Eight new eateries are joining the ranks at Gateway Center in Newark.

On Oct. 27, Onyx Equities LLC introduced what it referred to as a “carefully curated” selection of options offering both grab-and-go convenience and full-service selections at The Junction, Gateway Center’s 100,000-square-foot retail and hospitality area.

Serafina, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Fresh & Co, Greek from Greece Bakery & Café, Farinella, 375˚ Chicken & Fries, GFG Café and Cuisine and Chip City Cookies will occupy space at The Junction: a second-floor set of interconnected concourses within the 2.3 million-square-foot, four-building Gateway Center, developed and owned by Onyx Equities.

“We want to be a connection point for the millions of people who come through Gateway Center and the retailers and restaurateurs that want to be in Newark as well as those that have been here for generations,” said Onyx co-founder and Principal Jon Schultz in a statement.

On Wednesday, the firm announced that The Junction’s final available restaurant space would be determined by a competition: Open to Newark restaurateurs, the space will be built out and delivered to a Brick City-based operator at no-up front cost to them.

A multimillion dollar renovation at The Junction is almost complete, Onyx said, designed to improve the tenant, as well as pedestrian, experience at the complex. The work will result the opening of Gateway Center’s ground floor for the first time in the building’s more than 50-year history, with a grand pedestrian entrance and street-facing retail, and will add a two-story steel, aluminum and glass “Jewel Box” entrance to The Junction.

According to Onyx, Gateway Center draws 75,000 visitors each week from the New York Metro area.

“Newark is a great center for dining, and Onyx Equities is adding a new dimension to that with its transformation of the Gateway Complex to accommodate eight diverse upscale restaurants,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a  statement. “Residents, visitors, and Gateway workers alike will all enjoy outstanding dining choices and Newark’s hospitality in one place. In addition, these restaurants will provide residents with jobs and career opportunities. We are proud to add The Junction to our offerings to diners.”

On Wednesday, Onyx also announced it would hold a job fair – and invited the city to take part – to connect restaurateurs with Newark workers, likely in early 2022 to coincide with the completion of work at The Junction.

Since acquiring the property with its partners in 2018, Gateway Onyx has overseen extensive capital and service improvements, including renovated lobbies, modern buildouts and pedestrian walkways.

Recently, $200,000 was invested to install post-COVID-19 office measures. Onyx said that several construction projects were completed at the complex during the course of the pandemic, like the multimillion dollar investment in the Gateway One Garage.

“We are heartened to see that businesses agree with our belief that the Gateway Center is the conduit for commerce opportunities that will play a vital role in New Jersey’s post-pandemic economic recovery,” said Matthew Flath, vice president of asset management at Onyx Equities. “Onyx is committed to working with our retail and office tenants to provide safe, healthy, and exciting work environments that their staff feel comfortable coming back to.”