(Photo by David Larter)
A major owner of Cafe Caturra franchises is taking one of his restaurants in a different direction.
Jeff Grant, who runs five Cafe Caturras, is planning to shut down the location at Short Pump Crossing and launch a new concept called Tazza Kitchen.
Grant, 33, said the new concept would focus on simple Mediterranean-style food served in smaller portions.
“There is a whole debate in the industry going on right now between small plates and larger entrées,” Grant said. “And that’s been fascinating to watch unfold, but what I think is undoubtedly true is that we can serve more appropriate-sized portions and still have customers leaving satisfied.”
Grant said he and his partners came up with the Tazza concept during travels in Baja California.
“They just use really fresh ingredients, and you can get a lot of great flavors without adding too much too them,” he said. “My two other partners, we love to eat, we love going out, but we don’t want to destroy our bodies. The food we’re going to prepare will have very little butter, very little cream. Most of the food is two or three ingredients.”
The food will be prepared in a wood-burning oven, he said.
The location, at 3332 Pump Road, is in a tough market for owner-operated stores. In November, Emilio’s Tapas y Paella was evicted from its Town Center West location.
“This is a brutal business, but if the food is really good, you have a good shot of making it,” Grant said.
Grant would not say how much he was investing in the Tazza renovations but called it “a significant investment.”
Cafe Caturra founding member Dexter Brown, who owns the locations at Libbie and Grove avenues and on the Midlothian Turnpike under a separate company, will continue to operate those locations and franchise other locations with new partners, Grant said.
Grant and Brown founded Cafe Caturra in 2005 with a group of investors. Grant’s other Caturra locations include a location in Arlington and three in the Carolinas.
Brown said that his company, Cafe Caturra Espresso & Roastery LLC, has signed a lease on a new Short Pump location at Colonnades Shopping Center. The 4,000-square-foot store should be up and running in the next six months.
“We’re going to develop the next couple of stores ourselves before we look for new franchising partners,” he said.
With the opening of the Colonnades store, there will be seven Caturra locations. Brown said his company was also looking at Charlottesville. Cafe Caturras cost from $500,000 to more than $1 million to build, he said.
As for Tazza, Grant said that he is waiting to hear from Henrico County on all the permits necessary to move forward and that he hopes to have the concept launched by early summer.
For now, it will be a one-off restaurant, he said.
“We’re just starting with the one,” he said. “We’re still big fans of Cafe Caturra, and we’re still going to operate the four others that we have.”
(Photo by David Larter)
A major owner of Cafe Caturra franchises is taking one of his restaurants in a different direction.
Jeff Grant, who runs five Cafe Caturras, is planning to shut down the location at Short Pump Crossing and launch a new concept called Tazza Kitchen.
Grant, 33, said the new concept would focus on simple Mediterranean-style food served in smaller portions.
“There is a whole debate in the industry going on right now between small plates and larger entrées,” Grant said. “And that’s been fascinating to watch unfold, but what I think is undoubtedly true is that we can serve more appropriate-sized portions and still have customers leaving satisfied.”
Grant said he and his partners came up with the Tazza concept during travels in Baja California.
“They just use really fresh ingredients, and you can get a lot of great flavors without adding too much too them,” he said. “My two other partners, we love to eat, we love going out, but we don’t want to destroy our bodies. The food we’re going to prepare will have very little butter, very little cream. Most of the food is two or three ingredients.”
The food will be prepared in a wood-burning oven, he said.
The location, at 3332 Pump Road, is in a tough market for owner-operated stores. In November, Emilio’s Tapas y Paella was evicted from its Town Center West location.
“This is a brutal business, but if the food is really good, you have a good shot of making it,” Grant said.
Grant would not say how much he was investing in the Tazza renovations but called it “a significant investment.”
Cafe Caturra founding member Dexter Brown, who owns the locations at Libbie and Grove avenues and on the Midlothian Turnpike under a separate company, will continue to operate those locations and franchise other locations with new partners, Grant said.
Grant and Brown founded Cafe Caturra in 2005 with a group of investors. Grant’s other Caturra locations include a location in Arlington and three in the Carolinas.
Brown said that his company, Cafe Caturra Espresso & Roastery LLC, has signed a lease on a new Short Pump location at Colonnades Shopping Center. The 4,000-square-foot store should be up and running in the next six months.
“We’re going to develop the next couple of stores ourselves before we look for new franchising partners,” he said.
With the opening of the Colonnades store, there will be seven Caturra locations. Brown said his company was also looking at Charlottesville. Cafe Caturras cost from $500,000 to more than $1 million to build, he said.
As for Tazza, Grant said that he is waiting to hear from Henrico County on all the permits necessary to move forward and that he hopes to have the concept launched by early summer.
For now, it will be a one-off restaurant, he said.
“We’re just starting with the one,” he said. “We’re still big fans of Cafe Caturra, and we’re still going to operate the four others that we have.”