlet.

Lorton, Va.-based Five Guys, founded in 1986, is a fast-growing chain known for its simplistic menu -- burgers and hotdogs, along with fries that come in original or cajun flavors. That’s pretty much it, although the company claims its sandwiches can be made 250,000 ways depending on what toppings are added.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Zoës Kitchen, on its website, calls its offerings “Mediterranean-inspired comfort food” that has gluten-free and vegetarian options -- and no fried items. It notes Zoë translates to “life” in Greek. Hummus, pita bread, salads, pimento cheese, sandwiches and various kabobs are prominent on its menu.
Neither company returned calls Friday, although those in the local real-estate market acknowledge the two are entering the market and that there’s more food brands to come.

“We’ve talked to them,” Glenwood Development Co. partner Leo Wiener said of Five Guys Burgers, which had looked at a Cross Country Plaza outparcel. “We just couldn’t figure out how to fit them in the space. They needed a little bit more.”

Glenwood owns Cross Country on Macon Road and has been looking to plug some holes in the 405,000-square-foot shopping center that has undergone a major renovation over the past year.
Wiener said he does have a couple of food establishments lined up for the center, including one not in the market, although the leases haven’t been signed yet.

Back at Columbus Park Crossing, the Longhorn SteakHouse is projected for an early 2012 opening. Then there’s a Jersey Mike’s deli outlet going into a Rollins Way shopping space in the Bradley Park Drive area. The Manasquan, N.J.-based chain said Friday it should open sometime before Christmas.
Downtown hasn’t been left out of the foodie infusion. Aside from an upscale “E.P.i.c.” restaurant set to open by next March on the ground floor of the Eagle & Phenix loft condo and apartment complex, a more blue-collar eatery is also on the way.
Locating in a long-vacated Krystal restaurant on Veterans Parkway is a 36-seat Waffle House that should open by the end of January, said Ron Rinehart, a construction manager for the chain’s office out of Norcross, Ga.

“There had been some homeless people staying inside here,” said Rinehart, who has converted other former restaurants, such as a Burger King, into Waffle Houses before.
The restaurant should have plenty of parking space, he said.
There are several theories on what is bringing the new eateries into the market, along with the addition of locations for existing establishments.
It has long been said that an Army travels on its stomach. But it also can be very hungry when it is not deployed to some far-flung destination. That’s why Wiener thinks Fort Benning is a major influence.

“It’s a strong restaurant market,” he said. “You’ve got that whole military influx. You’ve got all of these GIs around town with time and money to spend and they eat out.”
Along with the fact that franchises not in the market are seeing the success of those already here and taking a leap into the city’s dining sector.

“The demographic growth in Columbus and the surrounding area is strong. And you’ve got a regional shopping center that’s now got over 2 million square feet of space, with Sam’s and Walmart,” KW Commercial broker David Johnson said of Columbus Park Crossing. “It’s a huge engine with a lot of momentum that attracts a lot of attention.”
He noted the city has a wealth of mid-priced food establishments, but not that many high-end or fine-dining restaurants, other than private clubs. The fact that the Columbus metro area started burgeoning toward a population of nearly 300,000, as well as its improving average pay scale, has put it on the radar of food companies that otherwise might have looked elsewhere to expand, he said.

“For a long time, we truly were underserved because we had not hit a growth level, an income level in this area, a number of things that allowed or that encouraged retailers to look at us,” Johnson said. “Then we began to hit those levels and exceed them.”
Wiener, who lives in Atlanta, has watched as new restaurants such as Bonefish Grill in Columbus have flourished out of the gate. He said Columbus just seems to have a good vibe relative to other communities in which his company has shopping centers.

“The vibe seems to better when you’re out and about shopping and eating in restaurants here,” he said. “It just feels like (businesses) are kind of insulated from everything going on elsewhere.”

Ledger-Enquirer.com | 12/03/2011 | Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Zoes Kitchen on the way to Columbus area (http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/12/03/1843437/columbus-area-restaurants-five.html - broken link)