Nile is planning to close in Church Hill and relocate to Hatch Kitchen, where the Ethiopian eatery will transition into making packaged meals. (Courtesy Nile)
After nearly two decades and three different locations, Church Hill restaurant Nile plans to ditch its brick-and-mortar model in favor of a pivot into packaged meals.
The Ethiopian eatery plans to close its doors at 306 N. 29th St. and relocate this winter to Hatch Kitchen, a commissary in South Richmond where Nile will make packaged meals.
Co-owner Yosef Teklemariam said packaged foods have long been on the drawing board for Nile. With the opening of Hatch Kitchen in recent years and Nile’s Church Hill lease about to expire, he said it seemed like the right time to make the change.
Yosef Teklemariam
“For the past 10 years we’ve been interested in packaging some Ethiopian dishes. There were some commissary kitchens in the past, but nothing like Hatch Kitchen,” he said in an interview Thursday.
“We started this with all our mom’s recipes, and she’s still involved in menu development and catering specifically. We talked about it when we would purchase packaged ethnic food like Indian and Thai,” he said. “It’s something we’ve dreamed of.”
Teklemariam declined to comment on further details of the pivot into packaged meals.
“We’ve built for nearly two decades our brand and we felt like, ‘You know, this is not being done and if we’re ever going to try it, we have to go for it now,” he said.
Nile also does catering and plans to continue to do so in addition to packaged meals after it shutters the brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Nile originally opened in 2006 on Laurel Street and later moved to 2907 W. Cary St. for a year and a half before landing in Church Hill. Nile has operated at its current Church Hill location since 2016. Teklemariam owns the restaurant with twin brother Benyam.
The restaurant will close Jan. 7 and recently announced its impending next chapter on social media. Teklemariam said the owners wanted to give Nile’s fans enough time to have a sit-down experience one last time.
“We’ve got families that have been dining with us since their kids were 2 or 3 years old, and now they are college seniors,” he said. “We wanted to give ample time because we don’t intend to do another brick-and-mortar. It’s bittersweet but the timing for us just made sense.”
Nile is planning to close in Church Hill and relocate to Hatch Kitchen, where the Ethiopian eatery will transition into making packaged meals. (Courtesy Nile)
After nearly two decades and three different locations, Church Hill restaurant Nile plans to ditch its brick-and-mortar model in favor of a pivot into packaged meals.
The Ethiopian eatery plans to close its doors at 306 N. 29th St. and relocate this winter to Hatch Kitchen, a commissary in South Richmond where Nile will make packaged meals.
Co-owner Yosef Teklemariam said packaged foods have long been on the drawing board for Nile. With the opening of Hatch Kitchen in recent years and Nile’s Church Hill lease about to expire, he said it seemed like the right time to make the change.
Yosef Teklemariam
“For the past 10 years we’ve been interested in packaging some Ethiopian dishes. There were some commissary kitchens in the past, but nothing like Hatch Kitchen,” he said in an interview Thursday.
“We started this with all our mom’s recipes, and she’s still involved in menu development and catering specifically. We talked about it when we would purchase packaged ethnic food like Indian and Thai,” he said. “It’s something we’ve dreamed of.”
Teklemariam declined to comment on further details of the pivot into packaged meals.
“We’ve built for nearly two decades our brand and we felt like, ‘You know, this is not being done and if we’re ever going to try it, we have to go for it now,” he said.
Nile also does catering and plans to continue to do so in addition to packaged meals after it shutters the brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Nile originally opened in 2006 on Laurel Street and later moved to 2907 W. Cary St. for a year and a half before landing in Church Hill. Nile has operated at its current Church Hill location since 2016. Teklemariam owns the restaurant with twin brother Benyam.
The restaurant will close Jan. 7 and recently announced its impending next chapter on social media. Teklemariam said the owners wanted to give Nile’s fans enough time to have a sit-down experience one last time.
“We’ve got families that have been dining with us since their kids were 2 or 3 years old, and now they are college seniors,” he said. “We wanted to give ample time because we don’t intend to do another brick-and-mortar. It’s bittersweet but the timing for us just made sense.”
They will be missed on the Hill but we will definitely give their new concept a try!!!
this is unfortunate. I prefer fresh food to prepackaged, and all the good ethiopian places are closing. But I wish them luck in their venture
Sad for Church Hill but one more reason to go to Hatch! It is definitely hard to own an independent sit-down restaurant more than ever. Two reasons are the more reliable servers often can find better work elsewhere and many people are saving by eating out less.