“It doesn’t seem that there are a lot of alternatives there,” he said. “[There’s] no middle of the road restaurant that offers many exciting things.”

He said that Rock Bottom had faltered because of a difficult transition after Brew Moon became Rock Bottom in 2001, and was not necessarily the result of a lack of business.

But David Tetraer, co-owner of Brother Jimmy’s, said that there was not enough business to keep his Winthrop Street restaurant afloat.

“The particular location in Cambridge is a very expensive location,” said Tetraer, who also runs four restaurants in New York City.

Hoffa’s Swiss Alps will offer a selection of “European-American” food such as fondue, bratwurst, and schnitzel, along with more traditional fare.

Phatt Boys will have a full range of New England seafood and southern barbecue and chops. Stoughton added that the restaurant might also brew beer on site by the end of the year.

A new late-night diner, run by the owners of Felipe’s Taqueria, was slated to open in the Garage in April, but no report on the progress of the diner’s construction was available last night.

—Amos Barshad contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Joseph M. Tartakoff can be reached at tartakof@fas.harvard.edu.