DCU Center's new restaurant an entrepreneurship opportunity

A $600,000 restaurant being built at Worcester’s DCU Center is set to open in mid-September – but with a twist, the Worcester entertainment venue announced Wednesday.

A key ingredient is deliberately missing: Someone to operate the space. City and DCU officials want the restaurant to serve as a business learning opportunity for a talented food professional.

As part of an incubator concept, SMG, the management company for the DCU Center — along with its food and beverage subsidiary called SAVOR … Catering by SMG — is accepting applications from entrepreneurial candidates interested in operating the eatery in an owner/operator-like capacity. “The concept is to provide a supportive environment for a budding food professional to hone their skills with the goal of graduating individuals after several years to open their own restaurant in the city of Worcester,” the statement said.

“Though the individual selected will need to demonstrate significant experience in food and menu preparation, we will be providing them regular on-going assistance in the other aspects of the restaurant business to ensure long term success,” Sandy Dunn, general manager of the DCU Center, said in the statement. More information is available here.

From a collection of seven bids, the city selected APC Development Group for the $600,000 build-out of eatery space at Commercial and Foster streets, within the DCU Center, Wednesday’s statement said. The enterprise is part of the “18-hour-a-day downtown that we have been working toward,” City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said.

“I can’t wait to see what one of Worcester’s bright culinary minds can do with this amazing new space,” Augustus said.

Officials envision a “multi-purpose” restaurant catering to walk-in customers as well as to patrons on the Arena concourse during events, according to the statement.

“Often the most accomplished chefs are unable to take the next step to owning their own establishment,” Albert Fera, director of food and beverage for SAVOR, said in the statement. The project aims to provide guidance through some of the business aspects of running a restaurant.