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Date: 12/29/2021
SPRINGFIELD – The endless brunch offerings and creative cocktails of the Connecticut staple The Place 2 Be is expanding to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
The new location will be a part of the Hall of Fame’s array of restaurant offerings at its 1000 Hall of Fame Ave. location, with the restaurant joining Max’s Tavern, Cold Stone Creamery and Plan B Burger Bar in the museum’s plaza space as it replaces where Samuel’s Tap and Tavern used to opperate. Established in 2016, The Place 2 Be has already opened three locations across Connecticut in West Hartford, downtown Hartford and the south end of Hartford, but this will mark the restaurant’s first location outside of the state.
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, founder and CEO of The Place 2 Be Gina Luari discussed the businesses’ unique blend of bottomless drinks and all-day brunch options. “We have brunch all day, seven days a week and run our brunch into the late-night hours,” said Luari. In the businesses’ six years of operation, Luari shared that the emerging chain restaurant has been voted the best brunch spot by the Hartford Courant and the Connecticut Magazine respectively.
With the move to Springfield, Luari expressed that The Place 2 Be will only continue to grow. She said the restaurant recently hired a champion of Food Network’s Chopped TV series as the restaurant’s culinary director, with the new hire working to orchestrate an expansion of their late-night menu. The restaurant will also be opening a new location in New Haven, CT, in the near future, according to Lauri.
The decision to expand the space to Springfield and the Hall of Fame location was a byproduct of customer data gathered from their mobile payment options. “That customer data showed a tremendous amount of people with a 413 area code, so that really got us interested in Springfield as an expansionary prospect,” said Luari.
The owner highlighted a myriad of factors drawing Place 2 Be to the Hall of Fame location, citing the accessible space and the area’s recognition as a local landmark as important allures. “We love the Basketball Hall of Fame because it’s super accessible off the highway.
It’s such a landmark, and with it being our first space in Massachusetts, it’s much easier for people to find us. Connecticut everyone knows where we are, but we’re still new to this state, so I wanted it to be very accessible,” said Luari.
Currently, Luari said the restaurant is continuing to build out the new space with plans to open early in 2022. She hopes the Springfield location will help expand the businesses’ footprint into future Massachusetts locations.
“We’re really excited to bring our entire environment into Springfield,” said Luari.