New eatery planned for former Cork 'n Fork

While all the details have not been finalized, a new restaurant is expected to open in late spring or early summer at the former Cork 'n Fork location, 2835 Mount Vernon Rd. SE.

Nathan Allick, co-owner of Emil's Hideaway, 222 Glenbrook Dr. SE, said the Mount Vernon Road building, which has about 2,000 square feet of space, will probably house Emil's Hideaway Grill - a working title for the new culinary venture.

"I would consider what we are planning  to do over there to be 'fast casual,'" Allick said. "The building does not have a bar and we will need to consider whether we will serve nice craft beers and wine. We're weighing the pros and cons of how many seats we would lose to add a bar."

Allick is partnering with Jayme Kleve Tegeler, Allyn Secor and Chris Allick to develop the new restaurant. All except Tegeler grew up near the former Cork 'n Fork, attending Erskine Elementary, McKinley Middle School and Washington High School.

"We've always wanted to be over there," Nathan Allick said. "There were a couple of other properties that opened up, but we couldn't work a deal that made sense to us. When the Cork 'n Fork building became available, we were able to work a deal and we jumped on it.

"We're excited to bring another dining option to that side of town."

Emil's Hideway at 222 Glenbrook Dr. SE is primarily a full service restaurant with a bar. While it employs around 25 people, including four people who handle food preparation, the new location will likely have about 15 employees.

"We have really good people working here who will move into management," Allick said. "We will need to hire additional people, but the new location will not require the same level of staffing."

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