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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kim Mathews, WestShore Plaza, 813/286-0792
Contact: Moira Hinson, Tucker/Hall Inc., 813/228-0652
MAGGIANO'S LITTLE ITALY TO OPEN FIRST FLORIDA RESTAURANT AT WESTSHORE PLAZA
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TAMPA, FL (October 17, 2000) - Next spring, Brinker International Inc., and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc., will bring a new restaurant concept to Tampa: Maggiano's Little Italy. Maggiano's, a traditional southern Italian eatery, will open its first Florida restaurant at Tampa's WestShore Plaza. The 13,179-sqaure-foot Italian restaurant will feature 650 seats, and a heavily landscaped outdoor patio dining area with decorative fountains.
"We're thrilled to be opening a restaurant in Tampa. It's a great city," said Mark Tormey, chief-operating officer for Maggiano's. "In addition to our 1940's vintage Italian dining room, the Tampa restaurant will have an attractive outdoor patio, several large private party rooms and a piano bar to round out the Maggiano's experience. We can hardly wait to open."
Tormey added that Maggiano's selected WestShore Plaza "because of its appealing central location among some of Tampa's best neighborhoods and the high concentration of professionals in surrounding office complexes as well as its accessibility from all of the area's major interstates."
Maggiano's Little Italy, which opened its first restaurant in Chicago in 1991, offers authentic Southern Italian Cuisine in a dining atmosphere reminiscent of a New York City pre-war "Little Italy" dinner house. The restaurant, which will feature red-checkered tablecloths, full lunch and dinner menus as well as a family-style menu.
"We think Maggiano's will be a new favorite for many Tampa families," said Tom Miles, general manager of WestShore Plaza. "Our team has visited Maggiano’s restaurants in other cities, and were very impressed by their high-quality food, generous portions and affordable prices."
Maggiano's menu includes a full list of house specialties that are made from scratch and select wines. Maggiano’s popular "Family Style Dinners" enable guests to choose up to twelve selections, including appetizers, salads, pastas, main dishes, vegetables and desserts.
"Maggiano's will be a very elegant place for business functions, family dinners and everything in between." said Andrew Galbraith, vice president of Grosvenor Atlantic, managing partner of WestShore Plaza. "It has been a great pleasure working with Maggiano's so far and we are very pleased to welcome them to our property.
Maggiano's Little Italy is owned by Brinker International Inc., and operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc. With the addition of the Tampa location, Maggiano's will have fourteen restaurants in cities throughout the United States.
The addition of Maggiano's is part of WestShore Plaza's current expansion, which also includes a 14-screen state-of-the-art AMC Theatre, a variety of new specialty shops, an expanded food court and a second restaurant unique to the Tampa Bay area.
Some of the new specialty shops will include: Old Navy and American Eagle, which will account for more than 30,000 square feet of the Plaza's total 120,000 square foot expansion. Both will offer a variety of products from khaki's to sleepwear, expanding the Plaza's selection of fashion forward clothing. Jus D'Orange, a store new to the area, will offer fun and funky fashions at affordable prices. The owners of The Next Step have found such success that they will open a New Balance store, featuring the popular shoe brand and other athletic apparel. A Camelot superstore, opening near the food court, will carry a large selection of music, videos, DVD's, games and accessories, while Starbucks will add a new coffee and tea option for visitors to the new AMC anchored wing.
The WestShore Plaza 14 AMC Theatre will celebrate its official grand opening on November 10, 2000 along with many of the above listed merchants. Additional stores and restaurants will continue to open now through Spring of 2001.
Featuring Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard's, Burdines, JCPenney and more than 100 specialty stores, WestShore Plaza celebrates over three decades of serving the Tampa Bay Community. WestShore Plaza is located at the intersection of Westshore and Kennedy boulevards in Tampa, just one mile south of Tampa International Airport. For more information, please call 813.286.0790 or visit www.westshoreplaza.com.
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