by Bailey White
Staff Writer
A more populous downtown will hopefully translate into more business for the area’s restaurants and nightspots. And as downtown attracts more residents, so does space at the Landing, where a new crop of evening entertainment venues are planned.
Coming soon is KoJa, a Korean/Japanese restaurant. The owners of Sam Won Garden have already signed a lease to open KoJa in the space above Benny’s Steak and Seafood.
“Renovations on the space could start within a week or so,” said John Kiddy, the Landing’s general manager.
Kiddy said two other deals are in the works, though leases have not yet been signed. One, a martini bar, would open in space formerly occupied by Bourbon Street. The other is a nightclub, Quench, that plans to open above Ruby Tuesday’s in the space vacated by Kubuki’s Japanese restaurant. The owners of both are from South Florida.
“I think we are going in the direction of having more in the way of restaurants and nighttime entertainment,” said Kiddy. “As more people move downtown, we need it.”
The Landing already has several evening attractions.
Ruby Tuesdays, Vito’s Italian Cafe, the American Cafe, Hooters and Benny’s all stay open well past 10 p.m. during the week and later on the weekends.
Meanwhile the owners of the Landing, the Baltimore-based Rouse Company, are keeping watch on downtown.
“They’re very much involved,” said Kiddy. “We’re all of the feeling that everything happening downtown is good.”