KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Downtown Kalamazoo is in the middle of a major transformation, and one local restaurant owner hopes his business will be part of it.
The Kalamazoo Event Center — a 450,000-square-foot, $500 million development — is accepting applications from local food and beverage businesses hoping to land a spot on its concourse.
Applications are open through Dec. 11. The event center is expected to open next fall and attract 700,000 visitors annually.
Greg Adams is one of the hopefuls. Adams, a Kalamazoo native, started Greg's Gourmet by making plates out of his house. He has since grown the business into a sit-down restaurant at The Crossroads Mall in Portage.
"I would say where I want to be, from where I started, I'm kind of halfway there," Adams said.
Adams applied as soon as he heard the event center was looking for vendors.
"I did apply. As soon as I seen they were looking, I jumped right on it," Adams said.
He already has some menu items in mind if he's selected. Rather than some of the restaurant's higher-end offerings, he said he'd focus on loaded fries and other street food, with one particularly unusual option.
"I don't plan on bringing the lamb chops to it, but alligator would be something unique for the downtown stadium," Adams said.
Watch: A Kalamazoo restaurant owner is applying for a food vendor spot at the new $500 million downtown event center
Adams believes the local following he's built shows there's an appetite for businesses like his.
When FOX 17's Julie Dunmire asked whether he considers his journey a "Kalamazoo success story," Adams didn't hesitate.
"Most definitely. Most definitely. I'll let the people speak for themselves — I've got a fan base that can back up my story," Adams said.
For Adams, getting into the event center would be about more than expanding his own business. He believes visitors also want the new venue to reflect Kalamazoo.
"The people want something local, ultimately," Adams said.
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