Hiser will serve as his own contractor.

But the restaurant will have to overcome some challenges.

Its location doesn't offer high visibility. It will be built behind Monterey Mexican Grill on the south side of Kellogg at Julia Street.

Monterey owner and manager Oscar Raymundo says access to the area can be confusing for motorists as they try to navigate one-way streets and frontage roads.

"They have to know how to get around," he says.

 But Raymundo says he's seen Hiser's plans and doesn't expect direct competition from the start-up restaurant.

"He has a pretty good vision," he says.

Hiser's architect, Don Folger Jr., says the restaurant will try to make up for visibility issues with the restaurant's design. The control tower, which stands three stories tall, should be an eye-catcher, he says.

"In doing that, we had to figure out how to make all that work and still be a restaurant," he says.

The inside of the building will feature an open design with a high, arched ceiling where aviation memorabilia will hang. It will seat about 130 people in the main dining area. The control tower will seat 29.

Steakhouse Competition

Hiser says there aren't very many restaurants around the country with an aviation theme. But he says the theme will compete with other steakhouses in the area -- which is another of its challenges.

Just to the west sits Texas Roadhouse. Meanwhile, on Maize Road, Logan's Roadhouse opened its doors this spring and has another under construction on the city's eastside.

Hiser wouldn't disclose how much his restaurant will cost. But he says he isn't borrowing money for the facility or ground, which he says can make him more competitive.

Mitch Hauber, managing partner of Texas Roadhouse, says he expects competition from Hiser. But he says his store has performed well among the 275 restaurants that are part of the Texas Roadhouse chain based in Louisville, Ky.

He says location never has been a problem on Kellogg, where motorists can approach the restaurant only from the west.

"Everybody thought we were crazy when we opened this," he says.

Hauber says a market study last year showed 16 to 18 percent of his customers were from the city's eastside.

"I don't get consumed with competition," Hauber says. "I just get consumed with what we're doing."