April 12, 2022

Tre Lounge is still planning to open — but not until more construction has been done inside.

When the new owners purchased the restaurant and bar at 601 W. 33rd St., they initially set out to make cosmetic changes, said Michael Hillman, whose family also owns Roll’n Pin Cafe & Grille + Catering.

“In preparation for that opening, operational testing showed us that we needed to do more work than just cosmetic enhancements,” he said.

For instance, while it’s not a structural issue, they knew the back-of-house layout would need to be addressed but planned to do it in a future remodel after a few years.

“Our operational testing showed us that it can’t wait,” Hillman said. “The fact of the matter is that the back-of-house layout is on multiple levels and was designed/developed when the restaurant would have had double or triple the servers and chefs that modern restaurants employ.”

The updated work has been permitted, so the owners plan to bid the work and set an opening date.

Last fall, opening was held up by furniture and equipment delays. Since taking over, the Hillmans have painted the outside, improved the parking lot and added a catering delivery entrance on the back of the building.

The plan for Tre is to serve sharable appetizers along with lunch and dinner entrees and offer patio seating.

“On behalf of my family and our team, we genuinely appreciate … everyone’s patience while they wait for us to open,” Hillman said. “Give us a bit more time; it’ll be worth it.”