LGO Public House, a restaurant affiliated with popular restaurant group LGO Hospitality, is no longer set to open in the CityScape development.
CityScape developers had been working with LGO Hospitality for about two years to accommodate the restaurant when it was determined that a ventilation concern would prevent it from opening at the site, said Jeff Moloznik, development manager for RED Development, the company responsible for leasing and managing CityScape.
“There’s multiple different options and ways to do these things,” Moloznik said. “It took us exploring all those options together to ultimately figure out what it was we could and couldn’t do.”
The restaurant’s chefs cook on natural wood, but the space was only suitable for cooking on electric gas, LGO Hospitality owner Bob Lynn said.
“Unfortunately, our restaurant’s not going to work in the space that the landlord had proposed,” he said.
The restaurant did not yet have a specific opening date, since the project was between the planning stages and construction, which could have taken six months, Lynn said. But Moloznik said original plans had slated the restaurant’s opening for January or February of this year.
The Downtown Phoenix Partnership’s economic development division is already working on a list of potential downtown sites to propose for the restaurant, President David Roderique said. The list includes three to five possibilities.
The Partnership would not be responsible for the deal but would attempt to facilitate an agreement between downtown landlords and the restaurant.
Though Roderique would not comment on the specific locations of potential replacement sites, he did mention recent restaurant closures that have left open locations with on-site kitchens.
“We try to find spaces that make sense,” Roderique said.
Two downtown restaurants recently closed down — Verde, formerly on First and Garfield streets, and Pasta Bar, formerly on First and Pierce streets.
Lynn said he does not want to abandon the idea of opening LGO Public House in downtown Phoenix.
“We haven’t given up on downtown,” Lynn said, adding that his wife is one of the founders of the First Fridays art walks. “We’re totally open to that — we just need the right location.”
LGO Hospitality has several other Valley locations, including a grocery store and pizzeria. The downtown restaurant would focus on a pub-style feel with a unique concept and menu.
The now-vacant facility at CityScape will most likely not be used for a restaurant, Roderique said.
Gabriela Rodiles, a journalism freshman and a fan of La Grande Orange, said she was disappointed by the loss.
“I was looking forward to experiencing their great food and environment in the downtown area, and I think they would add a really unique flair to the cityscape venue,” Rodiles said.
Journalism and sustainability senior Anthony DeWitt agreed.
“LGO pulling out of Cityscape is terrible news,” he said in an e-mail. “I thought it would really be the restaurant that pulled it all together.”
CityScape currently houses four restaurants, with a fifth, the Arrogant Butcher, set to open on Feb. 21, Moloznik said. The Breakfast Club will open next month, according to Roderique. In total, 15 restaurants are expected to open in the development by summer.
Despite recent closures, Roderique said the number of restaurants downtown has increased by 40 in the past three years.
Contact the reporter at vpelham@asu.edu
