Stephen Starr to create a new restaurant at the Wells Fargo Center with Aramark
The restaurant, opening this fall, won’t be a 'Starr restaurant,' per se. It will be open to ticket holders at Sixers and Flyers games as well as to some events.
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As part of his collaboration with Aramark, Stephen Starr will create a new, 300-seat restaurant on the club level of the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia.
The yet-to-be-named American tavern, replacing The Grille at Wells Fargo Center, will open as part of building renovations in October at the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, Aramark announced today.
The venue won’t be a “Starr restaurant,” per se. As the official food and beverage partner at the center, Aramark will staff and operate the restaurant, which will be a premium experience open only to ticket-holders at Sixers and Flyers games, as well as at select concerts and shows, an Aramark spokesperson said.
Starr, who has nearly three dozen restaurants mostly on the East Coast, has been on a bit of a high-concept streak lately in his hometown. He is working with Comcast to develop a seasonal cafe on the plaza outside the media giant’s Center City headquarters at 17th Street and JFK Boulevard, and he is creating Bankroll, a vast, tech-based sports bar and entertainment center due to open this fall at the former Boyd theater at 1910 Chestnut St., near Rittenhouse Square.
The Rockwell Group, which over the years designed the Starr restaurants Pod, Alma de Cuba, and El Vez, will do the decor at the Wells Fargo Center. In a statement, Aramark said the look would embrace the history of Philadelphia’s sports teams with “traditional accents and lighting reminiscent of an upscale tavern” and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Philadelphia skyline.
Aramark, a Fortune 500 company valued at $9 billion, says it serves 100 million people a year nationwide at its facilities in colleges, businesses, sports and entertainment venues, convention centers, and cultural attractions.
The restaurant will be part of what is called a $300 million-plus transformation project at the center, including a new club level. Its highlights will include a premium seating entrance and lobby, new seating options and open-floor layout, exclusive retail, and themed whiskey and tequila bars.
The arena started construction on the level last week.