The full-service event venue will be a joint venture between Verona Villa and Vestals Catering by Front Burner Experiences. That company is a division of Front Burner Group Dining, which operates restaurants such as Haywire, Mexican Sugar and Legacy Hall in Plano.
Young said he created the Alora brand at the beginning of the year and had been looking for the right opportunity to bring it to life with Front Burner Experiences President Jordan Swim. They found that opportunity in the former Noah’s Event Center location in Fairview, Young said.
“There's no doubt that some people will think that we're crazy [to be expanding] at a time when there's apprehension to face-to-face gatherings,” Young said. “We're just confident that those times are coming back, and so we're just trying to position ourselves for when they do.”
Verona Villa has postponed more than 60 events over the past six months because of the coronavirus pandemic, Young said.
“That's just pushing that demand forward,” he said. “A lot of the weddings that were meant to happen this year will have to happen next year, which means people will need more places for next year and the year after.”
Young said the Fairview location, which is expected to open in mid-October, will be the first of what could be several Alora locations in the area.
“We're in discussions with some other locations to add some more Aloras over the next couple of months,” Young said, noting they are looking at “Frisco-adjacent” cities such as Plano and McKinney.
Swim called it a “wild time” to be expanding but noted people are “social beings” who are “meant to connect.”
“I think that as we emerge out of this that we're going to really see just a tremendous amount of opportunity [for this venue],” Swim said. “People are going to need spaces and places that really mean something in order to connect and relate to each other.”
