American Airlines Arena, home to the Miami Heat basketball franchise, officially got into the restaurant and event business on Jan. 25, when it held a private party to debut 601, an 11,500-sf multipurpose space that offers fans and patrons a la carte dining, tapas, specialty drinks, and a variety of craft beers.
601 (the number of the arena’s address, 601 Biscayne Boulevard) fills a space that had been vacant since June 2014, when Gloria and Emilio Estaban closed Bongos Cuban Café. The couple had leased that space for 15 years.
The Heat Group, which manages the arena, took a couple of years to decide what it wanted to do with this space, says Michael McCullough, its Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. The Heat Group considered leasing the space to a franchise, but chose instead to turn it into an event space—“not unlike a hotel ballroom,” says McCullough—that can host weddings, office parties, bar mitzvahs, and other gatherings.
A sprawling 5,000-sf private dining space on the lower level can handle large corporate and social events.
In converting this space to 601, The Heat Group worked with DLR Group, the same architectural firm it used last year to retrofit the arena’s 23,000-sf East Plaza into a solar pavilion. “They are very forward thinking,” says McCullough about the firm. Brodson Construction, based in South Florida, was the contractor of record.
American Airlines Arena already had several food and entertainment venues, including the upscale restaurant/lounge Dewar’s VIP Lounge, and a number of franchises included Pincho factory and Pubbelly’s.
But 601 is different, says McCullouch, because of its flexibility and menu. It can offer a quick-service menu, a chef’s table, or whatever dining a client might want from its state of the art kitchens. “The main thing that we tried to do here was bring the landscape of Miami, reflect it in the offerings,” Rufino Rengifo, 601’s executive chef, told News 7 Miami.
A 5,000-sf “ballroom-like” area within 601 can handle different sized groups, and offer casual or fine dining. Image: Courtesy The Heat Group
The upstairs area includes a self-serve craft beer wall, for which customers can buy a card and draw their own drafts. The space also has a Tumbler bar with a range of mixed drinks and wine, and phone-charging stations at every table. And it's right on Biscayne Bay.
601 is open to all ticketholders 90 minutes before and up to two hours after every Heat game, as well as select Arena events like concerts.
Now that it’s been open a month, McCullough says no booking patterns have emerged. But 601 doesn’t seem to be cutting into the business of the Arena’s other dining spaces, or its skyboxes. (The Heat ranks among the NBA’s leaders in attendance.) McCullough notes, though, that when the Heat is playing, 601 seems to be drawing smaller groups.
Related Stories
| Jan 13, 2014
Custom exterior fabricator A. Zahner unveils free façade design software for architects
The web-based tool uses the company's factory floor like "a massive rapid prototype machine,” allowing designers to manipulate designs on the fly based on cost and other factors, according to CEO/President Bill Zahner.
| Jan 11, 2014
Getting to net-zero energy with brick masonry construction [AIA course]
When targeting net-zero energy performance, AEC professionals are advised to tackle energy demand first. This AIA course covers brick masonry's role in reducing energy consumption in buildings.
| Jan 7, 2014
Concrete solutions: 9 innovations for a construction essential
BD+C editors offer a roundup of new products and case studies that represent the latest breakthroughs in concrete technology.
Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2014
9 mega redevelopments poised to transform the urban landscape
Slowed by the recession—and often by protracted negotiations—some big redevelopment plans are now moving ahead. Here’s a sampling of nine major mixed-use projects throughout the country.
| Dec 27, 2013
$1 billion 'city within a city' development approved by Coachella, Calif., city council
The mega development includes 7,800 homes, a retail center, office space, and nearly 350 acres of open space.
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 9, 2013
Tips for designing higher education's newest building type: the learning commons
In this era of scaled-down budgets, maximized efficiencies, new learning methods and social media’s domination of face time, college and university campuses are gravitating toward a new space type: the learning commons.
| Dec 4, 2013
First look: Dubai's winning bid for World Expo 2020 [slideshow]
Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo. HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021.
| Dec 3, 2013
Historic Daytona International Speedway undergoing $400 million facelift
The Daytona International Speedway is zooming ahead on the largest renovation in the Florida venue’s 54-year history. Improvements include five redesigned guest entrances, an extended grandstand with 101,000 new seats, and more than 60 new trackside suites for corporate entertaining.