Articles

Texas investor enlists former Steak n Shake exec in quest to revive chain

Two executives with longtime ties to The Steak n Shake Co. have joined a dissident Texas investor in his quest to overhaul
the Indianapolis-based restaurant chain. Shareholders who have agreed to work with Sardar Biglari include a former board member
the company once described as a “modern-day founder” of the restaurant chain, along with a former partner in Kelley & Partners
Ltd., the investment firm led by company patriarch E.W. Kelley before his 2003 death.

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Popular chains show southside love

The Broadbent Co. plans to begin construction soon on a new restaurant strip in front of its Greenwood Place shopping center at U.S. 31 South and Shelby Street. The 7,100-square-foot center will include a Dunkin Donuts with a drive thru,…

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Retro Dunkin rendering

The new Dunkin Donuts at Washington and Pennsylvania streets (reported here in November) likely will have a retro look that incorporates the old Roselyn Bakery sign. Plans call for neon signs and a stainless steel facade. What do you think?

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L’explorateur eyes downtown

More fuel for the local v. chain restaurant discussion: Chef Neal Brown is looking to move his popular L’explorateur restaurant from Ferguson Street in Broad Ripple to a new location near Monument Circle….

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Pizza chain growing & more

Monical’s Pizza plans to open new restaurants in Carmel, Fishers and Indianapolis later this year. The Illinois-based chain, known for its thin-crust pies, already has six stores in Indiana: in Avon, Lafayette,…

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Bertolini’s in Circle Centre closes

After a 12-year run, upscale Italian restaurant Bertolini’s has closed its Circle Centre location. The restaurant, on the first floor of the mall next to P.F. Chang’s and Champps, was part of…

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Local restaurants add sites, consider taking on chains

Several local eateries are going through a growth spurt, adding locations despite central Indiana diners’ reputation for being
addicted to national chains. Ironically enough, the expansions could be the first step in transforming the local restaurants
into chains themselves.

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Fabric, French food and fillings

Today’s collection of retail and restaurant nuggets are brought to you by the letter F.

Eastside institution closing
Circle Fabric, a staple at 30th Street and Shadeland Avenue for more…

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BW3 returning to downtown

Buffalo Wild Wings hopes to be back downtown by summer. The restaurant chain plans to take about 6,800 square feet next door to Borders at the southeast corner of Meridian…

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What’s old is new again

On this nasty Friday, I’ve got a few updates on previous posts. Hope everyone has a nice weekend. Here goes:

What was Flagstar thinking?
Flagstar Bank has added yet…

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Retail woes continue with Cabela’s

Banking on the regional draw of outdoor retail giant Cabela’s, developers have been planning more than 100 acres of hotels, a water park, restaurants and other retail space for the southwest corner of…

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2 restaurants plan new locations

Broad Ripple’s Naked Tchopstix is expanding its original location and adding another along 96th Street. A new bar is scheduled to open this week at the Broad Ripple sushi hotspot….

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Upscale mainstay Glass Chimney ending its 32-year run

Lured to America in 1967 by brothers who owned restaurants in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, Dieter Puska has spent the past
32 years–nearly half his life–as owner and chef of the elegant Glass Chimney restaurant in Carmel. So it was a bittersweet
moment when he told his employees this month that he is hanging up his chef’s coat and giving up his 70-hour workweeks to
retire.

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Who wants a piece?

A Michigan-based bakery and cafe concept plans to open as many as six new restaurants in Indianapolis, beginning with a location at U.S. 31 and Stop 11 Road. Grand Traverse…

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The demise of Damon’s Grill

The Indianapolis restaurateur who owns D’Vine Wine Bar and The Melting Pot has closed his two remaining Damon’s Grill locations, at Southport Road and I-65, and along State Road 37 in Martinsville. Bennet…

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Yats, Aldi and another steakhouse

Montana Mike’s, a Kansas-based steakhouse chain, hopes to claim Indianapolis as a lucrative new market. The chain wants to open in Greenwood first, said Madison Jobs, Montana Mike’s vice president of franchise…

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BARcelona could close

A manager at the downtown tapas restaurant tells Property Lines the operation is in trouble and could soon close. Owner Frank Schmitz, of St. Louis, recently bought out his partner in the…

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Bar & Grill replacing trophy shop

Brothers Bar & Grill, a small Wisconsin-based chain, has filed plans to replace Broad Ripple Trophy Center at one of the neighborhood’s most prominent corners, said Senior Planner Bryan…

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Sexy & Intimate and Scotty’s

A couple of restaurant updates: The owners of downtown’s Scholar’s Inn, Lyle & Kerry Feigenbaum, plan to close the restaurant on Jan. 1 for a month-long remodeling project. They plan to…

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A greasy-spoon grudge match

Long a staple in the South, Huddle House diners are beginning to pop up in Indiana. Can they outmatch Bud’s Chili and Alice’s Iced Tea over at Waffle House? The first Indianapolis-area…

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