Restaurant rises again off 28th Street

Restaurant rises again off 28th Street

A rendering of the Arnie’s at Centerpointe Mall, at 2650 East Beltline Ave. SE. Courtesy Arnie’s

A dining destination on 28th Street is moving out after 27 years.

Time to move

Arnie’s said Friday that it's relocating its restaurant and bakery in front of Centerpointe Mall in Grand Rapids, at 3561 28th St. SE — to a space around the corner, at 2650 East Beltline Ave. SE.

The current restaurant, which is 10,000 square feet, will close down on March 30 and be razed by Centerpointe Mall.

The new 7,600-square-foot restaurant will open in late April, said Erik Fahlen, Arnie’s president.

Fahlen said that when everything is done, Arnie’s will have invested more than $1,000,000 in the project.

Arnie’s is moving, because the old building needed updating, and since Arnie’s doesn't own that building, there was little interest in investing in it, Fahlen said. The long-term lease was up, and it was time to move on.

Fahlen said the East Beltline space is the closest available building that suits Arnie’s needs and doesn’t inconvenience its longtime customer base.

Firms

Grand Rapids-based Visser Development, a commercial real estate developer and broker, will renovate the space from a design by Mark Tomasik of Innovative Design.

New restuarant

Fahlen said that there’s enough space at the smaller restaurant and “great exposure.”

“We can buy the building over eight years, and we will own it,” Fahlen said.

The space will seat about 260 and offer Arnie’s traditional menu.

The restaurant will also add a new item to the menu, the Shuffle, named after Arnie’s popular Scandinavian sandwich. The Shuffle will be a fast-casual item, where the chef makes the sandwich in front of the customer.

Arnie’s plans to keep all 100 employees from the 28th Street restaurant and possibly add some more during the transition, said Ashley Waldron, a manager at the Arnie’s.

Waldron said the 28th Street building needed updating, and she’s happy to be moving into a new space.