Nation’s Restaurant News highlights eight emerging restaurants that are stirring the pot. These concepts all have that something special.
Here’s a taste of a few lessons from these brands on the move.
1. Putting the cart before the horse isn’t always wrong.
Cane Rosso’s owner Jay Jerrier bought a woodburning oven on a trailer before he even knew what he wanted to do with it. Now, he has nine Texas restaurants that serve Neapolitan pizza and other Italian dishes.
2. Limited service can mean many, many things these days.
Take San Francisco-based Souvla. This “fast dine” Greek restaurant calls itself date friendly, but also makes getting takeout a breeze.
3. The atypical path is typical in the restaurant biz.
Maria Empanada founder Lorena Cantarovici started her business in her garage before raising $3.5 million in funding. Einat Admony waited eight years before finding the right partners to expand her falafel and fast-casual restaurant Taïm.
4. Edgy can get too edgy when you grow.
Before Denver restaurant Tacos Tequila Whiskey was Tacos Tequila Whiskey, it was Pinche Taqueria. When the brand applied for a liquor license for its second unit, a bilingual official at the state liquor board was not amused.
5. International influences with a twist keep things interesting.
It’s OK to get creative, if the brands on this Breakout Brands list have anything to say about it. New York-based Snowdays took the Asian dessert shaved ice to a new place with shaved cream. Snowdays, using locally sourced dairy, offers traditional Asian flavors like red bean alongside American ice cream favorites like cookies n’ cream.
There’s a lot more to learn from these up-and-coming brands.
Contact Jenna Telesca at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter: @JennaTelesca
