Prim Mason restaurant coming to Gravity in 2024
It seems only fitting that the latest restaurant planned for Gravity, the Franklinton development that boasts of being “mindfully developed to foster wellbeing,” will focus on fresh, natural and healthy ingredients.
Orange Umbrella Restaurant Group, the owner of Local Cantina and seven other central Ohio names, on Thursday announced plans for a new restaurant that will open by next spring in a 98-year-old former industrial building that still stands among Gravity’s modern residential and office towers.
Prim Mason will offer bowls, wraps, salads, sandwiches and flatbreads. It will differentiate itself from others in the fresh-and-natural dining lane with a menu of fresh juices and alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktails, Orange Umbrella CEO Jordan Helman said.
“We’ll lean more into the beverage side,” said Helman, who cofounded High Bank Distillery in 2018 and Zest Juice Co., in 2014.
He doesn’t think that healthy lane is overcrowded in Columbus, though.
“The food scene is getting a lot more options,” Helman said. “But there’s still probably more unhealthy options than healthy options.”
More: Gravity and Land-Grant team up for new adult playground in Franklinton
Brett Kaufman, CEO of Kaufman Development and the brainchild behind Gravity, said Prim Mason will fit in perfectly at the self-styled “conscious community” that organizes neighborhood litter cleanups, offers free yoga sessions and hosts artists-in-residence who get to live rent-free.
“We’re really excited about their vision for Prim Mason, from its overall vibe to its focus on fresh ingredients,” he said in a news release.
Earlier this month, Punch Bowl Social announced plans to bring its "eatertainment" concept ? bowling, ping pong, billiards, foosball, darts, arcade games, karaoke, food and drinks ? to a new building now under construction in Gravity's second phase. The Denver-based company currently operates locations in Cleveland's Flats and Indianapolis.
Gravity has teamed up with Land-Grant Brewing Co. to develop a year-round adult playground at the southeast corner of McDowell and W. State streets.
Helman said he first looked at the future Prim Mason spot, in a Gravity building near the northeast corner of McDowell and W. State, before the COVID-19 pandemic. He was drawn to the character of its cream brick walls and high ceilings. He said he’s been kicking around the idea for a restaurant like Prim Mason for a few years, too.
The name Prim Mason is a juxtaposition: “Prim representing all things alluring and exceptional, and Mason representing the foundation and dedication required to achieve it,” according to the news release issued by Gravity and Orange Umbrella.
The restaurant will occupy 3,000 square feet of indoor space and a 1,400-square-foot patio. The patio will be next to a swimming pool for Gravity residents, and Helman said plans include allowing customers to place orders from the pool and Gravity courtyard.
He said he hopes to open Prim Mason in April or May 2024.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Prim Mason restaurant to open at Gravity in 2024
