Down to just China House and the locally-owned Big River Popcorn, Westland Mall’s food court became rather sparse after Maid-Rite vacated the mall in December of last year.
Last Friday, a new restaurant — BASH (Burger and SteakHouse) — opened up in the former Diamond Dave’s location in Westland Mall in West Burlington. There was little planned fanfare aside from social media updates, and the soft opening proved successful.
Owner Pietro Alfano hasn’t had much chance to leave the restaurant since then, doing his best to keep up with increasingly large crowds.
“We’ve been really busy ever since we opened,” he said.
It’s been nine years since Diamond Dave’s closed its doors, leaving only semi-fast food restaurants as mall dining options.
“It took us four months to revamp it. The old Diamond Dave’s was pretty old,” Alfano said.
BASH brings back the casual “dining out” vibe Diamond Dave’s once fostered, enriching it with higher quality burgers. Price-wise, it’s more in line with Applebee’s Bar and Grill. The cheapest burger on the menu, the classic burger with fries, is $9.99.
The most expensive item on the menu is the signature BASH Burger, which costs $18.99 with fries. Instead of standard hamburger meat, however, the patty consists of ground elk, bison, wagyu beef and wild boar, topped with sauteed onions, bacon jam, and the customer’s choice of cheese.
“You want quality, you get a quality burger here. We’re not McDonald’s. We’re not Burger King. This is BASH, it’s something different,” Alfano said.
In keeping with that spirit of commerce-minded defiance, BASH also features signature mac and cheese bowls. There is sirloin topped mac and cheese. Bacon and chicken mac and cheese, or you can build your own from the menu.
“This will bring people back to the mall again. I think we’ll do pretty well,” Alfano said.
Alfano said he’s been doing “pretty well” since he moved to Burlington 10 years ago and opened The Italian at 300 S. Leebrick St. The Italian moved into the former Sarducci’s building (now Coal Haus 337) for a short stint that proved unfeasible, but business has always been good in Burlington.
“I took a chance on Roosevelt, but it was so expensive, I just couldn’t stay in there,” Alfano said.
This is a different kind of chance. Pizza places weren’t as prominent in Burlington when Alfano opened The Italian a decade ago. Facing over-saturation in the market, he knew it was time to pivot, while still maintaining his customer base at The Italian.
“We wanted to do something different. Not pizza. We already have a pizza place,” he said.
Westland Mall offered what Alfano described as “a good deal,” and he got to work immediately. Breezy six-hour workdays, six days a week, turned into 15-hour workdays, seven days a week.
Just like the old days.
Alfano was born into the restaurant business and doesn’t mind the workaholic lifestyle starting new business demands. He just got married a year ago, and his infant daughter has doubled his ambition.
“I have to make that milk and diaper money. I’ve got another mouth to feed,” he said.
For now, BASH is just a restaurant. Starting in about a week or so, it will also be a bar. That will allow the flexibility to stay open for a drink after a late show at the Westland Theatre, or a pre-movie meal. Hours likely will extend to 1 or 2 a.m. on weekends.
BASH already has opened up early for mall walkers interested in a healthy salad, and Alfano hopes to expand those options and possibly engage in a “dinner and a movie” partnership with Westland Theatre.
The Italian, which has been closed as Alfano prepared and opened BASH, will reopen in a week or two, he said.
Photo by Anthony Dewitt