The NASCAR-themed restaurant at Universal CityWalk is about to undergo a major overhaul.
The Cordish Co., a Baltimore-based developer, said it recently inked a deal to take over the NASCAR Cafe, the black-and-white checkered restaurant that at times seemed to draw more onlookers than customers.
The ownership change is part of an agreement signed in May that gives Cordish the right to develop NASCAR-themed restaurants and entertainment venues. Cordish plans to revamp the Orlando restaurant and launch it with a new name, NASCAR Sports Grille, in time for the Daytona 500 in February.
Reed Cordish, vice president of Cordish, said the 20,000-square-foot restaurant will feature an outdoor tailgate area with an open flame grill, an interactive gaming space, sports screening room and enclosed shop with NASCAR merchandise.
"We're creating a very fine design, which we believe will exceed people's expectation . . . [for] a sports-themed restaurant," Cordish said.
The company estimates it will pour $6 million into the project and is hoping to generate about $12 million in annual sales. Cordish plans to keep one level of the two-level restaurant open during the remodeling.
Similar plans are in store for a NASCAR Cafe in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Cordish said.
The NASCAR Cafe brand was operated by H&C Racing Inc., a Knoxville, Tenn.-based firm that also ran locations in Sevierville, Tenn., and Greensboro, N.C. Cordish decided not to take over those other restaurants and the Tennessee location has been shut down, said Allison Varlan, an accounting executive with H&C Racing.
Varlan said she couldn't comment on the fate of the North Carolina restaurant, but Scott Warfield, a NASCAR spokesman, said the only NASCAR Cafe that will remain is a restaurant in Las Vegas owned by the Sahara Hotel and Casino.
Cordish will take over majority ownership of the Orlando location. Universal currently has a 25 percent stake in the restaurant but said that could change as Cordish invests more in the operation.
The developer, known for working on entertainment venues in Baltimore and St. Louis, has said that it wants to expand its NASCAR Sports Grille concept to other high-profile locations such as Manhattan. It also wants to open two to three smaller themed restaurants a year in suburban spots, Cordish said.
As the popularity of NASCAR grows, the racing organization continues to look for opportunities to extend its brand presence. The NASCAR Sports Grille will provide another chance to do this, Warfield said.
Fans spend more than $2 billion a year on NASCAR-licensed goods including everything from branded T-shirts to model cars, according to NASCAR. And the organization now claims about 75 million fans and says it is the No. 1 spectator sport in the U.S.
Given its proximity to the Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR-crazy fans, the stock-car-themed restaurant at CityWalk has potential, local restaurant observers said. Still, the new sports grill will have to provide decent food and service if it expects to do well in a market flooded with over-the-top, gimmicky eateries and casual dining chains.
"I think it's a pitfall that some themed restaurants have that they are so reliant on the theme that they forget that food and service are what bring people back a second time," said Rick Van Warner, president of the Parquet Group, a Winter Park-based restaurant consulting group.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...097.story?coll=orl-business-headlines-tourism
The Cordish Co., a Baltimore-based developer, said it recently inked a deal to take over the NASCAR Cafe, the black-and-white checkered restaurant that at times seemed to draw more onlookers than customers.
The ownership change is part of an agreement signed in May that gives Cordish the right to develop NASCAR-themed restaurants and entertainment venues. Cordish plans to revamp the Orlando restaurant and launch it with a new name, NASCAR Sports Grille, in time for the Daytona 500 in February.
Reed Cordish, vice president of Cordish, said the 20,000-square-foot restaurant will feature an outdoor tailgate area with an open flame grill, an interactive gaming space, sports screening room and enclosed shop with NASCAR merchandise.
"We're creating a very fine design, which we believe will exceed people's expectation . . . [for] a sports-themed restaurant," Cordish said.
The company estimates it will pour $6 million into the project and is hoping to generate about $12 million in annual sales. Cordish plans to keep one level of the two-level restaurant open during the remodeling.
Similar plans are in store for a NASCAR Cafe in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Cordish said.
The NASCAR Cafe brand was operated by H&C Racing Inc., a Knoxville, Tenn.-based firm that also ran locations in Sevierville, Tenn., and Greensboro, N.C. Cordish decided not to take over those other restaurants and the Tennessee location has been shut down, said Allison Varlan, an accounting executive with H&C Racing.
Varlan said she couldn't comment on the fate of the North Carolina restaurant, but Scott Warfield, a NASCAR spokesman, said the only NASCAR Cafe that will remain is a restaurant in Las Vegas owned by the Sahara Hotel and Casino.
Cordish will take over majority ownership of the Orlando location. Universal currently has a 25 percent stake in the restaurant but said that could change as Cordish invests more in the operation.
The developer, known for working on entertainment venues in Baltimore and St. Louis, has said that it wants to expand its NASCAR Sports Grille concept to other high-profile locations such as Manhattan. It also wants to open two to three smaller themed restaurants a year in suburban spots, Cordish said.
As the popularity of NASCAR grows, the racing organization continues to look for opportunities to extend its brand presence. The NASCAR Sports Grille will provide another chance to do this, Warfield said.
Fans spend more than $2 billion a year on NASCAR-licensed goods including everything from branded T-shirts to model cars, according to NASCAR. And the organization now claims about 75 million fans and says it is the No. 1 spectator sport in the U.S.
Given its proximity to the Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR-crazy fans, the stock-car-themed restaurant at CityWalk has potential, local restaurant observers said. Still, the new sports grill will have to provide decent food and service if it expects to do well in a market flooded with over-the-top, gimmicky eateries and casual dining chains.
"I think it's a pitfall that some themed restaurants have that they are so reliant on the theme that they forget that food and service are what bring people back a second time," said Rick Van Warner, president of the Parquet Group, a Winter Park-based restaurant consulting group.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...097.story?coll=orl-business-headlines-tourism
