SYRACUSE — A new restaurant called Original Grain will open in the former Tim Hortons space of the Pike Block building at 302 S. Salina St. in Syracuse. The eatery should open either in June or near July 4, says Matthew Godard, one of the principals involved in the venture. He spoke with CNYBJ at […]
SYRACUSE — A new restaurant called Original Grain will open in the former Tim Hortons space of the Pike Block building at 302 S. Salina St. in Syracuse.
The eatery should open either in June or near July 4, says Matthew Godard, one of the principals involved in the venture. He spoke with CNYBJ at the Café Kubal office in Eastwood on May 23.
Godard is the founder of Café Kubal, a Syracuse–based coffee roaster and retailer.
Original Grain is described as “an eatery that makes you feel like a part of the food cycle, not just a consumer of it,” according to a news release that VIP Structures issued May 3.
Syracuse–based VIP Structures is the developer of the Pike Block building.
Original Grain will be similar to CoreLife Eatery at 7265 Buckley Road in the town of Clay, says Godard, calling it a “fair comparison.”
The new eatery will occupy a space of 2,500 square feet and won’t require the work of any contractor or architect.
“We don’t need to do any build-out at all,” says Godard.
Original Grain will have 20 employees, including 15 full-time and five part-time workers.
As of May 23, the hiring process was still continuing, he notes.
Besides Godard, Eric Hinman, tri-athlete and partner at Urban Life Athletics of Syracuse, and Chris Bily, founder and previous owner of Armory Square eatery Modern Malt, are the business partners involved in the venture.
Bily will serve as Original Grain’s managing partner, according to Godard. “He will be there daily.”
Hinman will be responsible for marketing the eatery. Godard will remain focused on Café Kubal.
Godard is investing $40,000 of his own money to help launch Original Grain. His two business partners are also chipping in $40,000 each, according to Godard.
“We’re just replacing the equipment,” says Godard, noting that Tim Hortons had removed its oven and equipment.
Godard indicated that his two businesses will have a partnership, as Original Grain items and finished food will be available in all Café Kubal stores.
When asked if he had a revenue projection for the eatery’s first year of operation, he replied, “I do, but I won’t say what.”
Pursuing the venture
Hinman and Bily were “drawn” to healthy, fast food in their travels to New York City and Los Angeles. They noticed a “gap” for the product in the Syracuse market.
That’s when they joined with Godard to pursue the venture.
The partners started thinking about Original Grain in October 2015 before Tim Hortons departed the space in the Pike Block building.
They had looked at other properties before the Pike Block space became available.
“I made the decision based on business trends that this was going to be the future of cafés in Central New York, healthy, fast-casual options for food,” says Godard.
Original Grain will use supplies from local farms, such as New Hope Mills in Auburn, Abbott Farms in Lysander, and Critz Farms in Cazenovia.
Conklin–based Maines Paper & Food Service, Inc. will also serve as a distributor for Original Grain.
“We’re hiring them as our truckers … They will pick up all of Abbott’s blackberries this summer and refrigerate them and then get them out to places like ours,” says Godard.
The concept and business name come from “century-old techniques” of harvesting.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com