Midtown Miami favorite Gigi closed due to a reported employee walkout, less than a month after ownership changed hands. Pinecrest Bakery has another location in the oven in North Miami, and Mr. Bing could be opening a food hall on Lincoln Road.
The Weekly Dish is a TRD recurring feature that showcases the latest in South Florida’s restaurant openings, leases and sales.
Gigi | Miami
Gigi in Midtown Miami has closed, but it’s unclear if and when the restaurant will reopen.
An employee walkout forced the eatery, at 3470 North Miami Avenue, to close, according to the Miami New Times. Miami restaurateur Amir Ben-Zion sold Gigi to Izhak Kashani about two weeks ago, but employees say they haven’t been paid in a month. Ben-Zion owned restaurants South Street and Cooper Avenue in the past, both of which closed without notice.
A general manager told the New Times the closure was temporary and due to a water outage. The restaurant was still closed as of Friday afternoon.
Gigi opened in 2010, across the street from the Shops at Midtown Miami. Property records show a company controlled by Ziva Nitzan of Cymbal Development owns the Gigi building. [Miami New Times]
Pinecrest Bakery | North Miami
Pinecrest Bakery has signed a lease for 4,000 square feet at the Shoppes at Biscayne at 13400 Biscayne Boulevard, where it plans to open its first full restaurant in addition to a bakery, Koniver Stern Group’s Noah Fox said. Fox represented both sides of the deal.
The shopping center was recently acquired by an Aventura-based investment group led by Sebastian Guejman and Monica Peisach Sasson, and the new owners are in the midst of redeveloping the center and bringing in new tenants, Fox said.
Pinecrest Bakery has about 11 locations in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, with another new store planned for Kendall.
Mr. Bing
Mr. Bing | Miami Beach
Mr. Bing, which serves shaved ice cream and bubble tea, has opened a 200-square-foot temporary shop at 927 Lincoln Road. The space is inside the nearly 6,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Base, said Ryan Barouh, the owner of Mr. Bing.
Plans are to eventually open a “micro food hall” in the larger space, in partnership with real estate investor Sam Herzberg, who owns the building, and Herzberg’s executive Richard Do, Barouh said.
Though plans are still preliminary, the goal is to create a market with 12 to 15 local mom-and-pop food vendors, he said.
Mr. Bing also has a location at the Wynwood Yard.
Rendering of Pompano Beach House
Pompano Beach House | Pompano Beach
Ohio-based Brimstone Restaurant Group broke ground on Pompano Beach House, a beachfront restaurant and lounge that will be part of the Pompano Pier redevelopment.
The 12,000-square-foot restaurant is expected to open this fall, according to a press release. It will have stadium seating on the second floor, a beachside patio and a full bar.
Pompano Pier Associates, the Pompano Beach CRA and Retail Sites International is developing the neighborhood’s fishing village, which will span 6 acres with 48,000 square feet of retail space and a pedestrian promenade.