Something's Brewing...
Palm Beach Post article by Mike Diamond:
Major enhancements are planned for Delray Marketplace, the 260,000-square foot shopping and entertainment plaza west of Delray Beach at Atlantic Avenue and Lyons Road.
The enhancements include a multi-million-dollar renovation of the movie-theater complex and a new restaurant offering Asian cuisine at the shuttered Aperio restaurant.
Improvements to the movie theater complex will be undertaken by Florida-based Paragon Theaters, the company that acquired Franks Theatres after it filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Paragon announced renovation plans in March 2020 but they were put on hold after the pandemic struck. With the economy recovering, Paragon says it is committed to bringing “a one-of-a-kind theater” to the area.
The entire facility will be gutted. The largest auditorium will feature South Florida’s first Extreme Theater, a 66-foot-wide screen tilted at a 15-degree angle to optimize a laser-projected viewing experience. It will feature high-definition, digital projection and Dolby Atmos sound.
All seats will have electronically operated leather recliners with footrests. Some of the theaters will have VIP “pod-style” seating in loveseat and single-seating configurations with privacy wings and individual retractable tables. Guests will be able to order freshly prepared food and beverages directly from their phones for full-service in-seat dining.
“During the shutdowns last year, we took time to consider the expectations of our guests post-pandemic and are rolling out new amenities at The Marketplace based on those discussions,” said Mike Whalen, CEO of Paragon Entertainment Holdings. “The Paragon Delray facility will reimagine the movie-going experience.”
According to Kite Realty Group Trust, the owner of Delray Marketplace, no other cinema facility in Palm Beach and Broward counties offers such amenities.
Rapoport Restaurant Group, the operator of Burt & Max’s at The Marketplace, will open a new Asian-cuisine restaurant adjacent to Burt & Max’s. The site was vacated by Aperio more than a year ago.
Burt Rapoport said the new restaurant will be called Pagoda Kitchen. It will be able to accommodate more than 200 patrons, and about half the seating will be outside, Rapoport said. The restaurant will be hiring an executive chef who is a “nationally acclaimed Asian cuisine innovator.”
Both the cinema complex and the new restaurant are expected to open in the fall.