2321 E Beltline SE Hotel and Restaurant

[GRDadof3]

While I don't think this development completely fits this forum, if you see a new hotel going up by WMU on the East Beltline, this project has been revived. This is Hotel Holdings which is also Suburban Inns working on the Embassy Suites in Monroe North, and a pretty cool hotel in downtown Holland. Glad to see they're still bullish on West Michigan.

 

The restaurant/sports bar will be family-owned by the Buekemas and called Big E's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This angle shows the detention basin in the front and the elevation changes. Interesting stuff.

 

[RegalTDP]

Big E's was also the name of the restaurant going in the Embassy Suites, right?  Didn't know it was going to be a chain.

[mpchicago]

I hate to say this even before it opens, but Big's E's better be pretty spectacular, otherwise I can't imagine it will have much success.  There is just too much competition in the marketplace unless you have a strong brand or a special new to the market concept.   Who know's maybe they do?

[egrguy]

They'll need to grab more then those staying at the hotel.

 

If its a generic sports bar it will be tough, especially with Uccello's already established in the market with Bar Louie, Red Robin, On the Border nearly a couple of blocks away.

 

I know people have angst against chains, but this may have been a place for a feasibility standpoint to have a chain (maybe something new to the area).

 

The Beltline really is filling up from M-6 all the way to the Spectrum facility.

[GRDadof3]

Big E's was also the name of the restaurant going in the Embassy Suites, right?  Didn't know it was going to be a chain.

 

Yes, looks like they have one in Midland already.

 

http://www.suburbaninns.com/sububan-inns-portfolio.php

 

I don't think "chains" are necessarily bad. Twisted Rooster and their other restaurant Crooked Goose in Standale are technically chains, but locally owned. You could even say that Green Well, Grove and Bistro Bella Vita are part of a chain of restaurants (Essence Restaurant Group).

 

But people are right. It's a tough market in the East Beltline area to keep a restaurant going.

[ctpgr34]

I don't think "chains" are necessarily bad. Twisted Rooster and their other restaurant Crooked Goose in Standale are technically chains 

 

by this definition- Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut are all one chain (Yum! BRANDS)

[GRDadof3]

I don't think "chains" are necessarily bad. Twisted Rooster and their other restaurant Crooked Goose in Standale are technically chains

 

by this definition- Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut are all one chain (Yum! BRANDS)

 

It's all very complicated. I think people are generally against "national chains" because they don't source locally and the profits go to the mother ship in some other state or country.

 

Although even a lot of locally owned restaurants who claim to "source locally" just use large national distributors for most of their food.

 

I do like to pick on marketing people occasionally and not just architects, but this description from Big E's website makes me chuckle:

 

Big E's Sports Grill was founded by 2 brothers from Michigan on a few simple principles and concepts that the usual chain sports bars were missing:  COLD Beer, GREAT Food, AWESOME Furniture, STELLAR Service, SWEET Patios, and LARGE TV'S.

 

Yeah cause no sports bar owner has ever done that.

[RegalTDP]

Yeah, I wasn't being critical when I realized it was a chain... I was just surprised, as I just assumed the "Big E" at North Monroe stood for Embassy Suites... Their hotels all have big Es on them. 

[GRDadof3]

Yeah, I wasn't being critical when I realized it was a chain... I was just surprised, as I just assumed the "Big E" at North Monroe stood for Embassy Suites... Their hotels all have big Es on them. 

 

 

Ah, good point.

[ironyisadeadscene]

This is my neck of the woods, so I will  be sure to check out Big E's for sure.

[GRDadof3]

I don't know what happened to this hotel, but man does it look ugly. They got rid of all of the masonry in the design, chopped off the roof, and now it's some kind of EIFS/artificial stucco material painted in different shades of blue? Looks like a junky motel in Fort Lauderdale.

I hope that if they ever kick off the North Monroe project, it doesn't look anything like this. 

[joeDowntown]

It is pretty gross. Even the color scheme seems off. I think the Drury Inn did an admirable job on 28th street. This hotel, not so much.

Joe

[x99]

5 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I don't know what happened to this hotel, but man does it look ugly. They got rid of all of the masonry in the design, chopped off the roof, and now it's some kind of EIFS/artificial stucco material painted in different shades of blue? Looks like a junky motel in Fort Lauderdale.

I hope that if they ever kick off the North Monroe project, it doesn't look anything like this. 

Eh... Still beats what Orion proposes to build in Heritage Hill.