The Abbey Group is still searching for a restaurant to open in the eatery it has promised at 45 Province, after the luxury condo building in Boston’s Downtown Crossing lost its liquor license due to non-use.
But for now, the developer is bringing in Victoria Donnelly, a winner on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, to a small retail space along the School Street side of the property.
Cakeology is slated to open its first retail store in the 700-square-foot shop later this summer, featuring Donnelly’s signature product, as well as cookies, espresso, and a twist on the traditional milkshake – the "cupshake," a milkshake made from the customer’s choice of cupcake.
But that won’t solve the problem of up to 8,500 square feet that is available for restaurant use, according to marketing material from Newmark Knight Frank. According to the real estate service firm’s website, there is the possibility for three levels of dining, a ground floor outdoor café of about 1,000 square feet, and a main dining level with private access to resident-only dining and function facilities.
The Abbey Group has so far been unsuccessful in securing a restaurateur to open an eatery in its condo tower. And losing the liquor license, which the Abbey Group paid $225,000 for in 2008, likely did not help that situation, according to industry professionals.
"They really need a license at that space if they’re going to attract a restaurant," Charles Perkins, president of Boston Restaurant Group, which specializes in selling and leasing restaurant space, told Banker & Tradesman in March. "You’re probably talking $400 [per square-foot] to build out a restaurant today, and the location is a little out of the way."
Although no one has signed on yet, The Abbey Group is in conversations with "several" restaurant operators to fill the empty eatery space at 45 Province, said Audrey Epstein Reny, Abbey Group’s director of marketing.
But the fact that there is no restaurant is likely not helping sales, either. To date, just 39 of the building’s total 137 units have been closed on, while 14 sales are pending, according to information provided by Reny. That means about 28.5 percent of the units have sold.
For comparison’s sake, across town in the Back Bay, 50 out of the 102 units for sale at The Clarendon had closed by early March of this year.
"This is part of an on-going process and we are continuing to work with the city and state to resolve the matter," David Epstein, president and chief operating officer of The Abbey Group, said in a statement earlier this year. "The Abbey Group remains committed to our long-term goals and vision for 45 Province, as well as improving the Downtown Boston neighborhood."
