Midtown Lunch

This interesting news broke on Friday… according to Fortune, the owners of Bill’s Bar & Burgers are having difficulty securing a loan to build out their proposed restaurant in Rockefeller Center. This doesn’t mean it won’t happen though… according to one of the investors, they’ll get the loan eventually. The terms just won’t be as favorable.  Admittedly, we here at Midtown Lunch don’t know a ton about the economics involved with leasing restaurant space in Rock Center…  but we are pretty sure that Bill’s is going to do gangbusters business. So either the rent is too high to support a place where burgers are under $10 (no matter what kind of volume they do), or banks don’t like making money.  I wonder which one it is.  [via Eater]

Related:
Bill’s Bar & Burger Coming to Rock Center!

Earlier today Eater broke the huuuuuge news that Bill’s Bar & Burger will be moving into the old Tuscan Square space (on 51st btw. 5+6th.)  I sampled their smashed burger craziness in the Meatpacking District a few months ago, and from my one experience fall firmly on the “love it” side. (There has been a vocal backlash since the initial great reviews.)  It doesn’t matter which side of the debate you fall on, when combined with the Shake Shack news from last month 2010 is already shaping up to be a burgerrific year for Midtown!  The new Bill’s is slated to open in “a few months”.