Like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear on Halloween night, Alamedans have been scanning store fronts, looking for signs that new businesses are ready to open.
Here are several new businesses in the pipeline that Patch has tracked:
Sugarbabies, a lingerie store located in the renovated Park Street Plaza mini-mall, is putting the finishing touches on renovations. It will open in early November.
Originally scheduled to open in August, Levy’s Bagels will open in the West End's Webster Square Shopping Center in mid-November. Owner Sam Kuav explained that the delay was due to changes needed to obtain the City of Alameda’s building permit. Until the Alameda store opens, Alamedans hankering for a bite of Levy’s dense, chewy bagels will have to drive to the Levy’s in San Ramon.
The new Park Café, which will occupy the old Boniere Bakery location on Park Street, will open in early November according to owner Betty Gee. (Gee, the owner of Pier 29,had dubbed her new venture Betty’s Café but has since changed the name to Park Café.) Getting the health permit and final architectural review took longer than expected and pushed the opening back from September.
According to Gee, the menu at Park Café will focus on comfort food items such as mac and cheese, fresh roasted turkey and rice plates. “We will offer home-style cooking at reasonable prices,” said Gee.
Finally, the Acapulco will be resurrected in early 2013 according to new owner Mike Wiesner who took over the Alameda institution from the Quintero family. Wiesner is in the process of getting permits to upgrade the plumbing and electrical systems inside the restaurant which has served Alamedans since 1953. Wiesner says he will expand the menu to include seafood dishes but will offer many of the dishes using the Quintero family recipes.
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The short-handed City of Alameda staffers only have 32 hours/week (or less) to try to do 40 hours' worth of work, and the number of planners and other permit processing staff has been severely reduced in recent years. Many permit applicants fail to submit complete applications and some contractors fail to meet city standards when inspections occur, too: applicant errors only slow down the approval process.
she says she went there regularly over a period of 30 years! Now that's loyalty!
Please share some of your most-asked-for recipes with the new owner! We loved your Acapulco restaurant, and are eagerly awaiting the new version/opening. It would be wonderful to allow the new owner to honor your family's heritage by featuring some of your "best of".