Fishers officials announced Wednesday that two high-profile local businesses are the first to reach an agreement to move into The Yard, a planned dining district and culinary incubator on 116th Street near I-69.

St. Elmo spinoffs, Burger Study and 1933 Lounge, are expected to open in July 2019. The Yard foodie hub could have at least 18 restaurants.

The announcement was posted on the Fishers' Facebook page. Mayor Scott Fadness conducted a recorded interview with St. Elmo President Craig Huse about the deal.

Burger Study is an Ivy League-themed burger place, and 1933 Lounge is a post-prohibition era-style tavern.

Huse told Fadness that 1933's interior would be "rich and warm where you can have a conversation and a cocktail," in leather chairs near a fireplace.

Huse said the burgers at Burger Study are for grown-ups.

"As you become an adult your tastes elevates as well," Huse said. "Our burgers are the type you would make for yourself if you had a last meal request."

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Fadness suggested that the prominent restaurateur would help him attract new business to Fishers.

"When I try to attract CEOs and companies to Fishers a lot of times they ask me, 'Where are the unique places my customers and employees can go for lunch?' " Fadness told Huse in the interview.

The Yard's developer, Thompson Thrift, has been in lease negotiations for months with as many as 18 restaurants planned for the district, which will include a "culinary incubator" for start-up chefs to test their concepts. Company Vice President Ashlee Boyd said a lease has been signed with 1933 and a verbal agreement has been reached with Burger Study.

He said the developer is also trying to attract a 220-room hotel and other, non-dining businesses to fill out The Yard.

"We are seeking a good mix, not only of dining experiences but the type of small businesses that fit there," Boyd said.

Boyd declined to identify who else he was negotiating with but said the company had reached out to almost all local restaurant groups, including the Cunningham Group, which owns Bru Burger Bar and several other restaurants in Downtown Indianapolis and the suburbs.

Boyd said he wants the restaurants to include a mix of local and national businesses with one serving as an anchor to the development.

The incubator would be in a large building with a dining hall.

Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at (317) 444-6418.