The Dish is not running away with The RumRunner. They're both running away from Walgreens.
The two connected businesses are crossing the street so that Red Point Development can demolish the west end of Encanto Place and build a new Walgreens Drug Store.
Currently, the RumRunner and the Dish are the only tenants left in the west end of the strip center in the 3200 block of East Speedway.
"The buildings are old," said Jason Wong, vice president of commercial construction with Red Point, and it has gotten increasingly difficult to attract tenants since the Speedway rewidening. "They had to reposition to have parking in back. It makes it harder to find a tenant," Wong said. "Physically, they're obsolete."
The RumRunner, one of the strip center's original tenants, was a drive-thru liquor store in the '60s.
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It had already made the transition to wine store when current owners Jennifer Elchuck and Tom Smith bought it in 1993. They added The Dish in 1997 and the little bistro quickly developed a loyal clientele and became a critics' favorite. The Zagat Survey has rated it Tucson's No. 1 restaurant for the past three years.
Smith said he's been looking for new space since his long-term lease ran out two years ago, sensing the building's owner had other plans.
He found it across Anderson Boulevard, the grandly named little street on which his business fronts. A 4,600-square-foot building, originally built as a bridge club, came up for sale and he signed a purchase agreement.
Smith said he expects to move in July. The restaurant, which traditionally takes a two-week break in the summer, is slated to be closed for two weeks and reopen on July 15.
Smith said The RumRunner "won't be down but a day" if all goes well with the move.
The building will be gutted and remodeled, but his business model will remain the same, he said — an expansive collection of wines and a cozy restaurant space. The new building is only 200 square feet larger than the one he is in now.
The chefs will have a little more room in the kitchen, he said, and wine bar seating for walk-in customers will be expanded slightly. The restaurant currently seats 45.
The new location, 3131 E. First St., does not front Speedway, but Smith said it will be visible across the parking lot for Chuy's Mesquite Broiler.
Being on Speedway was less important than staying in the neighborhood, he said. "We always hope to pick up new customers and make new friends, but our primary goal is to keep and maintain our current customer base," he said.
He wanted to stay in Midtown, near the University of Arizona and in the Miramonte Neighborhood if at all possible, he said.
"The neighbors have been fantastic," he said.
Laura Burge, aide to Councilwoman Nina Trasoff, whose office sits just south of The RumRunner and The Dish, said every neighbor she talked to was concerned most about the relocation of the restaurant and wine store.
Neighbors are also working with Walgreen Co. and the developer to create a pedestrian- friendly frontage with the neighborhood, said Ruth Beeker, a board member of the Miramonte Neighborhood Association.
Neighbors have asked the company to consider modifying its usual design to fit with the neighborhood and to slow water runoff from the site with permeable paving material.
Carol Hively, Walgreen Co. spokeswoman, was unable to give the company's position on those items.
She verified that the company plans to close its Rancho Center store at 3330 E. Speedway in early 2008 and move into a new building where the RumRunner now sits.
Al Kivel, manager of Rancho Center, said Walgreens has been a tenant since Rancho Center's second phase was built in the early '50s. "I hope the next tenant lasts as long," he said. Kivel said it's too early to discuss a replacement for Walgreens.
Hilary Meehan, project manager for Architectural Design Group, which is handling site work for Red Point, said she began meeting early with neighbors. That's routine, she said, but in this case developers also realized "the RumRunner is beloved and the City Council office is nearby."
Wong said Red Point has no plans to demolish the east side of Encanto Place, which contains Fronimo's Greek Cafe, Yoga Vida and offices. Its streetscape will be updated and some buildings reconfigured to the new parking lot, he said.
