Hawkers Asian Street Fare in the Riverside neighborhood will undergo a major renovation, according to a building permit issued Tuesday.
The city approved a $415,518 permit for Hawkers Five Points LLC to remodel and expand the location at 1001 Park St.
“We’ve listened to every bit of feedback from our team and guests, and we felt it was time to make a few enhancements,” Hawkers CEO and co-founder Kaleb Harrell said.
He said the work should begin in February or March and is expected to be completed this summer.
In a follow-up email, Hawkers Communications Manager Esther McIlvain said it was too early to know if the restaurant will close during construction.
“If we do have to have any closure, it will be minimal,” McIlvain said. “We know people want their noodles.”
The project will expand Hawkers’ footprint for the first time since opening in Five Points in 2014.
Tampa-based TWT Restaurant Design, Construction & Development Co. is listed as the contractor with Interplan LLC providing architectural, electrical and mechanical engineering services. Dansk Consultant LLC is the structural engineer.
According to property records, the 4,500-square-foot Hawkers space is owned by Park & Post LLC.
Building plans show Hawkers expanding into a 3,102-square-foot storefront owned by Three by Five Retail Associates LLC.
The plans show Hawkers will add dining and bar seats in an expanded dining room, extending its current bar and adding new back-of-house facilities.
“With this expansion into the area next door, we will also be able to snag a liquor license,” Harrell said.
“That means Five Points will be able to enjoy our newly curated cocktail menu, allowing everyone to experience the streets of Asia in an entirely new way,” he said.
Most of the new footprint will be used to build a new walk-in cooler and to add expanded storage, an additional wait station for front-of-house staff, a larger prep area for the kitchen and new office space, plans show.
Harrell said Hawkers also will install a new air conditioning system.
The Orlando-based chain also has a location in Neptune Beach.
In Florida, the chain has restaurants in St. Petersburg, Windermere and Orlando. According to the eathawkers.com website, the company is developing restaurants in Atlanta, Charlotte and Delray Beach.
Hawkers opened its first restaurant in the Mills 50 neighborhood in Orlando in 2011.