Parker's plans comeback; Fat Bob's looks outside of BBQ; new restaurant for the Hyatt

It's been a newsy week on the Buffalo restaurant scene.

? Parker’s Great British Institution is back in Buffalo — or at least, it’s coming back soon.

“We’re absolutely chuffed to bits to announce that after a bit of a holiday Parker’s is making a great reopening,” the restaurant wrote in a Facebook post. “We have a brand new spiffing facility which will house Parker’s A Great British Institution and our much beloved proper fish and chips.” | Read more

? Fat Bob's Smokehouse —?which has built a loyal following for its Allentown barbecue restaurant — is taking advantage of 42 North's expansion into downtown Buffalo to try something new.

Fat Bob owners Patrick and Bridget Ryan are planning Queen City Flats inside the new taproom in the Theater District. Though the menu will be inspired by the flavors that have sustained Fat Bob’s since 1998, it won’t include barbecue.

Their reasoning was simple.

“We had right of first refusal, and our company values align so it made sense to say yes, but it’s within a mile of our bread and butter, which is the Allentown location of Fat Bob’s,” said Bridget Ryan . “So we got our heads together with our chef to see what the surrounding neighborhood has and does not have.” | Read more

? Four years after the closing of Morton’s Steakhouse at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo , a new full-service restaurant will open this spring. Johnny D’s is planned for the space, which underwent a complete overhaul two years ago and also previously housed E.B. Green’s Steakhouse.

Chris Harter, a former executive with Delaware North, will own the restaurant business through a lease deal with Douglas Development. | Read more

? If that's not enough restaurant news for you, we've got Tracey Drury 's comprehensive roundup of this month's coverage. | Read more

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Downtown office landlords navigate tough choices

The owners and managers of some of Buffalo's largest office buildings are walking a tricky tightrope as demand for office space contracts.

Main Place Liberty Group owns the 350,000-square-foot Main Place Tower and the 300,000-square-foot Liberty Building. Occupancy rates in these buildings have remained stable since pre-pandemic, but the needs of tenants have shifted, according to Michael Manning , vice president of leasing.

"We have noticed significant changes in how office space it utilized, specifically from our tenants," Manning said. "As we're doing renewal deals, and as we're seeing new lease requirements come on, we're definitely seeing a trend of tenants needing less space."

It's a pattern that's repeating in buildings throughout the city. ? |? Read more

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New college president makes new campus a top priority

A couple months into being president of her alma mater, Adiam Tsegai is prioritizing a search for a new location for Erie Community College ’s South Campus.

The school’s current south campus sits between Southwestern Boulevard and Big Tree Road in Orchard Park, near Highmark Stadium. While the board of trustees approved continuing the college's presence in the South Towns, the current campus is too big.

“We have to have access to education in all Western New York communities,” Tsegai said. “The college in general, has significantly decreased over time, and that’s a factor. The space we have is outdated and it’s huge. Students would be in different buildings and not have a community of learning.” ? |? Read more

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Budget, grant funding rise at Roswell Park

Last year saw a series of ups and downs at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center .

A leadership shakeup at the board level saw the appointment of a new board chair and the appointment of a new chief diversity officer. Both followed a series of lawsuits and settlements tied to racial and gender discrimination.

Yet it was business as usual on the clinical side: Roswell Park saw its budget grow to $1.4 billion, with clinical revenue up 51% in five years and active patient volume up 26%. That’s driven in part by more preventive screenings and new outpatient services and sites.? |? Read more

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Nonstop from Buffalo to 25 warm or western cities

After a long January and an over-too-soon Bills playoff run, for many Western New Yorkers it’s time to get away — and no one wants to spend PTO waiting in multiple airports, switching flights or tracking luggage.

So what cities can you fly nonstop to from Buffalo? Business First compiled a list of destinations available from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. ? |? Read more

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December's high-end deals

More high-end deals closed in December than in the same month a year before, a rare occurrence last year. We've got the details on all 205 of them.? |? Read more

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This Weekly Edition was compiled by Sara Paulson Meehan. Questions? Comments? Concerns??Send them to [email protected].