Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar to fill vacant space at 40th, Walnut

Students missing the Marathon Grill will have a new option to try starting this summer.

Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar will be moving into the vacant spot previously held by Marathon Grill and MarBar, which closed last May.

The new restaurant, set to open in June, will feature an upscale-casual environment with a wine bar on the second level. This location will be Harvest’s second restaurant, with its first in Glen Mills, Pa.

The farm-to-table restaurant prizes itself on its local and sustainable goals.

“The farm fresh menu options at Harvest tie in with our sustainable campus initiatives,” Penn’s Executive Director of Real Estate Ed Datz said in a press release.

Harvest will offer a menu that changes completely according to the seasons. The majority of the ingredients come from over 75 local, organic and sustainable farms.

With a focus on fresh and healthy options, the restaurant will feature a variety of flatbreads, salads and grilled meat and seafood. Ninety percent of its menu selections, including full-size entrees, will be under 500 calories.

The complementary wine bar upstairs will provide customers with 60 to 80 different types of wines, some coming from winemakers using sustainable practices. Draft beers and seasonal cocktails will also be available.

Preliminary designs are already underway. Both the interior of the building and the outside patio will undergo significant renovations, Facilities and Real Estate spokesperson Jennifer Rizzi said.

“We intend to incorporate green building features into the renovations … to create an even more environmentally friendly restaurant,” Datz said in the press release. Renovations may also include a glass facade.

Speculation of Marathon’s replacement began right when it closed its doors. Although there are a myriad of food and beverage options in the area, “retail is still very attractive in University City,” Datz said, calling the intersection of 40th and Walnut a “key corner” for Penn.

The decision to lease the space to Harvest was influenced by a variety of factors. “We had inquiries across the board,” Datz said. “We weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the concept, the potential, the retailer and our market.”

The owner of Harvest, Dave Magrogan, said this venue was chosen because it is “a prime corner in University City [with] a great mix of professionals, students, residents.” He envisions Harvest as “a very comfortable environment.”

When asked about the restaurant’s success due to its opening at the end of the school year, Rizzi said “the community is still very vibrant.”

She said it will take time to complete the renovations and “we’d rather have the space done and done well,” adding that City Tap House and Bobby’s Burger Palace also opened toward the end of the school year.

Magrogan believes the attractiveness of the restaurant comes from its different menu choices throughout the year that use local products.

“We are supporting the local community and the local economy,” he said. “It’s going to be a very high quality restaurant while at the same time offering exceptional flavors from a natural background.”

Related

Restaurant vacancies pile up around Penn’s campus
Marathon Grill at 40th and Walnut Closed

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