Upscale sports-themed restaurant PrimeTime opened at the Cambria Hotel in College Park on March 27, according to a news release from the restaurant.
The restaurant features American cuisine, including steaks and burgers, seafood, salads and more. It also has a bar that serves University of Maryland-themed cocktails, such as the “Terrapin Margarita” and the “University Fizz.”
PrimeTime has filled the space that was previously occupied by College Park Grill, which closed in 2023.
The restaurant’s layout and design showcase the history of sports from the 1920s to the 1970s, according to George Korten, president of the George Martin Group, which owns the restaurant.
“It’s a couple of steps above your typical student’s college bar,” Korten said. “It’s a real restaurant.”
PrimeTime currently serves breakfast and dinner, and will be open for lunch service starting April 7. The restaurant is also currently offering a 10 percent discount on food to this university’s faculty and staff members with their university ID.
The restaurant also features a private dining room that can be used for events, such as meetings and parties.
George Martin Group’s corporate chef Frank Greco said he has known Korten since he was a kid and the pair have opened multiple restaurants together.
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Greco said he has been responsible for hiring and training kitchen staff and curating the menu for the restaurant’s opening.
“The opening process is chaotic and hectic, but the menu development is the good part,” Greco said. “We do a lot of research, and we tapped into a lot of things that we found successful in our other restaurants.”
The George Martin Group has five other restaurants across New York and Maryland, including Grillfire and Anejo Rose. Both of these restaurants are located in The Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover.
Southern Management Companies owns the hotel in Hanover and The Hotel at the University of Maryland and Cambria Hotel College Park, where PrimeTime is located.
Southern Management Companies’ vice president of hospitality and sales Jeff Brainard said the company’s existing relationship with the George Martin Group from their Hanover hotel made it an easy decision to reach out to them to open PrimeTime.
Opening restaurants inside hotels bolsters hotel quality and offers an eating experience curated by experts, Brainard explained.
“We’re hoteliers, not great restaurateurs, but we know how to find great restaurateurs,” Brainard said.
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Michael Williams, College Park’s economic development director, was pleased that the restaurant’s opening created between 50 and 75 full-time and part-time jobs in the city.
The restaurant will offer an option that is “more than casual dining” for people who visit College Park, Williams said.
George Martin Group’s assistant general manager Kristina Santeramo hopes the restaurant will become a “hub” to watch Maryland sports games. She is excited about the environment during football and basketball games in the future, Santeramo said
Matt Santeramo, the restaurant’s managing partner, said the group is excited to bring a restaurant to College Park because of the city’s recent growth.
“[This] university is a top school in the country and there’s just been a lot of development and change and opportunity,” Matt Santeramo said. “I think that George [Martin Group] is getting in early, honestly, for what’s to come in the future for the area.”
