Tom Henderson atop the Tribune Tower in Oakland. Henderson plans to open a private venue space and has a partnership with a restaurateur. They aim to open up to 10 restaurants in the East Bay and San Francisco.
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Annie Sciacca
Reporter- San Francisco Business Times
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Shortly after announcing his plan to fill West Oakland’s supermarket hole within the year, Oakland real estate investor Tom Henderson has more plans for injecting jobs — and food — into the Bay Area.
Henderson’s plans includes a private venue space and a partnership with a restaurateur for up to 10 restaurants in the East Bay and San Francisco.
First up is his plan for the I. Magnin building, the former Community Bank of the Bay headquarters and the Dufwin Theatre that sits next to the Paramount. Henderson’s team from the Tribune Tavern, including general manager Rob Soviero and executive chef Michael Luong, will help him open a rooftop venue for weddings and private events at the top of the building, called the Magnin Rooftop Lounge.
The Uptown Oakland venue at 2001 Broadway will hold up to 400 people in its 8,000 square feeet of indoor and outdoor space. It’s set to open tentatively in March, and Henderson said he already has several weddings and a sporting event booked for the spot.
Tribune Tavern’s Soviero and Luong will be Henderson’s partners at the venue, which will only be open for events. The plan comes after Henderson’s split with restaurateur Chris Pastena, who was his partner in Tribune Tavern and Lungomare. Henderson divested Lungomare to Pastena and took over full responsibility for Tribune Tavern.
Henderson will embark on a new restaurant partnership with Marin County restaurateur Shah Bahreyni who owns Boca Tavern and Boca Pizzeria locations in Novato and Corte Madera.
Henderson and Bahreyni have plans for up to 10 restaurants in the Bay Area. Most of them would be fast casual spots in Oakland and the East Bay that feature “high value, with great ingredients,” Bahreyni said. It will likely be a pizzeria concept, but separate from Bahreyni’s Boca Pizzeria chain. Each spot would be about 2,500 to 3,000 square feet.
Annie covers hospitality food.