Proposal for restaurants/bars may change Austin Landing nightlife

Austin Landing has plans to expand its late-night entertainment options with two restaurants/bars next to a luxury 12-theater cinema.

Bar Louie and Bar 145 plan to join Cinépolis USA’s first Midwest venture on a 3.84-acre site west of The Park at Austin Landing in a move that will enhance its bar scene and nightlife culture with live music, developers said in announcing the two proposed establishments Thursday.

“The addition of the restaurants and live entertainment is going to energize the nightlife scene at Austin Landing,” according to a statement from RG Properties Marketing Director Kayla Long. “This is a great fit for Austin Landing.

None of the more than 10 eateries at the 142-acre mixed use complex are open after midnight, Long said. So bringing Bar Louie and Bar 145 — which both are known to operate from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. — in, she said, will help change the atmosphere at the development, where a 274-unit upscale apartment complex and a second hotel are in the works.

“Austin Landing is excited to draw in new people who have not yet experienced its one-of-a-kind atmosphere,” according to Long.

Although two restaurant locations have been approved by Miami Twp. officials, no plans or applications for either location have been submitted, according to township Deputy Community Development Director Kyle Hinkelman. Pending township approval, the plan is for construction on the restaurants to begin in October with the openings targeted for summer 2016, according to Long.

The two planned restaurants/bars would each occupy 6,200 square feet next to the 52,750-square-foot multiplex, according to RG Properties.

Talks between RG Properties and Bar 145 — which features live music most of the week — began about six to eight months ago, said Jeremy Fitzgerald, co-owner of the establishment. Fitzgerald said he was initially hesitant about the site because Austin Landing lacked “nightlife.” But plans for the Cinépolis USA multiplex helped change that, he said.

Then “they mentioned Bar Louie to us,” Fitzgerald said. “I thought it was a great idea because Bar Louie is the same clientele as us, goes after the same customer base and I think we’re going to work great together.”

Bar 145 tabs itself as a “gastropub” specializing in “Burgers, Bands, and Bourbon,” according to its website. It has five locations in the state — all in either central or northern Ohio — and one in Fort Wayne, Ind. They commonly operate from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, Fitzgerald said.

“We’re excited,” he said. “We’ve been in a lot of little areas, little suburbs, little neighborhoods. Finally … this is what we want — something that will really put us on the map.”

Bar Louie has more than 90 locations in more than 20 states, including one at The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek.

“Uniquely positioned in the casual to upscale lunch and dining segment, Bar Louie is a progressively hip neighborhood restaurant and bar with a lively atmosphere,” according to its website.

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