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Lemon Grass Restaurant and Lounge will open in 5,000 square feet of restaurant space formerly occupied by Ruby Tuesday at 8125 Quinault Drive NE. A new location in Lacey made sense because customers asked for it, the area is growing – including a new Providence Medical Group office building in Hawks Prairie – and a building was available, Lemon Grass co-owner Nicole Pham said.
There also is more growth in the immediate area, with more businesses coming to a commercial development called The Landing at Hawks Prairie along Galaxy Drive.
The new Lemon Grass location will be open seven days a week and employ an estimated 10 to 15 people, said Pham, 48.
The ability to open in an existing building, rather than build, was a plus, she said.
Lemon Grass has a location in downtown Olympia. Pham set out to build a new location in Tumwater a few years ago, although that plan was abandoned in favor of an existing building because it took too long to try and secure a building permit, she said. She bought the building in Lacey, saying it was cheaper to buy than to build.
Her brother, co-owner of the Lacey business, is aiming to open the restaurant at noon Dec. 12, 2012, a combination of numbers he considers a sign of good luck, Pham said.
Meanwhile, more businesses are coming to sites at The Landing, including Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, Red Robin and Kiddie Academy, an educational day care.
Popeyes is under construction in The Landing’s first-phase development, while Red Robin and Kiddie Academy are part of the development’s second phase, said Samra Seymour, Lacey Community Development associate planner. The second-phase development – four buildings totaling 36,000 square feet – is at Galaxy Drive and Martin Way.
Red Robin will occupy a multi-tenant building on the site, while Kiddie Academy will occupy its own building, she said. Kiddie Academy is set to open early next year, according to its website. An opening date for Red Robin was not immediately known.
Lucia Development of Los Angeles is developing The Landing.
Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403
rboone@theolympian.com
theolympian.com/bizblog
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