Magic City Grille is a popular restaurant located in Birmingham, Alabama. It is known for its delicious food and lively atmosphere. The restaurant offers a diverse menu, featuring both traditional American dishes and international flavors. One of the standout dishes at Magic City Grille is their juicy and flavorful burgers. They use high-quality ingredients and offer a variety of toppings and sauces to customize the burger to your liking. Whether you prefer classic cheeseburgers or adventurous combinations like bacon and avocado, you're sure to find something to satisfy your taste buds.
The revelry will come to an end on Sept. 3, at least, at that location. Harvill will close the shop this month, he said, due to a substantial rent increase and a failure to negotiate new leasing terms.
Within minutes, the comments and well-wishes rolled in from patrons and friends, thanking Harvill for his years as a business owner and community staple who was generous with his time. Harvill collaborated with fellow entrepreneurs, allowing artists to display their work on the walls and local cooks to workshop their recipes with a test audience.
Whether you prefer classic cheeseburgers or adventurous combinations like bacon and avocado, you're sure to find something to satisfy your taste buds. In addition to their burgers, Magic City Grille is also known for their mouthwatering chicken wings. They offer a range of flavors, from mild to hot, allowing you to choose the level of spiciness that suits your preferences.
Magic City Grille moving, other downtown Birmingham businesses impacted by rent increase
Three downtown Birmingham businesses (Magic City Grille, Bizarre: The Coffee Bar, Robert Hill Custom Tailors) are all impacted by an increase in rent in their building, causing some to close and relocate. (Shauna Stuart / AL.com)
- Shauna Stuart | [email protected]
After many years of occupancy, two downtown Birmingham businesses, including the popular restaurant Magic City Grille, will vacate their building while another’s future remains uncertain after a substantial rent increase
Last December, New Orleans-based real estate development and investment firm Kupperman Companies bought two historic Birmingham properties in a bid to enter the Alabama market: The building at 2400 First Avenue North and the building at 2201 Third Avenue North, the latter of which houses Magic City Grille, Bizarre: The Coffee Bar, and Robert Hill Custom Tailors.
Magic City Grille will relocate to Bessemer later this year, while Bizarre will close in September. Robert Hill Custom Tailors has not decided its future yet. Zach Kupperman said his investment firm worked very hard to keep Bizarre and Magic City Grille. He also said the company is still in negotiations with Hill.
“The starting point is that the building is about to fall down,” Kupperman told AL.com. “It’s in terrible condition. Nothing is up to code. The façade is being destroyed. It needs a new roof. It needs a new HVAC.”
For years, all three tenants have been in a month-to-month lease. Will Harvill, who runs Bizarre, called the situation “precarious,” but said it was “worth the gamble” since the rent was so affordable. He said he only paid $350 a month.
Now, Kupperman Companies plans to renovate the façade of the building and increase the rent. Harvill knew a rent increase would come with the territory of exterior renovations — the building has a number of much-needed repairs, including chipped paint, rotted wood around the window frames, and rusted-out siding. But in addition to paying more rent, Harvill said the current tenants would still be responsible for covering their own interior fixes.
Bizarre: The Coffee Bar
Harvill typed up the farewell notice for Bizarre: The Coffee Bar when he woke up on Tuesday morning. That night, he’d posted the message on the bar’s Facebook page as well as his personal profile.
“Hardest post I’ve ever had to write. Because of corporate progress Bizarre will be closing on Sunday September 3rd,” the post said. “It has been an amazing 5 years and we are eager to see what God has for us next.”
Within minutes, the comments and well-wishes rolled in from patrons and friends, thanking Harvill for his years as a business owner and community staple who was generous with his time.
“There’s so much I want to say. i can’t even find a way to put them in a comment,” wrote Eliza Belle. “Just know we got you. The same way you’ve had Birmingham all this time. The marathon continues…”
Bizarre opened at 217 22nd St N in 2018. Harvill, a hospitality and nightlife veteran, led the charge to transform the shop. Beyond a popular gathering spot, the bar was also an incubator for other small businesses. Harvill collaborated with fellow entrepreneurs, allowing artists to display their work on the walls and local cooks to workshop their recipes with a test audience. The strip in front of Bizarre hosted food trucks and festivities, from jerk chicken pop-ups to parties for Magic City Classic.
The revelry will come to an end on Sept. 3, at least, at that location. Harvill will close the shop this month, he said, due to a substantial rent increase and a failure to negotiate new leasing terms.
“The cost that they are asking us to foot for that is just unacceptable in most of our opinions,” said Harvill.
Will Harvill stands behind the counter at Bizarre: The Coffee Bar in downtown Birmingham. After failed lease negotiations, Harvill plans to close shutter the bar on September 3, 2023. (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)
With each tenant, Kupperman Companies started outlining new structures for leasing terms, including higher rent and a fixed-term lease. Harvill said none of the options are reasonable if he still has to spend his own money for building repairs. He wants to serve his customer-base by adding more amenities to the space, but he doesn’t want to renovate and pay more rent.
“I’d have to put a kitchen in to be able to afford the market value rent. And it’s just easier to go somewhere else,” said Harvill. “I’m not going to pay you more rent for nothing new.”
The front window of Bizarre: The Coffee Bar. The bar is set to close on September 3, 2023 (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)
Harvill is now working on his next steps and has a number of projects underway. He plans to open another concept downtown -- he signed a lease on a new space the day Kupperman Companies bought the building. He said he already bought supplies and plans to open in mid-September. Harvill is also working with liquor companies to manage their distribution in Alabama, and in addition to his hospitality and entertainment ventures, he recently acquired his real estate license.
For the rest of the week, Harvill plans to welcome customers to Bizarre for the bar’s usual weekend of festivities culminating with a final sendoff— a joint block party with Magic City Grille.
Magic City Grille
After 21 years, Magic City Grille will also end its tenure in the historic building on Sept. 3. The restaurant will open later this year in a new home in downtown Bessemer at 1901 2nd Ave North.
The announcement was still new to longtime patrons who read the sign on the door on Wednesday morning, and surprised customers asked questions while waiting on orders of pork chops and eggs.
The owners of Magic City Grill in downtown Birmingham put a sign on the front door to let customers know the restaurant would be moving to a new location in downtown Bessemer. (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)
Last year, the owners of the popular downtown eatery didn’t know what the future would hold when they found out Kupperman Companies bought the building. But after rounds of negotiations with the development firm, the restaurant decided moving was their best option.
Reginald White stands in front of Magic City Grill. September 3, 2023 will be the restaurant's last day in the White building. White's family plans to reopen the restaurant in downtown Bessemer. (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)
“We just couldn’t really get the lease to work out in our favor how we wanted to. So that’s when we started looking at other properties,” said Magic City Grille owner Reginald White. “We talked to the city and Mayor [Randall] Woodfin and they tried to find a [place] for us in the city of Birmingham, but it was just better for us to move to Bessemer.”
While White wouldn’t disclose how much his family paid for rent, he did say Kupperman’s initial proposal was 10-times the monthly amount they had previously paid. While the two parties were able to negotiate the rate down to a manageable price, they were unable to agree on other elements of the contract.
“I don’t want to make it seem like they were trying to kick us out or whatever,” said White. “It was our decision to leave.”
Robert Hill Custom Tailors
Robert Hill beamed Wednesday morning as he stood behind the counter of his shop at 2205 3rd Ave N. The building’s longest tenant remembers the day he opened Robert Hill Custom Tailors 40 years ago.
“August 3, 1983,” he said proudly. His smile got wider as he looked around his showroom.
“I thought this would wind up being my retirement home,” Hill said. To be clear, Hill isn’t ready to retire now. He’s well-known in the city and has a vast clientele ― Hill has tailored clothes for former Birmingham Mayor Richard Arrington, former Alabama football coach Gene Stallings, and ESPN Radio host Paul Finebaum.
He’s remodeled the shop throughout the decades, adding on little by little. At one point, Robert Hill Custom Tailors was the only tenant in the building. “We improved this building and made it somewhat comfortable,” Hill said. “It looks pretty decent for a tailor shop. So we’re happy to be here and it’s just been very nice.”
Robert Hill stands in the showroom of his shop, Robert Hill Custom Tailors. Hill opened the shop in 1983. (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)
Like Harvill and White, Hill expected the rent to increase when Kupperman bought the building and announced plans to renovate. He said his current space has more room than he needs, and that he’s gotten a good deal on the rent. But now, Kupperman wants to charge for the full amount of square footage his shop occupies. Hill declined to disclose how much rent he pays (describing the amount as “good”), but he said the increase would be five-times the amount he currently pays.
Like his neighbors, Hill chalks it up to the nature of business. But it’s a cost his small business can’t afford to take on. So he’s in the process of trying to find a new space in case negotiations don’t work out.
“I’m not looking to get involved in a lot of big space or get a space that I have to invest a lot of money into. I’m 82-years-old. So, I’ve got to kind of look out for my time,” Hill said, smiling. " I’ll have to do a little something, but in terms of investing a lot of money into renovating a building, I’m not going to do that, unless I was going to have someone come in and carry it on. And that hasn’t happened yet.”
Hill said he’d love for his shop to remain in the downtown area near his customers, but he’s started the process of looking for a new spot. While he said he has found some affordable places, the units are in spaces above the first floor. For his business, Hill said he needs a street-level storefront where people walking by the window can see the shop’s array of ties, shoes, and custom suits.
An evening view of the Robert Hill Tailors storefront (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)
Hill said he isn’t looking forward to moving, but if push comes to shove, he’ll bite the bullet. Soon, Hill will have to press pause on the search as summer transitions to fall.
“It’s my busy season,” he said. “I can’t move right now. Fall starts and the weather changes and people start altering their clothes.”
Hill will spend the next few months preparing custom shirts and clothing as well as organizing his annual trunk show. If he finds a new place between now and early January, he might consider relocating early next year.
“I don’t know if it would work out here or not,” Hill said. “They’ve already said that the rent is going to go up. So, I can’t stay.”
Reason for the rent increase
Kupperman said the firm plans to invest $1 million in the building. The building’s rent has remained so affordable throughout the years because the previous owners let it decay, he said. They allowed tenants to have month-to-month leases paying “practically nothing” because the building was in such bad shape.
Kupperman Company specializes in “add value” work for historic buildings in disrepair, meaning the firm invests in the buildings to restore them to their former glory. Kupperman said the firm understands the difficulty of the transition and provided tenants with “low market” leasing offers (offers higher than what they are paying now, but below the general market asking price for downtown Birmingham).
Kupperman said the firm also plans to invest a significant amount of money in the tenant’s interior units to “bring up the spaces as they saw fit.”
“Whether it was new floors or new lighting or new bathrooms. We let them choose,” Kupperman said.
In the case of Bizarre, Kupperman said the company discussed multiple lease structures and offers with Harvill, offering to invest more money into the space in return for a longer-term lease.
“In essence, there were several options that we gave Mr. Harvill,” Kupperman said. “One involved us investing money. One did not. And we wanted to do a full buildout of his entire space and we wanted him to invest a certain amount. If he wanted to do something beyond the amount of money we were willing to invest, we would expect him to come up with that money.”
Kupperman said the city of Birmingham has already approved the renovation plans for the building so far, which include repairing transoms and replacing windows and frames.
He said he’s still in the process of speaking with Hill, hoping the renowned tailor remains downtown to usher in the building’s new chapter.
“We want to have new awnings, new signage. Stuff that all of the tenants will appreciate and do it in a uniform way that makes the façade look the way it used to look 100 years ago.”
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The wings are perfectly cooked and served with a side of ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping. If you're in the mood for something other than burgers or wings, Magic City Grille also offers a selection of sandwiches, salads, and entrees. Their menu includes options such as grilled chicken sandwiches, Caesar salads, and grilled salmon. Whatever you choose, you can expect fresh ingredients and flavorful dishes. Apart from the food, Magic City Grille has a vibrant and energetic atmosphere. The restaurant is often filled with locals and visitors who enjoy the lively ambiance and friendly service. The staff is attentive and knowledgeable, making your dining experience enjoyable from start to finish. Overall, Magic City Grille is a must-visit restaurant in Birmingham. With its delicious food, lively atmosphere, and friendly service, it offers a memorable dining experience for everyone. Next time you're in the area, be sure to check out this magical restaurant..
Reviews for "Dining in Style: The Ambiance and Decor of Magic City Grille"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with my experience at Magic City Grille. The food was just average and didn't live up to the hype. The service was also lacking, with slow wait times and little attention to detail. I expected a magical dining experience, but it fell flat for me.
2. John - 1 star - I had high expectations for Magic City Grille, but they completely let me down. The atmosphere was dull and uninspiring, and the food was overpriced for the quality. The servers seemed disinterested and inattentive. Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a magical dining experience.
3. Emily - 3 stars - While I didn't have a terrible time at Magic City Grille, I also didn't find it particularly special. The food was decent, but nothing I couldn't find at other restaurants. The service was average, with no standout moments. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this place again.
4. David - 2 stars - My experience at Magic City Grille was underwhelming. The food was mediocre and lacked flavor. The ambiance felt uninspired and the service was lacking. For the price point, I expected a much more magical experience. I won't be going back anytime soon.
5. Melissa - 1 star - I had such high hopes for Magic City Grille, but it was a huge disappointment. The food was bland and unappetizing, and the portion sizes were small for the price. The service was slow and inattentive, and the overall experience was lackluster. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a magical dining experience.