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Il Fornaio resumes dinnerhouse expansion with a move east

CORTE MADERA Calif. Il Fornaio America Corp. here said it will return to the East Coast this summer when it opens one of its namesake regional Italian dinnerhouses and bakeries in Reston, Va., marking the first new full-service branch by the diversified operator in more than five years.

The Il Fornaio in the Reston Town Center will seat 150 people in the dining room and bar, 50 more in a private dining area with a fireplace, and an unspecified number of guests on a seasonal dining patio, the company said.

Il Fornaio had opened a unit in Dunwoody, Ga., near Atlanta, more than five years ago. It closed the relatively new but underperforming store after the New York private equity firm Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co. bought a controlling interest in the company in mid-2001.

Il Fornaio acquired the 92-unit Corner Bakery Cafe fast-casual chain from Brinker International last year. “One or two new Il Fornaio’s annually, more rapid growth at CBC and continued growth in our wholesale artisan bread [business] will power our growth for the next several years,” said Michael Mindel, vice president of marketing for the company.

Besides 22 Il Fornaio brand dinnerhouse-bakery outlets in California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington, and the Corner Bakery division, Il Fornaio America Corp. operates the high-volume, Italian dining destination Canaletto in Las Vegas and three wholesale Italian bakeries. A new artisan bakery is scheduled to open this year in Southern California, according to chief executive Michael Hislop.

Il Fornaio America Corp.’s combined restaurant operating divisions have annual sales estimated at about $300 million.

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