Turkish restaurant building new space

Turkish restaurant building new space

A partial rendering of the new Zeytin Turkish Restaurant. Courtesy Erhardt Construction

A Turkish restaurant in suburban Grand Rapids is building a new location, which the business will relocate to when it’s completed.

Zeytin Turkish Restaurant broke ground this week on a two-story, 5,500-square-foot building in Ada, at 7437 River St. SE, at the intersection of two new roads being built as part of the multi-million-dollar Ada Village project underway since 2015.

The restaurant is expected to open in June 2018.

The cost of the project was not disclosed.

Zeytin is currently located in a 4,000-square-foot leased space in the shopping center at 400 Ada Dr. SE. It will remain open until the new space around the corner is finished.  

“I am thrilled that Zeytin will be right in the heart of the new Ada Village,” Zeytin Owner Ufuk Turan said. “This community has supported us for more than a decade, and our new space and new location will allow us to serve our guests for decades to come.”

Layout

The new space will be “bigger” and “nicer,” Turan said.

“One side will be semi-fine dining and the other will have the same but more casual, with TVs and a bigger bar,” Turan said.

The new restaurant will have two outdoor patios, one facing the river, and will use the patios to host live music on summer weekends.

Menu

Turan said the menu will be unchanged on the fine-dining side, offering traditional Turkish fare, such as beef, chicken and lamb kebabs, as well as appetizers, such as Flambe Cheese Saganaki, or flaming cheese.

A few “light items and smaller bites” will be added for the sports bar side.

Hiring

Turan said he plans to hire 10 to 15 employees when the new location opens, in addition to its current staff of 18 to 20.

Firms on the project

Ada-based Dixon Architecture is serving as the project’s architect.

Ada-based Erhardt Construction is the contractor for the project.

Rich Whallon Design is the project’s interior designer.