Tracy Schuhmacher

@RahChaChow

Location, location, location is a common mantra, but it actually plays second fiddle in the eyes of restaurateur Joshua Miles.

“First it’s the real estate because the numbers need to work," Miles said. "Second it’s location, location, location.”

That point of view came into play when Miles recently shelved plans to open Haus, a German-style beer hall, at 127 Railroad St. Instead, Mexican restaurant Bitter Honey will open in that space. The Bitter Honey project had previously planned for the Neighborhood of the Arts, behind the Three Heads Brewery.

Miles moved from the NOTA location when he couldn't come to an agreement with the developer.

Frank Imburgia of 3HB Atlantic Avenue Capital Partners said that there is a great deal of interest in the space behind the brewery, and a new tenant is likely to be announced soon.

The 35-year-old co-owner of The Revelry in Rochester; Branca in Bushnell's Basin; and Buffalo Proper in Buffalo, Miles also is president of SCN Hospitality, which runs the food and beverage program at The Strathallan. Miles currently has three new restaurants in the works, while his wife, Jenna Miles, is opening a brewery.

Public Market Neighborhood: Bitter Honey

Visitors heading to the Rochester Public Market may notice a flurry of construction a few doors down from the market's Railroad Street entrance.

In addition to being home to Bitter Honey, the building will also house offices and a commissary for SCN Hospitality. John Ebel, owner of Glen Edith Coffee Roasters, will also open Boxcar Doughnuts there.

Although Miles always planned to open a Mexican restaurant in Rochester, he credits Zack Mikida, bar manager at The Revelry, with the Bitter Honey name and nuances. Mikida will be the restaurant's operating partner.

“Zack came through with an ultra dialed-in vision for it," Miles said. The food will be authentic; Mikida has spent weeks in Mexico tasting the food and drink and shopping for the restaurant. It is expected to open in December.

The location was attractive because the city is at work on a major renovation and expansion to the Public Market, and Black Button Distilling and Rohrbach had already established a presence there.

► Black Button trains future distillers (February 2016)

► Beer talk: Pioneering Rohrbach evolves, grows

“We want to be the next installment of that," Miles said. "We marry well together.”

Adding more desirability to the location: a public parking lot across the street.

"In the wintertime, on-street (parking) can be very difficult and people don’t like to walk, and this is not the type of place where you do a valet service," he said.

The commissary in the rear of the building will serve all of Miles' restaurants. Jesse Bulman, a veteran of many area restaurants, including eight years at Warfield's in Clifton Springs, was recently hired as director of bakery operations to run it.

A staff of eight will make all of the breads, desserts, pastries, ice creams, sauces, stocks, pastas, mozzarella cheese and salsas for the restaurants. It will be up and running in October.

► Pour Coffee changes name to Glen Edith

Boxcar's Ebel said he had a comfort level with opening his doughnut shop in the same building with Miles. The men have a working relationship because Miles' restaurants serve Glen Edith coffees.

"It helps when you know another business is going into it that will help draw customers to our location," Ebel said.

Like Miles, Ebel was attracted to the area by the city's investment in the Public Market.

"I think we're all banking on market days for sure," he said.

Downtown: Branca

The second location of Italian restaurant Branca will open in Tower 280 in October. Miles is hopeful that with several residential and office buildings opening in the area, there will be enough business to support the restaurant.

"We're betting on something that's not quite there yet," he said.

► Tower280 at Midtown plans Italian eatery (October 2015)

Branca opened in Bushnell's Basin in 2014 with a menu of wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, house-cured salumi and house-made pastas. The pasta and mozzarella are also made in house.

► Branca opens in Bushnell's Basin (2014)

The approach will be tweaked for downtown clientele. An Italian coffee bar will be open in the morning. Lunches will be quick for workers crunched for time. It will also feature a "robust" happy hour.

“We really believe in the downtown right now," Miles said. "It’s undergoing a phase of regrowth. It’s getting better, and we want to be a part of that.”

Canandaigua: JBones and brewery

J-Bones, a casual barbecue restaurant in Canandaigua's Pinnacle North project, is expected to open in early 2017.

“We’re going into an area that’s is undergoing a serious transition of growth," Miles said.

As he did at The Revelry, he plans to bring his Southern roots to the restaurant.

"I’m very passionate about my barbecue," he said. "It’s a style of cuisine that speaks to a very broad group of people. It’s food that has no pretense. It can make anybody happy.”

► Local restaurateurs on board at Pinnacle North (July 2015)

It will be inspired by Southern Soul Barbecue, a former gas station in St. Simons Island, Georgia, which is Miles' favorite barbecue restaurant. The J-Bones staff will stage (an industry term for an unpaid kitchen internship) with the restaurant to learn some of its techniques.

In addition, Jenna Miles is teaming up with a partnership group to launch a brewery in Pinnacle North; it is expected to open shortly before J-Bones.

Miles credits a capable staff for the couple's ability to juggle so many projects.

“We work very hard — a lot of hours — but we have people who we trust and know will take care of people like we want them to," he said.

He looks for people who have a feel for hospitality, which he values over work experience.

“We give people autonomy ... that yields people who have the true desire to take care of other individuals," he said.

Miles said the Haus project is on the back burner until he finds the right real estate. He has no further plans for expanding a restaurant empire in Rochester.

“This flurry is the end game in this town," he said. Any more new restaurants would likely come in other cities, he said.

TRACYS@Gannett.com