Friday, August 26, 2011

Another Boston-Rochester Connection

This article is from the Boston Herald and this morning it was mentioned on Good Morning America. I saw a newscast about it the other day too.
Another plug for Rochester on TV. There was something the other day too, but of course I can't remember what it was.
And pretty soon there will be Wegmans in the area. Rochester is invading Boston!!

Step by Step: Chef, famous bros get fired up over Wahlburgers
By Brendan Lynch
| Wednesday, August 24, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business and Markets

Photo
Photo by AP

Hingham chef Paul Wahlberg, brother of actor Mark and New Kid on the Block Donnie, has cleared a major legal hurdle in opening his new hamburger restaurant — securing the name, Wahlburgers, which had been previously trademarked.
“It just works,” said Ed St. Croix, Wahlberg’s business partner. “It’s a good-sounding brand we could put out the product with, a great name people could relate to.”
St. Croix said the restaurant’s ownership approached Tom Wahl’s, a chain of burger joints based in Rochester, N.Y., a few months ago after they discovered it sold a product called the “Wahlburger.”
“We were definitely surprised,” St. Croix said. “It was a thing we had talked about for several years.”
The Wahlburgers’ group, which is incorporated as Paragon Funding Group III LLC, secured “full spectrum” use of the name, St. Croix said, but wouldn’t discuss financial terms of the deal, or any other details, other than to say it was an amicable process.
“Working with the people out in New York, they were fantastic,” he said. “It worked out well for both sides.”
The group, which includes chef Paul and his famous brothers, also had some backup names, just in case it wasn’t able to secure the rights to Wahlburgers, but St. Croix wouldn’t divulge them for fear of confusing the issue.
Wahlburgers is slated to open soon at the Hingham Shipyard, across from the group’s Italian restaurant, Alma Nove, named in honor of the Wahlbergs’ mom and her nine kids. The group is also planning to open a pizza joint next spring.
Last week, Wahlburgers was approved for a full liquor license, pending approval by the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and the completion of the restaurant’s space, by the Hingham Board of Selectmen.
Wahlburgers will take up more than 4,300 square feet at the Shipyard, with 80 seats inside and 40 additional seats on an outdoor patio.
Hingham town administrator Ted Alexiades said the Shipyard, which opened two years ago, has been a success for the town, bringing in twice the expected meals tax revenue.
“His first restaurant has been absolutely fabulous, a real anchor for the Shipyard,” Alexiades said. “We expect nothing, but success.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1360973

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