Adios Z-Burger, Eliot Getting Closed Up

At Waterfront Station, a new sign is up outside of the restaurant formerly known as Z-Burger. It is now called All About Burger. The Southwest location was one of four former Z-Burger restaurants that were affected by a settlement agreement between the ownership groups. In addition to the new sign, the beverage cups no longer have the Z-Burger logo. Otherwise, the restaurant decor and the menu don’t look much different than they did before.

Up the street from All About Burger, Eliot on 4th has most of its windows now installed on the 4th Street side of the building. What's not shown in the above photo is the red facade that's now being placed on the south-facing facade. The 365-unit apartment building is scheduled to open in early 2017 with about 5,000 SF of ground floor retail. 

Southwest Z-Burger to Change Names

Following a settlement agreement between two factions of the Z-Burger ownership group, several Z-Burger restaurants will be re-branded in the next couple of months, including the Waterfront Station restaurant, according to the Washington Business Journal. Z-Burger opened next to Station 4 at 1101 4th Street back in 2012. Only one vacant retail space is left at the first phase of Waterfront Station – a storefront adjacent to Station 4. Another 5,000 SF of retail space will be available at Waterfront Station when Eliot on 4th opens late this year or early 2017. In addition, PN Hoffman will bring an additional 22,500 SF of community-oriented retail to their proposed project at the vacant parcel north of CVS. Ground floor retail is planned at the other two remaining office pads at 4th and M streets. Once Waterfront Station is fully built out, more than 130,000 SF of retail will be located along 4th Street.

Masala Art to Open at Waterfront Station

 

I just learned from ANC 6D Commissioner McBee that Masala Art will be opening at Waterfront Station and will take up the two vacant storefronts at 1101 4th Street, north of Subway. Masala Art is an Indian restaurant by Atul Bhola, the former manager of Heritage India, with a location in Tenleytown that opened in 2009.  According to a review by The Washington Post's Tom Sietsema, the Tenleytown restaurant seats 45. The Tenleytown location is open daily for lunch & dinner and it also offers free delivery.  Here's a look at the menu. Masala Art will join Station 4, Z-Burger, and Subway as the fourth restaurant to open at Waterfront Station, in addition to Safeway, CVS, and Waterfront Cleaners. There are still two vacant retail spaces available - one each at 1101 and 1100 4th Street.  I’ll share more details on Masala Art as I learn them.

A Couple Quick Items: Old Burger News Edition

- Five Guys opened last month at L'Enfant Plaza, despite the look of the above photo, which was taken after the restaurant was closed for the day.  Hours of operation are Monday - Friday from 11am to 6pm and Saturday from 11am - 4pm.  Mamma Ilardo's has yet to open at the food court, but most of the other restaurants in the first phase have already opened.

- Z-Burger's owner Peter Tabibian was interviewed by the Washington Business Journal (subscribers only) a while back.  From the article:

The company just invested $800,000 in its fourth location, which is at Waterfront Station in Southwest D.C., and has leases signed for Columbia Heights and Clarendon. It is in talks for seven more. Tabibian is also weighing a franchise model...Tabibian has been picky about his sites and believes it is paying off. Sales at the Tenleytown location have grown 10 to 15 percent each year, and the Waterfront Station store has been collecting $1,500 an hour during lunchtime in its first few weeks. Tabibian picked locations where he can get a good business deal: The waterfront site offers affordable rent, and the landlord kicked in $350,000 to help with building out the store, he said.

Z-Burger Opens Tuesday

After several months of unforeseen build-out delays, Z-Burger finally received its certificate of occupancy on Friday and will officially open on Tuesday at Waterfront Station.  The hours of operation are as follows:

Sunday - Thursday: 10am - 10am
Friday - Saturday: 10am - 12am

About 25 employees have been hired at the store with some of them being Southwest residents. This is the fourth Z-Burger restaurant to open since the concept was born about four years ago. Other locations include Tenleytown, Glover Park, and White Marsh.  Two other locations are planned in Columbia Heights (set to open next month) and in Arlington.  Peter Tabibian, the owner, plans to open several other locations in the next few years.  Despite the added expense needed to overcome the delays (including paying rent for several months in an unopened restaurant) Peter is bullish on the success of his new restaurant in Southwest.

Below are some photos I took of the interior back on Friday.  It was really bright outside, so some of the photos came out a bit dark...

The "red carpet" leads from the front door to the register.

If you bring your children, high chair seats are available!

I think they're prepared for the masses.

A view back towards the front of the store.

Fancy soft drink machines.

Customers will be able to see their food get prepared behind the register area.

Close-up view of part of the menu, with prices.

Some seating is reserved for the handicapped.

The bathroom.

Angel wing design hung from the ceiling.

Seventy-five flavors of shakes and malts!

Late Night Burgers Coming Soon and Preliminary Work Underway at Waterside Metro Lofts

The "Help Wanted" sign has been removed from the window, speakers installed outside, and today, the menu was hung over the register. Barring any more delays with the build-out, Z-Burger is now scheduled to open next week. An exact date still can't be pinned down, but I hope to get more information (and interior photos) in a couple of days. The hours of operation on the restaurant will be:

Sunday - Thursday: 10am - 10pm
Friday - Saturday: 10am - 12am

Although the color scheme may resemble a certain global burger chain, Z-Burger is no golden arches. According to Z-Burger's website: 

Z-Burger offers you food made fresh daily from ingredients of the highest quality. Our burgers are hand-formed...our potatoes are fresh cut...always fresh, never frozen.

Z-Burger serves burgers (veggie and turkey ones too), hot dogs, cheesesteaks, fries, onion rings, and 75 flavors of shakes & malts. You can find their full menu here.  

General contractor Hamel Builders is on site at what will become Waterside Metro Lofts - the former EPA office buildings that are the last vestiges of the old Waterside Mall complex. Once renovations are complete in late 2013, there will be more than 500 residential units at Waterfront Station, with more housing planned at the northeast parcel (and potentially the northwest parcel). Representatives from Urban Atlantic are supposed to be at February's ANC 6D meeting to discuss their plans for the buildings.

They Got a Pepper Bar!!!

Quiznos looks like it is almost ready to open on the ground floor of the Washington Office Center on top of the Federal Center SW Metro. It replaces another sandwich shop, which apparently was evicted by the landlord. Other retailers on the ground floor of the office building at 3rd & D Street include a florist, credit union, cafe, Potbelly Sandwich Works (yes, another sandwich shop), Starbucks, FedEx Office, and Gold's Gym. The restaurant's hours of operation will be the following:

Monday - Friday: 10am - 7pm
Saturday: 11am - 4pm
Sunday: Closed 

Quiznos is supposed to open next week and will be less than three blocks from another Quiznos on C Street. Sandwich shops don't worry too much about cannibalization. Subway, for instance, has several sandwich shops in close proximity to each other.

- In other restaurant news, Z-Burger has a Now Hiring sign in front of the restaurant. They are looking for all positions (send resumes to Peter at info@zburger.com). At Monday's ANC meeting, it was announced that the restaurant would open in two weeks, but my best guess is it will take a little longer since applications need to be screened, interviews done, workers hired, and then trained on new equipment.  It seems overly ambitious to do in two weeks...

- Station 4 is now offering a coffee happy hour daily from 3-5pm. Coffee and desserts are half off and there is free WiFi available.

A Few Quick Items: SBA Stays Put in SW, Receptionist Position Available, SW Z-Burger Before Columbia Heights

- The WBJ reports that the Small Business Administration will remain at the Washington Office Center at the Federal Center SW Metro for the next 10 years. This is the same office building where I recently tweeted that Quiznos is days away from opening on the ground floor.

- Hoffman Madison Waterfront, LLC seeking Receptionist/Office Assistant

Small, growing industry leader seeks to fill full-time Receptionist/Office Assistant position in SWDC. Need bright, energetic candidate to wear many hats and be the face of our organization, including answering phones; greeting visitors; stocking office supplies and equipment; setting up and maintaining filing systems; organizing; scheduling; dealing directly with customers, partners and vendors; providing admin support for a staff of 5-8 professionals; and growing along with our company. Professional office experience required with Word, Excel, and Outlook proficiency and strong organizational skills. Up to $30K with full benefits. Location has parking available and is Metro accessible. Please email a resume and cover letter to ccrosse@pnhoffman.com.

- The Waterfront Station Z-Burger will open prior to the Columbia Heights location, according to the New Columbia Heights blog. The estimate given for the opening of the Columbia Heights restaurant is mid-February, so that would infer that our Z-Burger would open sometime this month. It looks like it's almost ready and I hope to get in there soon for some more sneak peek photos now that it's further along from when I visited in October.

Z-Burger Sneak Peek

If you've walked by the Waterfront Station Z-Burger lately, you may have noticed a sign has been erected outside that illuminates at night. So that means opening is imminent, right? Well...not quite.  The newest opening date told to me by owner Peter Tabibian when I ran into him at the restaurant is three weeks. According to Peter, all of the furniture has been ordered and once it arrives, it will take four to five days to install it all.  In addition to indoor seating, there will be approximately 40 seats outside. There's a lot left to do besides installing furniture, so let's see if this new opening estimate is accurate. Once a more definitive opening date has been announced, I'll let you know. There will also be free food for the first few days..more details to come. Below are some renderings of the restaurant design, courtesy of Z-Burger, along with some interior photos I took earlier this week.  

This is the view from the front door toward the "place order" area of the register. The red tile on the floor will be a "red carpet" leading to the register. On the ceiling is a design of angel wings.

Owner Peter Tabibian shows off the tile that will be used to create the "red carpet" from the front door to the register. Peter designed the new restaurant himself.




This is a zoomed in photo showing the path to the register. You will be able to see your food get prepared behind the register as you wait for your order.



This is a view looking from the "pick-up" area of the register towards the front door.




This rendering shows a seating area of the restaurant just to the right of the entrance.



This photo is looking in the opposite direction from the above rendering. Notice the column on the right that in the rendering is covered in yellow.

Waterfront Station Retail Update

If you walked down to Station 4 yesterday hoping to have a drink or grab a bite to eat, you may have been disappointed since the highly anticipated restaurant has not opened yet.  However, the restaurant received its Certificate of Occupancy earlier this week, so the opening must be imminent! The menu is still being tweaked, so it is not available yet. Below are the hours of operation and meal times:

Hours of Operation

M-Th: 11am - 2am

F: 11am - 3am

Sa: 10am - 3am

Su: 10am - 2am

Meal Times

Brunch: 10am - 3pm (Saturday & Sunday)

Lunch: 11am - 5pm

Dinner: 5pm - 11pm

Late Night: 11pm - 1 hour before close

As I mentioned last week, Z-Burger is between 2 and 3 months away from opening in their space next to Station 4. Expensive upgrades to the space have caused delays.

At Monday's ANC 6D meeting, Gordon Fraley from Waterfront Associates told the commissioners that the existing retailers at Waterfront Station have been doing well since opening up shop in 2010. Also, he mentioned that CVS has plans to make some upgrades to their space, including the addition of self-checkout lanes. It was confirmed that TD Bank will open a branch at Waterfront Station just to the north of Station 4. TD Bank has been expanding in the DC metro area and most of their branches are open 7 days a week. No timetable for when the bank will open is available. That leaves three retail spaces left to lease - the green-framed space at 1100 4th Street and two spots at 1101 4th Street next to Subway. The landlord is in discussions with a potential tenant at the 1100 4th Street space. I was told several months ago that an AT&T Wireless store was coming, but I haven't heard any more about it since.

Station 4 May Open by Next Week!

It's been a momentous week so far over at Station 4.  First, the brown paper covering the windows of the restaurant was removed, revealing its swanky interior. Then, outdoor furniture was positioned in the patio area.  Now, it has been tweeting up a storm today.  A couple of those tweets reveal what Southwesters have been waiting to hear for over a year:

@GPSADC @swtlqtc @MrGChristopher @tomjleonard Thanks for mentions - the official opening will be next week - check back for details

and

@MrGChristopher oh no! Well rumor has it that Monday will be go time but we'll be here for you on Thursday #WorkHardPlayHarder

Station 4 is located at 1101 4th Street, across the street from the Waterfront Station Safeway, and is owned by the same folks who operate Ulah Bistro, Tunnicliff's Tavern, Bullfeathers, and Stoney's.  The menu isn't available on their website yet, but the restaurant will be an American bistro-style estabilshment.  Recycled materials were used to create the interior, which cost about $1 million and according to the Hill Rag, it was designed by DC-based demian\wilbur\architects with seating for 210.

I'm meeting with the owner tomorrow to go over details of the anniversary happy hour I'm planning (hopefully for next week) and I'll let you know the date once it's firm.

Update: The owner told me that Station 4 will open on Thursday, June 16. Also, the anniversary happy hour will be on Wednesday, June 22 from 5:30-8:30pm in the lounge area of Station 4 (to the right of the front entrance).  I hope you can stop by and help celebrate!

Update #2: Thrillist describes Station 4 as:

a swanky bistro serving up "global cuisine" from a chef late of Barcelona's molecular gastronomy standout El Bulli, and boasts a 40ft gold-painted bar, columns and walls shimmering with black river stones, pushpin leather couches, and teardrop-crystal chandeliers, meaning they've done horrible, horrible things to less murderous chandeliers.

Also, to answer the question about Z-Burger, the owner told me last week that it will open in 2 1/2 months and has been delayed because of an expensive equipment upgrade needed for the restaurant.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Lightman

Station 4 News (or Lack Thereof)

I receive comments and emails almost daily from readers asking about when Station 4 will open. If I had more news about the highly anticipated neighborhood restaurant I’d most certainly share it with you all. However, I don’t. I’ve tried contacting the manager for an update, but there’s been radio silence so far. What I do know is the following:

The restaurant’s website states that Station 4 will now open in May – previously, it was winter 2011. Since winter 2011 has come and gone, the date was changed to May. Word on the street earlier this month was the owner was aiming for a May 15th opening, however, this latest opening date estimate has passed as well. I’ve been told so many opening dates (ranging from August 2010 to last month) I will no longer believe anything until I see food being served inside the restaurant or on the patio for paying customers.

As I tweeted last week, a peek inside the restaurant shows most of the furniture is installed and it looks like it is almost ready to open. Above is a grainy photo I snapped with my camera phone from that evening. Reader Sylvia recently commented there was a “For Hire” ad taken out on Craigslist last month. That is a good sign that the restaurant will open soon. Here are a few indicators I will look for that will assure me that Station 4’s arrival in Southwest is imminent: 

1. Once a sign for the restaurant is installed outside its front door. When Subway and Waterfront Cleaners put up their respective signage, those establishments opened within a matter of days.
2. Station 4’s website shows a menu.
3. Furniture is installed in the patio outside.

Before I discovered the restaurant’s website changed its opening date to May, I tweeted my guess of the actual opening date to be June 4. Let me know what your guess is for Station 4’s opening (the first day with paying customers) in the comments and whoever is first to correctly guess the exact opening date (Station 4 employees excluded!) will get a drink on me at the upcoming 3rd anniversary blog happy hour (more details about the happy hour coming soon).

And Z-Burger…all I know is they are supposed to open “in a few months” but once I hear something more definite, I WILL let you know, so stop asking, ok? :-)

Waterfront Station Construction Photos

I took the above photo of the patio area in front of the Waterfront Station Safeway yesterday, which looks to be just about complete, except for tables and chairs that may be installed.  Landscaping is in place and doors have been added from the elevator bank inside Safeway to the patio area. The EPA tower lurks in the background, which is supposed to be re-skinned and repurposed as a residential building, along with its sister building on the other side of Waterfront Station.  I've been hearing chatter recently about this building getting underway relatively soon since the multifamily market is heating up in DC.

Here is a photo of construction back in early February. The patio area has been under construction for a few months since work on the parking garage below it was completed earlier this year. The old Safeway next door was demolished last summer, just a few months after the new store opened. Last spring while I was on a sneak peek tour of the new Safeway, Craig Muckle told me the patio area would open about a year from then, so it looks like he was on target with that date.

The SE parcel fronting M Street will one day become an office building, but for now, it will be a grassy area, similar to the ones on the NE & NW parcels closer to I Street. The SW parcel will remain a blacktop surface for now since Bank of America will be staying in their trailer until their lease ends in December 2012.  While the NE & NW parcels have not been used for regular interim uses thus far, that may change soon (at least on the District-owned NE parcel).

Station 4 and Z-Burger build-outs continue on the west side of 4th Street.  I was told a couple weeks ago by Med Lahlou that Station 4 is now aiming for a mid-April opening and the last I heard about Z-Burger was it's planning on opening in May. Brown paper has covered up most of the windows at Station 4, which seems to be further along than Z-Burger.

Station 4 to be "White Tablecloth Without the White Tablecloths"

New ANC 6D commissioner Bob Craycraft is providing his single-member district constituents (6D01) a monthly electronic newsletter highlighting activity in that part of the ANC. One of the items in the newsletter includes some intel about what is planned at Station 4, the new bistro coming to Waterfront Station on 4th Street. Above is an older photo of the build-out from late January. Craycraft describes the interior plan as follows:

Rather than the traditional wood-paneled pub/sports bar design, Station 4 looks to be very contemporary and uses plenty of wood, metal, glass, and even stone to echo the modernist architecture of Southwest.

Also, the menu appears to be more upscale than other restaurants owned by the operators (like Tunnicliffs and Stoney's). Station 4 is looking for an early April opening and Z-Burger is supposed to open by May, or sooner. A fourth food establishment is supposedly close to a lease agreement with the landlord and ANC Chair Ron McBee mentioned to me at the CBCC summit on Saturday that an AT&T Wireless store is supposed to open. My guess is the AT&T Wireless store will open in the vacant retail space in the 1100 4th Street building (the one with the green door). I'll post about other items from Craycraft's e-newsletter throughout the week.

Restaurant Build-Out Inches Closer to Completion

More progress has been made to the storefronts at Waterfront Station reserved for Station 4 and Z-Burger. More windows have been exposed along 4th Street and along the side facing the patio area, which according to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) public hearing notice posted on the front door of Station 4, will accommodate up to 70 seats. Station 4 is applying for a Class C restaurant license with a summer garden, which means wine, beer, and spirits can be served. Proposed hours of operation of the restaurant are as follows:

Sunday - Thursday: 11am - 2am

Friday - Saturday: 11am - 3am

The hearing notice proposes that alcohol can be purchased during these hours and outdoor seating to be allowed daily from 11am - 12am. Alcohol in the outside patio could be permitted at all times the patio area is open. Live entertainment at the restaurant would be permitted Sunday - Thursday nights from 9pm to 1:30am and on Friday & Saturday nights from 9pm to 2:30am. The ABRA hearing is scheduled for March 14th. There's no update on exactly when Station 4 and Z-Burger will open, but once I hear something, I'll let you all know.

Demolition and Build-Out

Earlier this week, demolition began at the Hogate's building, located along the Southwest Waterfront at 800 Water Street. At this month's ANC 6D meeting, David Roberts from the District government said permits would be pulled the week of December 14th to demolish the building and it would be gone by mid-January. Judging by the photo at the top of this post, they are on schedule. Demolition will pave the way for an event space at the site next Spring, including the possibility that the Washington Kastles World Team Tennis organization will have a temporary "stadium" and play there in July. The event space will be temporary, of course, since the section of the waterfront from 7th Street to 9th Street is slated for construction by the end of 2012. The first event scheduled for the new event space will be festivities surrounding the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which will take place from March 26 - April 10, 2011. In prior years, the Prelude to the Fireworks festival and fireworks show have taken place on the Southwest Waterfront.

Meanwhile, work continues at Waterfront Station to build out spaces for Station 4 and Z-Burger, which will open at the 1101 4th Street building in the first quarter of 2011. Station 4 will occupy the southeastern corner of the building and will be approximately 4,000 square feet. Six large glass doors have been installed to allow access to the outdoor seating planned for the restaurant. In total, there will be space for about 200 diners. Z-Burger will be located on the southwest corner of the building. Lots of glass has been put up at both restaurants, so it looks like there will be ample natural light in those spaces. After these two restaurants open, there will still be four retail spots available at the first phase of Waterfront Station - one of which will be for a bank.

Waterfront Cleaners Close to Opening

Signage has appeared above the entrance to Waterfront Cleaners at Waterfront Station. In addition, hours of operation have been posted on the door. Waterfront Cleaners will be open Monday - Friday from 7am to 7pm and on Saturdays from 8am to 5pm. It will be closed on Sundays. Since signage is now up and based on recon from some readers, it appears that the cleaners is almost ready to open - perhaps before the end of the month. When the retailers were first announced in June, Subway was slated to open in September, but it looks like Waterfront Cleaners may open before the sandwich shop.

Update: I heard from Z-Burger that they won't be opening until 2011. I'll let you know once they announce a specific date.

Update #2: The franchise owner of Subway is in the process of getting inspections and should open in two weeks.

Z-Burger Coming to Waterfront Station

It looks like the cat is out of the bag and I can finally report that Z-Burger is one of the tenants that may move into Waterfront Station this summer. I’ve been holding the news in for months, but multiple sources confirm that the developers are in lease negotiations with Z-Burger. This would be Z-Burger’s third location in the District – the other two being in Tenleytown and Glover Park. Their menu consists of burgers, cheese steaks, fries, onion rings, shakes, and malts. Z-Burger will join Subway and Med Lahlou's planned bistro at 1101 4th Street.