Cities that Sizzle

Nation's Restaurant News,  Jan, 2001  

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"This area, along with neighborhoods on the Near West Side of Cleveland and downtown Cleveland itself, have undergone an amazing revitalization, and we are starting to develop our own cuisine," Herschman says. "There are growing influences from Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Our food is diverse and very unique."

Cleveland has had a reputation as a meat-and-potatoes town, but the region has grown up in terms of its culinary tastes, according to Michael von Glahn, food editor of Cleveland magazine, "I'd say Cleveland is a growth market because beyond the fast food, the buffets and the chain formulae, the region includes a growing number of diners who are much more aware of trends, fine dining and more diverse cuisine. They want value for their hard-earned buck, and they are much better educated about food and wine.

"Where once they might have balked at the thought of rare tuna, now they're put off if it's offered medium," he says.

Cleveland's restaurant scene also has benefited from the influence of local chefs who have attained national recognition, von Glahn says. "An example is Michael Symon, who has helped raise the bar for everyone. The real pioneers here are the independent chef-owners who are opening the truly inventive eateries. The big developers are sticking to the tried-and-true formulae, for the most part.

"The inventive places, the places with the real buzz, are the work of creative chefs who have decided they want their own kitchens," von Glahn explains.

However, the fairly recent rebound for Cleveland's restaurant industry means that there still is a relative abundance of choice sites available, both existing dining facilities and new locations available for build-out.

One attention-getting new restaurant in the town of Willoughby, just east of Cleveland, was built in a converted taxi garage.

In contrast, a 600-acre corporate campus recently opened in a Cleveland suburb called the Chagrin Highlands, and it will have three restaurants from the Outback Steakhouse portfolio -- Carrabba's Italian Grill, the Pacific Rim-accented Roy's and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

Chain operations seem to cluster, depending on location, either for family dining or business dining, according to local commercial real-estate brokers. In general, most family-oriented chains are opening branches on Cleveland's West Side, while the bigger-ticket, businessman's restaurants have a greater presence on the city's East Side.

A "tremendous amount" of downtown building and development continues to feed the local foodservice industry, according to Paula Boykin, a commercial interior designer specializing in hotels and restaurants. "There is much promise on our lakefront," she says. "Our shoreline is erupting with continuous beautification and is adorned with the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and other museums and cultural attractions of interest both to tourists and conventiongoers."