Joie de Vivre Hospitality has announced their purchase and plans to renovate the Waterfront Plaza Hotel at Jack London Square.
Published: May, 2008
Joie de Vivre at the Square
As part of the project, Bay Area culinary icon Joey Altman will spearhead the development of a new destination restaurant on Oakland’s waterfront. The remodel will focus on the adjectives, Soulful, Casual, Festive, Adventurous, and Stimulating to characterize the new vision.
The hotel will remain open during the remodeling process but the current Jack’s Bistro will close and, after extensive remodeling, reopen mid-summer under a new name and concept.
Altman, who will guide the restaurant’s rebirth, is the host of the award-winning program Bay Café, a daily television program which provides food and wine enthusiasts with an insider’s look at the Bay Area’s rich and diverse culinary scene. Altman first came into the national spotlight in 1989 with the runaway success of his San Francisco restaurant Miss Pearl’s Jam House. Miss Pearl’s African and Caribbean-inspired menu of bright, exotic flavors caught the attention of food critics nationwide and made the restaurant a smash-hit.
Joey’s energy and expertise are an enormous asset to this endeavor, said Joie de Vivre’s founder Chip Conley. Everything he does is characterized by a vivacity and enthusiasm that are sure to be evident in this restaurant.
Though the name and concept for the new hotel and restaurant have not yet been released, the groundwork has been laid. Both the restaurant and remodeled hotel are expected to debut in mid-summer 2008. The Waterfront Plaza Hotel project is part of Ellis Partners’ $375 million revitalization of Jack London Square, which will bring new restaurants, retailers and Class A offices to Oakland’s waterfront.
