New Petite Chou restaurant planned for downtown

The Oceanaire Seafood Room is getting a new neighbor: Petite Chou. The French-inspired cafe, part of Martha Hoover's Patachou empire, plans to take over part of the lobby of the former L.S. Ayres department store annex at 30 S. Meridian St. Hoover says the restaurant will take a cozy 2,400 square feet opposite Oceanaire and include a champagne bar and sidewalk dining. The restaurant will serve only lunch and dinner at first, but may add Saturday and Sunday brunch. It's scheduled to open in mid-November. The 13-story 30 South is managed by Kite Realty Group, which has its headquarters in the building. Kite plans to renovate the lobby and move a security desk to make way for Petite Chou. Patachou already operates two Petite Chou cafes, in Broad Ripple and in Carmel at Clay Terrace, along with five Cafe Patachou locations (four in Indianapolis and one in Carmel) and a pizza shop called Napolese next door to its flagship Cafe Patachou at 49th and Pennsylvania streets. The 30 South restaurant will be the second downtown for the chain. Patachou on the Park operates in the first floor of the Simon Property Group headquarters.

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