EB Strong's Prime Steakhouse, located at 10 Church Street in Burlington, is hoping to expand into the neighboring storefront left empty when Danform Shoes closed its downtown outpost in early February. Co-owner Tim Halvorson said he and his wife, Kristin, are in the process of securing permi ts to add about 25 seats to their 75-seat steakhouse and connect the former retail store at 2 Church Street with the 13-year-old restaurant. Tim noted that both are in the Richardson building and were historically connected as part of Abernethy's Department Store, which closed in 1982. The Halvorsons also own Halvorson's Upstreet Café, which has operated at 16 Church Street for more than 40 years. Tim, 65, said he saw an opportunity to enlarge the steakhouse dining room to meet peak demand at EB Strong's. He explained that at least 20 times a year on college parents' weekends, graduation and Valentine's Day, for example, the steakhouse has to turn away customers. The longtime restaurateur acknowledged that the restaurant industry, especially in downtown Burlington, is going through a challenging period. "The last five years have been really crazy," Tim said. On top of extreme labor shortages and rising food costs, he noted, the city is struggling with escalating "behavioral problems and quality-of-life issues" related to crime, addiction and homelessness. But, Tim added, "I've always been kind of an optimist. As long as there's a thriving university on the hill and a beautiful lake below us, there's always going to be room for something in between those two. "A thriving hospitality industry in a town makes a good town," he concluded… ...read more read less