June 26, 2009

For Immediate Release

Green Dog Café adding new flavor to Columbia Tusculum neighborhood 

Chef Mary Swortwood to bring fresh offerings, outdoor dining to Columbia Square development; opening July 2009

CINCINNATI – As construction of their new restaurant comes to a close, Green Dog Café owners are attending to final details of the kitchen and dining space, readying for a mid-July opening date at Columbia Square, a mixed-use redevelopment of corporate office and neighborhood retail.

Chef Mary Swortwood has started up and owned Greater Cincinnati restaurants before – the acclaimed Brown Dog Café in Blue Ash and Tinks Cafe, in Clifton -- so she knows the elements that are essential to making them successful.  In Green Dog Café, Ms. Swortwood and business partner Mark Swortwood have refined the concept.  The emphasis for this endeavor is green – sourcing ingredients locally whenever possible and using sustainable materials and renewable resources in a stylish environment, worthy of Ms. Swortwood’s inspired food and wine pairings.

The Swortwoods signed the lease for just over 3,200 square feet in Columbia Square’s retail district earlier this year. Project developer Al. Neyer, Inc. completed the first phase of the retail district in fall 2008; the 48,000-square-foot multi-tenant corporate office building, One Columbia Square, opened in summer 2008. 

“Green Dog Café is an exciting addition to Columbia Square and complements  the eclectic Columbia Tusculum business district with an upscale, fresh dining option,” according to Molly Paquette, director of real estate development for Al. Neyer. 

“We’re excited to again have a Cincinnati restaurant and one that aligns with green thinking,” according to Mary Swortwood, chef and owner of Green Dog Café. “Our children are now old enough to be part of this new restaurant, and they care a lot about the green steps we’re taking to reduce energy and produce healthier food. Everything at Green Dog will be made fresh, in-house in an open-kitchen concept.”   Green Dog Café will seat 120 indoors and about 40 outdoors.

Mark Swortwood said the menu will appeal to vegans, vegetarians and those who don’t tolerate wheat and dairy, yet, “we won’t forget folks who like the basics and no man will leave hungry!”  He said the restaurant will appeal to a wide range of ages and demographics, which is well-aligned with the businesses and residents near the location.

Unique to the Greater Cincinnati restaurant scene, Mark Swortwood said, is how Green Dog patrons order and receive meals.

“Mary and I both travel extensively and have had the opportunity to experience walk-up service, finished with full table service. This saves the patron time and money, without giving up quality. It’s the perfect blend of a quality dining experience without all of the fluff and tipping isn’t required – simply place your order, take a seat and we take it from there.”

Green Dog Café will have a full liquor license.

Peter Borchers & Casey Ward from Midland Retail brokered the deal to bring Green Dog to Columbia Square.

About Columbia Square

Developed by Al. Neyer, Inc., Columbia Square is a $19 million mixed-use project that includes a 48,000-square-foot multi-tenant office building with room for a first-floor restaurant, three multi-tenant retail buildings totaling 25,000 square feet; and space for a single-tenant building.  Tenants include Anytime Fitness, Gymboree and Bruegger’s Bagels, which opens in August 2009. The project creates a signature architectural statement in historic Columbia Tusculum neighborhood, recognizable by its pronounced hillsides and defined rows of Victorian-era homes. One Columbia Square office building opened in Summer 2008. City of Cincinnati provided substantial contribution to Columbia Square, totaling about $2.5 million in infrastructure improvements and bond financing.

CONTACT:

Molly Paquette
Al. Neyer, Inc.
(513) 607- 1873 

Mark Swortwood
Green Dog Café
(513) 479-9676 

Mary Swortwood
Green Dog Café
(513) 309-7544