Chef has plans, lease for old Fletcher's Gulf

Former Piedmont owner/chef Andy Magowan has leased the long-vacant Fletcher's Gulf building at Foster and Geer streets and plans to open a new restaurant there by February.

"I'm calling it a beer garden," he said, although his planned menu is "classic American." He does envision a lot of outdoor seating, in beer-garden tradition, though.

"The focus of the food will be on locally produced ingredients," Magowan said. "Really great classic American food with the finest ingredients I can get."

"I think he'll do a real nice job of it," said Magowan's landlord, developer Bob Chapman.

Magowan will be opening across the intersection from the recently re-opened King's Sandwich Shop, near Manbites Dog Theatre, Central Park School, the renovated Durham Athletic Park, Claymakers pottery studio and the Patanjali's yoga studio.

"It's getting to be a cool part of town," said Chapman, whose office is in a former automobile showroom just east of the corner.

The building, which encloses about 1,500 square feet, has bays opening toward both Foster and Geer, and an office set diagonally between them facing the intersection. Into the 1980s, the office doubled as a local hangout for regulars who stopped by for beers after work.

"A lot of people have a love for that building," Magowan said.