Fuyao creating new restaurant in Moraine

Fuyao Glass America Inc. is launching a business venture in Moraine by creating a new restaurant.

The 8,000-square-foot restaurant is being built at the southwest corner of the intersection of Hoyer Place and Encrete Lane, just outside the visitor entrance to the Fuyao plant. The restaurant will be open to the public, said John Gauthier, president of Fuyao. It will be owned by Fuyao and managed by a local restaurateur, but details and a name have not been finalized.

“It will be there to feed the workers of the factory, but also open to the public,” said Dave Burrows, vice president of operations for Fuyao.

He added more details on the restaurant will unfold in coming weeks. The restaurant, expected to open in October, will feature a public dining room of about 3,800 square feet and is expected to employ 15 to 20 people, Burrows said. Fuyao has recruited a chef who specializes in cuisine from Fujian Province in China, where Fuyao Group chairman Dewang Cao hails.

It will serve a menu of authentic Chinese dishes, but also will have a catering operation that makes American cuisine. The catering operation will serve the Fuyao plant for events and other functions there, Burrows said.

The restaurant marks another sign of economic progress in Moraine, which felt a sting when the General Motors plant closed in 2008.

Fuyao, owned by China-based Fuyao Group, is setting up a $450 million auto glass production facility at the former GM facility. The plant now has more than 1,500 employees and will scale up to 2,000 by the end of the year, Gauthier said.

The company has brought in talent from China and other parts of Fuyao’s business as the new plant has been set up.

Shook Construction is building the restaurant. Chris Josselyn has been hired by Shook as project manager for the restaurant. Its opening will coincide with the larger grand opening celebration for the Fuyao plant.Miller-Valentine Group is the construction manager for the larger Fuyao project.

DBJ