As construction on new additions to Riverhill Center get underway, Garden Bistro 24 joins the growing list of tenants to move in this summer.
First Columbia announced in late January that work to expand its facilities at Riverhill Center, 1203 Troy Schenectady Road, was already underway. Among businesses looking to lease space at 1207 Troy Schenectady Road is Garden Bistro 24. Owners Charles and John Grizzaffi decided it was an ideal space for change to their Colonie restaurant.
The new space is a mixed-use 22,225 square foot retail and office building. In a released statement, First Columbia officials said they hoped construction would be completed this spring.
Victoria Harris, marketing director for First Columbia, said that two tenants have already signed off on leases. “And then we have two more spaces for retail with one that’s pending. On the second floor is all office, and that second floor is available,” she said. “In the last two years, Riverhill has been going pretty fast.”
The father-son duo of Garden Bistro said they hoped to move into the new location in early summer, but that it was dependent on weather. The restaurant opened in 2010 in at 1839 Central Ave. in Colonie, and expanded into the Vista Technology campus in Slingerlands in 2013.
The decision to relocate the original restaurant came with the end of the Grizzaffis’ current lease. They said the decision was based on expansion and change.
“We’re always trying to grow. We have a work model,” said Charles Grizzaffi. “We were facing a five-year lease, which was expiring in July. You kind of sit back and think, what other opportunities are there? Do you just want to redo the same old, same old, or do you want to do a quantum type of leap and say, let’s go to the next level?”
Part of the business plan, Grizzaffi said, is to provide opportunities for graduates of the culinary arts programs in the area. Without growth, he said those chefs will not see much opportunity, and Garden Bistro wants to provide diners with the best.
Grizzaffi said Central Ave. has a wide-establishment in the community already, whereas Riverhill is continuing to grow. When he and his son spoke to Kevin Bette, president of First Columbia, he said Bette’s proposal was new and the best they had heard.
“Kevin’s vision for that Troy Schenectady area was something we didn’t hear before, and it really aligns very nicely with our vision. Kevin has a growth plan for that area,” said Grizzaffi. “We wanted something fresh, new, vibrant.”
John Grizzaffi, also the head chef, said the restaurant was limited in the small storefront on Central Ave. as well. In the new location, he said individual diners will have more space and see a larger bar area, an open kitchen, and a private dining space for parties of around 20 people.
On top of the dining space, the menu will also expand, with new entrées and small plates for the bar area. However, this week, diners will already see a new feature from Garden Bistro—Bistro Burger Wednesday. Along the lines of Muscles Monday, a plate of muscles for $10 with seven sauce options, Wednesdays will bring a burger and drink meal for $14. The first one is Feb. 25.
Once construction is completed Charles Gizzaffi said that the transition over to the new restaurant should take only a couple weeks. With the same experienced staff being carrier over, he said, there will be no “new restaurant” mishaps.
“It was a hard decision,” said John Grizzaffi. “We wanted to make sure we kept all of our customers we’re grown to have a relationship with. We wanted to increase the experience for our customers and our guests without alienating them at the same time by moving to a location too far or not convenient.”
