Burrito Gallery is serving up its plans for expansion to the Downtown Investment Authority, seeking $73,000 from a program intended for urban core growth.
The funds from the DIA’s Retail Enhancement Program will help offset plans to expand the cooking and food preparation area by 500 square feet, as well as a remodel of the remaining 3,450-square-foot dining area, according to a DIA staff report.
The restaurant has been open since 2005 and currently is doing “twice the business than the original space was designed to process,” according to the application. The expansion will support longer hours seven days a week, eight more full-time jobs and allow the menu to grow with more ingredients from local farms and fisheries.
The total project is expected to be $233,710. The company is offering $160,710, of which $32,000 is cash and $128,710 will be new debt. The $73,000 it’s asking from the DIA program is a five-year forgivable loan.
Authority staff has recommended the board OK the loan, with conditions the work must be done within six months of approval. The company also can receive a six-month extension.
The expansion for the Downtown location is “pretty important” for the business, said Shawn Lednick, a managing member of Gallery Restaurant Group. With the changes in the Downtown restaurant scene, being proactive is a must, he said.
“We have been working out of the same space for 10 years now,” he said. “It’s time to expand … so we can be more efficient.”
No seating is being added, but the growth will mean the line that can often stretch out the door during lunchtime will move much faster, he said.
In 2014, restaurateur John Valentino joined Gallery Restaurant Group as CEO and the company has expanded its presence. Burrito Gallery expanded to two new locales at the east and west clubs of EverBank Field and is opening a new spot in Brooklyn.
Authority staff grade applications on a 45-point scale, which comprises weighted factors like a business plan, expansion of state and local taxes and whether the property is historic. Burrito Gallery scored a 29. A minimum of 25 is needed to move forward.
Lednick said the DIA application process has been relatively easy. “They ask all the right questions,” he said. “They’re doing their job, which is helping Downtown.”
The DIA retail grant program has been available since January and has been a way to encourage businesses to open or expand in the urban core by partially subsidizing build-out costs.
The DIA’s retail enhancement group meets at 10:30 a.m. Thursday to discuss the application. If approved, it would then move on for a final vote by the DIA board.
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