After RFP attracts no other bidders, WRA signs two-year lease renewal for Maxwell Luciano’s

After searching for a potential replacement for Maxwell Luciano's Restaurant at Union Station, the Worcester Redevelopment Authority voted Thursday to sign a two-year lease renewal for the restaurant, over objections from another tenant at the train station. WRA released a request for proposals in May for the restaurant and associated event space at the train station, questioning whether Luciano’s was maximizing use of the space. However, that RFP process failed to attract any applicants other than Luciano’s. Separately, the WRA had sought proposals in early 2025 for a roughly 209-square-foot Union Station cafe or retail space, but Worcester’s Chief Development Officer and WRA CEO Peter Dunn revealed on Thursday the winner of that process — Worcester-based Creedon and Co. — was not moving forward at the site.  Dunn said the WRA would likely initiate another RFP for the space, saying the previous cafe RFP had attracted at least one other bidder.  The unanimous vote to renew Luiciano’s lease came amid a request from fellow Union Station eatery 961 Restaurant & Lounge to rescind the RFP, asking the WRA to reject Maxwell Luicano’s proposal to operate Union Station’s Grand Hall and restaurant space and issue a revised RFP. Prince Lobel Tye attorney Mark Borenstein, representing 961, argued that a more flexible process could allow the spaces to be leased separately, expand public access, and better activate the space. “I recognize that the more expedient option would be to renew for two years, but I truly believe that does a disservice to the city of Worcester,” Borenstein said during the WRA meeting, adding that it was his opinion Luciano’s RFP proposal would not have been deemed adequate had the WRA received other proposals.  In a letter to the WRA shared with WBJ, Borenstein wrote that 961 proposed operating a cafe that would extend about 30 feet into the Grand Hall, offering to remove furniture during large events to preserve public circulation, but Luciano’s declined.  Borenstein wrote that Luciano’s instead indicated it was considering expanding its event operations even closer to 961’s leased premises, leaving only the minimum clearance needed for public access. Through his attorney, Luciano’s owner Robert “Gus” Giordano declined to comment on the lease renewal or the discussions with 961.  WRA members said Borenstein raised legitimate concerns about the current use of Union Station’s event and restaurant space, but said moving forward with the lease was the best option for now. “I don't disagree with a lot of what you said,” WRA Chair Sherri Pitcher said to Borenstein. “I strongly feel the need to accept the proposal, move forward, and then in the next two years really do some analysis on what the highest and best use is for the train station.” The WRA told Luciano’s in 2023 that the lease extension it received then would be the restaurant’s last, with Dunn saying the authority was looking for a smooth transition to the site’s next operator. “We are looking to get this procurement out so that we can try to have as smooth of a transition as possible between the remaining six months that [Luciano’s] have and getting our next operator ready to go to take over,” Dunn said in December.  Then-WRA Chair Michael Angelini later told WBJ the WRA would be open for a bid from Luciano’s, saying they would go with whatever proposal maximizes the use of the space. Luciano’s was hosting 70-90 events annually, but Dunn said in December he would like bidders to aim for at least 100 events. As early as 2018, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce raised questions about whether Luciano’s use of the space was adequate; its 2018 report, “Union Station 2.0,” which sought to continue momentum from its reopening 18 years earlier, cited limited activation of Luciano’s space on weekdays. Luciano’s is open as a restaurant from Tuesday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday to Saturday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., and closed Sunday and Monday, according to its website. Weddings and other gatherings have been held at the adjacent Grand Hall.  The hall leased to Luciano’s has a capacity of about 1,000, making it the third-largest meeting venue in Central Massachusetts, according to the WBJ Research Department. Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.