PBS_Punch Bowl Social USA Today study

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Plan Study
From fast food to fine dining, business is up at restaurants

Enlarge By Kevin P. Casey, for USA TODAY The National Restaurant Association reports same-store sales rose in September for the first time in six months.

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By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY

America's appetite for eating out is starting to rumble again.

Three years after the $580 billion restaurant industry saw its harshest downturn in decades, there are signals that the worst may be over for an industry that suffered as people saved by eating out less.

"The glow is off the idea that cooking is fun," says Ron Paul, president of Technomic, a research specialist. "Consumers are returning to their old habits." Restaurant business is up in all sectors — from fast-food to casual to tablecloth. The dust began to clear in the third quarter, Paul says, when overall industry same-store sales went positive, following three consecutive years of negative numbers.

Families with kids started visiting restaurants in greater numbers this summer — up 1% following a three-year decline, reports researcher NPD Group.

The National Restaurant Association reports same-store sales rose in September for the first time in six months. "It's a substantially better environment than it's been for years," says Hudson Riehle, the trade group's research chief.

It's been a slog. The industry tried everything from $5 sandwiches to $10 pizzas. The driver hasn't been deals, but the economy. With about 1 million jobs added in the private sector in the past 10 months, more folks are eating out, Riehle says. More business travel and tourism are also helping.

Some are still adjusting. Tim Hortons and Ted's Montana Grill are closing units. The parent of Charlie Brown's Steakhouse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. But things are improving:

•Upscale. After double-digit declines in 2009, steak house Morton's posted positive same-store sales for the first three quarters of 2010. "The worst is behind us," says CEO Christopher Artinian.

•Midscale. Applebee's same-store sales rose 3.3% in the third quarter. "I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing," says Michael Archer, president. "This has been the most difficult environment I've seen in 30 years." In early 2009,Ruby Tuesday stock was down to $1 a share and same-store sales had fallen double-digits. Now, its stock is above $12 and same-store sales were up 1.3% in the most recent quarter. "There's been a change in momentum throughout the industry," says CEO Sandy Beall.

•Down-scale.Hardee's, hit hard by the recession, is seeing a lift, with same-store sales up 6.8%. "From what we're seeing," says marketing chief Brad Haley, "it looks like we're in a recovery."

5280 Best New Restaurants_ChoLon

We made the cover? Holy....Although there is not a mention of the client or the design team it is still absolutely awesome to see Lon and the restaurant being welcomed to Denver. StudioLEMONADE looks forward to Denver becoming the best Foodie Town in the country and congratulations all those who worked endless hours making it real. Also way to go Denver. What a great place to eat, entertain and live.

ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro

It was big news when New York chef Lon Symensma announced he was leaving the Big Apple to open his first signature restaurant in Denver. And yet, some foodies remained hesitant—concerned that Symensma was coming to town to educate local diners on the finer points of Southeast Asian cuisine. Truth is, Denver diners do not appreciate being told what to eat. But then ChoLon opened, and misgivings fell by the wayside. Within the beautiful, modern space there’s nary a New York attitude. Instead, there’s a generosity and accessibility that extends from the service to the menu. When trying a new dish—take the kaya toast with coconut jam and soft egg that’s wildly popular in Southeast Asia—there’s an immediate connection and a sense of fluency. Likewise with the soup dumplings: Even if you’ve never had them before, after one bite you immediately understand this is comfort food. This is, in fact, our favorite way to experience ChoLon—through the small bites menu (available from 11 a.m.), which will delight, surprise, and satisfy you with each dish.

Where To Sit: At the chef’s counter for a birds-eye view into the kitchen.

What To Order: Kaya toast with coconut jam and soft egg, soup dumplings, green papaya salad with tamarind sorbet, stir-fried Brussels sprouts with ground pork and mint. 1555 Blake St., Suite 101, 303-353-5223, cholon.com

BY: AMANDA M. FAISON

Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink

Develop a restaurant bar bowling lounge concept

Victorian NY Warehouse

create an aged, warm, refined, refurbished elegant (in sections) environment.

grand hotel / lodge - lobby / hall that's been remodeled 3 or more times over the years with layers of each decade exposed.

Build a simple, sustainable and comfortable lunch and dinner restaurant with various seating arrangements in a unique atmosphere.

Provide a PLACE

The EU... The Ace Hotel in Portland... The idea here is to create an aged, warm, refined, refurbished elegant (in sections) environment.

grand hotel / lodge - lobby / hall that's been remodeled 3 or more times over the years with layers of each decade exposed.

Some finish examples: concrete floors, some aged mosaic tile, some terrazzo, perhaps wooden planking and we'll use areas of the existing crappy looking flooring that's in there now.. Wall and furniture materials may have refined finished woods, red brick masonry, cinder block (if any exists already in the building) and some may have rustic plank wood. A combination of modern light fixtures and older used gooseneck canopies, etc., will be applied. Wherever possible under the current drywall we hope to find red brick masonry for added warmth and aging. The more scars we find the better.

Everything blends together rather than have complete themes in sections.

Layers is one of our key words - layers of time and materials, heavy action and reaction, upgrades and band-aids, styles and craftsmanship, layers of economy and social currents viewed through today's kaleidoscope.

materials and era landed firmer within the Victorian NY Warehouse category as our basis.

Create a concept that will instill a sense of community and connectivity. This one has to be in…Vaudeville Bowling... Furnishings in Bohemian Style Decorating

PunchBowl Charrette_2

Notes to self: Working on the story and narrative and developing the identity has to be one of the best moments of the design process. This type of idea and development will be combination of gorilla design marketing and a collection of other well developed projects with similarities. (Quantifying and quoting them in the near future and extracting the people place aspects) Space planning started with the program and is being massaged by the ideas and opportunities of the site and demographic location. The Baker neighbor is a very cool collection of people with an urban appeal. Not overly gentrified and walkable. Broadway and 1st is heavily dependent on the automobile and bus transportation as an artery to I-25, but when you move one block off the center the residential mixed use neighborhood is 40 decibels quieter even at the peak of traffic noise. TBD-later... I'm headed to the Hornet to get a beer and watch the Rangers and Giants!

ChoLon Restaurant ready to open October 5th 2010

The ChoLon Bistro Restaurant is finally ready to open their front door for business on October 5th. Taking less than nine months from idea to completion, this has been one of the best design projects with which I have been involved. Working with the Owner, Chef, Contractors, AOR, Lighting, Kitchen Equipment, Furniture, City of Denver, and many others has been great. Now the test will be ChoLon's reception by Denver and the design community.

I recommend starting with a Lady CamVan, (Kaya Toast, Coconut Jam, Soft Egg) then move onto a Tamarind Glazed Lamb Shank, Spiced Peanuts, Asian Pear plate and complete everything with Toasted Marshmallow
Crème Moulée ............ Yummmmm ....Cheers to the Team and a Job well Done.

Good Luck Chef Lon and Flow Restaurants.

Exclusive Eats: Dress Rehearsal at ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro STACEY BRUGEMAN

Slate Plates

My seven year old documented the production of 50 slate plates. Handcrafted always makes for better than store bought from china and adds the story telling component. Although mined in Brazil and shipped to the US it feels crafted and integrated into the project lending for a beautiful connection. It was also fun to work on and gratifying to get my hands dirty.

Cholon Furniture is installed

http://www.livedowntowndenver.com/LDDBlog/?p=1858

hospitalitydesign cholon PR

ChoLon Bistro, the inaugural modern Asian restaurant by executive chef Lon Symensma, will open in downtown Denver early October in the SugarCube building. ChoLon is the first restaurant from Flow Restaurant Group, founded by Symensma and his partners, Alicia Pokoik Deters and Jim Deters. ChoLon, which translates to "big market," is named after the largest Chinese-influenced market in Saigon, Vietnam. Symensma, formerly of Buddakan and Spice Market in New York City, will showcase his passion for Asian ingredients and French cooking techniques in a striking and eco-friendly environment designed by Studio Lemonade. The venue features a bar and lounge and is an ideal setting for business meetings and presentations, thanks to a large projection screen in the lounge area. hospitalitydesign

ChoLon interior illustrations

choLon framing

The skeleton and infrastructure for choLon is now three weeks into the construction schedule and beginning to take form. There is absolutely something beautiful about the process and nature of the construction trades coming together. Inward Charles is general contracting the project and moving at a blistering pace to meet the demanding schedule.

choLon Construction Graphics

ChoLon is the largest Chinese market in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and literally translates to “big market”. The ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro will be a culmination of Chinese, Vietnamese, and French influences that inspire Executive Chef Lon Symensma's cuisine.

ChoLon Materials

Looks like choLon will finally begin to become a reality. Permitting, design and architecture are all wrapping up the documents and now the contractor will start the construction in the next couple of weeks. Simple, Sustainable and Elegant with a distinct fusion of subtle natural hard surface mixed with the Fleur-de-lis patterns will mix together to create the distinction in place. The Kitchen is basic white subway tile with an accent of the blue button to contrast the coats of the chef and line cooks. Restrooms are inspired by the french design found in the areas settled or occupied around the globe similar to vietnam. Behind the Lounge Bar the pattern is silkscreened onto a 18x 24 tile accented by walnut shelving and a hint of 3m poured glass creates a screen window into the corridor behind the bar...Create a sense of mystery and free animation. The Bars are thick walnut with an linseed oil rub to achieve a contrast in the more refined elements of the interior and take advantage of the local resources of walnut that occupied cherry creek. Floors are Travertine to create warmth and an upscale contrast to the walnut tables and chairs. Patterns in the fabrics are boutique in nature and add movement and color to the interior.

http://www.facebook.com/ChoLonBistro

http://www.cholon.com/

C_restaurant paint bucket

Best part about the design process is collaboration, the fun begins when the materials become real.