The lease on Freedom Way for approximately 3,500 square feet was signed in December, Liz Rogers said.
“It’s really just part of an expansion,” the Liberty Twp. resident said. “We’ve got a lot of Cincinnati customers too.”
Mahogany’s, which opened in Hamilton in 2010, specializes in dishes such as fried chicken and waffles, and peach cobbler.
The Cincinnati location will be about three times the size of the Hamilton restaurant, with 60 to 80 employees, she said. Mahogany’s Hamilton location, 863 Central Ave., has about 10 employees.
Head Chef Ron Benford said the Hamilton restaurant is limited by its location and many of its customers are from Cincinnati or out of state. The Banks will be a prime spot, Benford said.
“We offer the best southern-style upscale cuisine in the Tri-state,” Rogers said.
Authentic soul food is something that’s been missing for a while downtown, said Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, who attended a celebration of the lease signing Tuesday at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
For the project, the city of Cincinnati will loan the couple $300,000 to purchase machinery and equipment and another $500,000 for construction within the space, said Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney.
The Banks is an 18-acre mixed-use development of residential, retail and office space, according to its website, thebankscincy.com. It is under construction on the Ohio River between Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium. Other tenants include Johnny Rockets, the Cincinnati Police Department and Toby Keith’s Bar & Grill, among others, according to the website.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or clevingston@coxohio.com
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