An Italian restaurant with locations in Flint and Davison is looking to open a third eatery in Oxford Township.
‘I like the area,? said Donald Haley, owner of Italia Gardens, noting the younger demographic, larger population (than Davison), dual incomes and projected growth are what drew him here
Italia Gardens, which first opened in 1931 as Flint’s first Italian restaurant, is planning to purchase the building at 1076 S. Lapeer Rd., previously occupied by Lombardo’s Bar & Grill.
‘We haven’t consummated the deal yet,? said Haley, who’s the grandson of restaurant founders Albert and Josephine Barone, who emigrated from Sicily.
Before Italia Gardens purchases the building and property for $725,000, the casual dining/takeout restaurant specializing in pasta, pizza and barbecue ribs must have ownership of Lombardo’s Class C liquor license, currently being held in escrow, transferred to it.
A Class C license allows for the selling of beer, wine, spirits and mixed drinks.
A public hearing regarding the proposed license transfer will be held during the 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23 township board meeting. If the township recommends the transfer, it must still be approved by the state Liquor Control Commission.
‘Hopefully, everything will go well,? said Haley, who would like to open before June 1.
Haley wants the Oxford location to serve wine and bottled beer like his other two restaurants. ‘Beer and wine is a big part of Italian dining,? he said.
However, he doesn’t rule out the possibility of serving spirits, if necessary for economic reasons.
‘We’re going to leave the option open,? Haley said. ‘If we find that we don’t need to serve liquor, then down the road we could convert it (to a tavern license) and give the Class C license back to the township (to) enable somebody else to utilize it. But not knowing, not having a crystal ball, Plan B would be to also serve hard stuff.?
The opening of Italia Gardens in Oxford would mean the addition of 40 new jobs to the community.
Despite the economy, Italia Gardens sees great potential in Oxford.
‘Our research shows that sales in Oxford will exceed the Davison location’s sales by 7-10 percent within the first six months and then thereafter,? according to the eatery’s business plan. ‘We believe that given the soft local as well as state economies this is an excellent time to make an acquisition in an area that in time will rebound.?
Haley plans to invest $175,000 in renovations and improvements to the building’s interior and exterior to give it Italia Gardens? signature look.
‘We’ll put our own thumbprint on it, if you will, especially with the facade (see drawing left),? he said. ‘We’ll be taking the bar out (and replacing it with booths and/or tables). The plans also call for a wood-burning pizza oven to be installed in the dining room.?
‘It will look significantly different,? Haley noted. An additional $35,000 would be invested to equip the eatery.
The smoke-free restaurant will be able to seat about 120 diners between the main floor and downstairs, which could be booked for private parties, according to Haley.
‘We do a lot of (wedding) rehearsal-type dinners, bridal showers, graduation parties, things of that nature,? he explained. For more information visit www.italiagardens.com.