Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | December 10, 2018 | wbjournal.com After plans to open a Mercantile Center eatery fell through, the Worcester restaurant group is now eying Grove Street BY SARAH CONNELL Special to the Worcester Business Journal N iche Hospitality Group intends to eliminate the three concepts housed at One Exchange Place in Worcester by the end of the month. is transition will mark a definitive end for the present iterations of Citizen Wine Bar, e People's Kitch- en, and Still & Stir. Closings were spurred by the Oct. 31 sale of the 60,000-square-foot building to Hingham real estate firm BradyMac Capital Advisory. Michael's Cigar Bar, a separately owned business housed at One Exchange Place, plans to stay in the building. Niche Hospitality President Michael Covino identified outdated infrastruc- ture, parking, and wayfinding as its primary obstacles. "We've been trying to move the Citizen's property for years. We need visibility and a better parking plan," Covino told WBJ. "It made sense to end Niche to reopen Citizen Wine Bar our run." Mercantile negotiations end Covino had aimed to line up a new property at Mercantile Center timed with e Citizen's gradual transition to a more suitable space. Niche had exe- cuted similar growth models at Mezcal Tequila Cantina in 2014 and e Fix Burger Bar in 2016, but the Mercantile deal fell through. "We liked Mercantile; it was a large property. We spent almost 24 months trying to get it to come to fruition, but it didn't work out," Covino said. Mercantile proposed two separate locations for Niche restaurants, but nei- ther one worked out for one reason or another, said Chip Norton, who owns Mercantile Center through his Boston firm Franklin Realty Advisors. "We tried our darndest," Norton said. "We think the world of Mike and his expertise and capabilities." Each of e Citizen's 24 employees was given the opportunity to continue working for Niche, including man- agement. Covino plans to compensate employees during their training periods aer the new year. Founder and publisher of Mass Food- ies Luke Vaillancourt views the Niche group as a valuable risk taker in the development of Worcester's robust hos- pitality scene, such as opening Mezcal in the ground floor of the Major Taylor parking garage. "When downtown was dead, before there was a true revitalization on the horizon, Niche Hospitality took a risk and took advantage of favorable oppor- tunities by introducing a new concept in a venue that had failed many others," Vaillancourt said. Covino is actively seeking a new home for the Citizen. "Sometimes you take a step to the side to go forward," Covino said. "We have 10 restaurants. is doesn't feel like a throw away, but it's not so disheartening that it stops progress. e physical plant wasn't allowing us to express the Citizen in the way we wanted to right now or in the future." Covino hopes to see the concept reborn within a year's time. The new Citizen Covino is particularly intrigued by the Grove Street corridor, an area which he hopes will be further enhanced by the impending Trolley Yard plaza, a 55,000-square-foot development on the former site of the Worcester Regional Niche President Michael Covino says having onsite parking is important to the success of a Niche restaurant. The Citizen Wine Bar got decorated up for its holiday run before it will close at the end of December.

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