Metro Grill to move by spring

|tab|

The decision was simple for Fred Coco, owner and chef of The Metropolitan Grill. |ret||ret||tab|

"I've been here for seven years it's time for a change; something new," Coco said. "It is that simple ... I want a new place."|ret||ret||tab|

Coco will relocate his restaurant this spring in the Regency Center on East Battlefield, a new, $1.5 million strip center built by Randy Magers of Ma-gers Enterprises.|ret||ret||tab|

Coco said he liked the visibility of the area and the growth southeast Springfield is experiencing, but more importantly, the move will bring him closer to his customers. |ret||ret||tab|

"A lot of my clientele base is from that area," he said, naming Southern Hills, Highland Springs, Fox Grape and Brent-wood as the primary sources.|ret||ret||tab|

While the move was an easy decision, it was not made on a whim, he said.|ret||ret||tab|

"It's been in the back of my mind for the last couple of years," added Coco, who opened The Metropolitan Grill at 1908 S. Glenstone in 1994. "It was just finding the right location. I wanted to go into something brand new." |ret||ret||tab|

Coco said his initial plans were to purchase land to build on, but he couldn't find anything prime on the southeast side. "It was impossible," he said. "I liked staying on this side of the city. This is my area; this is my base."|ret||ret||tab|

The Metropolitan Grill is Mager's first tenant.|ret||ret||tab|

"I'm tickled to death to get him out there," Magers said. "I think an upscale restaurant such as Fred's will do very, very well there. He virtually has no competition on East Battlefield. He's been in town seven years ... and has built up a clientele. This is going to be much the same clientele as he is leaving on the plaza."|ret||ret||tab|

Coco said the restaurant will still have the same metropolitan look, but will have some new features. One is the layout, which includes a kitchen that sits in the middle of the dining room. |ret||ret||tab|

"It's real unique right in the middle of the dining room, right on the floor," he said. |ret||ret||tab|

The kitchen will have a counter surrounding it, he said, which will allow him to interact with dining guests while cooking. Geoffrey Butler, of Butler, Ros-enbury & Partners, is the project architect, Coco added.|ret||ret||tab|

Another new feature in design will be the outside patio, which will be heated and covered, Coco said.|ret||ret||tab|

The move will allow him to seat around 155 guests, up from the 125 he can accommodate now. Total square footage will increase from 4,100 to 5,200.|ret||ret||tab|

"I want to keep it intimate," he said. "I don't want anything too large."|ret||ret||tab|

What will be larger is the banquet room. His existing room fits 30 people and, after losing out on about six private parties last year, Coco said a larger space was much needed. |ret||ret||tab|

"I missed six 40-tops," he said. "Can you imagine the money? That's where I donated 1,000 square feet," Coco said of the new banquet room.|ret||ret||tab|

Hours will change as well, he said. Monday through Thursday the hours will remain 5-10 p.m., but Fridays and Saturdays the restaurant will be open until 1 a.m., and Sundays he'll begin ser-ving at 11 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Sun-day also will feature a family-style setting and his traditional Italian menu.|ret||ret||tab|

Normally, he said, the menu is Cali-fornia Italian. "Basically everything here is stuff that I've made up. My own re-cipes, my own creations."|ret||ret||tab|

Coco will continue to change his menu every six months, something he has done from the beginning. "Complete change every six months," he said. "I'm on number 26 right now or something like that."|ret||ret||tab|

Magers said the restaurant will occupy 2 1/2 bays of the 15,000-square-foot center at East Battlefield and Claremont.|ret||ret||tab|

"I could have one more tenant or I could have six more," he said. "It just depends on the configuration of prospective tenants." R.B. Murray Co. is the leasing agent, Magers added.|ret||ret||tab|

According to Magers, the restaurant will be the anchor to the center, which was designed by Slone Architects.|ret||ret||tab|

"That end of town was just needing an upscale restaurant with the hotels in that area, and all of the residential people that live within a mile radius of that," Magers said. "The restaurant was the first (tenant) I targeted to get. I think from this point on, everything will flow out in its natural due course."[[In-content Ad]]