Il Forno Expands To Worcester
Photo/Livia Gershon
Il Forno's latest location is at 1 Exchange Place in Worcester. There are now four locations in Central Massachusetts: Fitchburg (where it started out), Westborough, Acton and Worcester.
With discretionary spending down, and surveys showing Americans far less inclined to eat out than in past years, it might seem like the wrong time for a restaurant to open a new location.
But that’s just what Il Forno, a mini-chain of Italian restaurants that started in Fitchburg 17 years ago, is doing.
The newest Il Forno opened in late February at 1 Exchange Place in Worcester. That brings the family of restaurants bearing the same name and owned by Michael Mohamed to four: the original in Fitchburg, one in Westborough, one in Acton and the new Worcester spot.
Business Distraction
“He’s been wanting to expand just because he gets a little, I guess you could say bored, within the other restaurants,” said Tiffany Thibodeau, manager of the new Worcester location and a nine-year veteran of the chain.
Thibodeau said Mohammed began looking for new options nearly a year ago. He considered 1 Exchange Place as a possible location but didn’t pursue it seriously until the landlords there got in touch with him to discuss adding the new restaurant near a cigar bar and wine bar that were moving to the location.
“They had a lot of things in the area that were going to be new and fresh,” Thibodeau said.
Peter Christie, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association said real estate considerations can offer an incentive for restaurants to open in a climate that is otherwise somewhat inhospitable.
“The opportunity now is that people are able to get some really good space at a really good dollar,” he said. “In a business where profit margins are so slim the difference in real estate costs can really make a difference to their bottom line.”
Thibodeau said things have been going well so far at the new location. She said the presence of the other entertainment destinations nearby helps bring in new customers, and the location also has been attracting fans of the other Il Forno sites.
“Having the other three restaurants has really helped develop our name,” she said.
Il Forno also offers a chance for customers to spend less than they might at other restaurants with its BYOB policy.
In general, the four restaurants are working to keep people coming back, even if they don’t spend as much. That includes new lunch and dinner buffets at the Fitchburg location, for $6.95 and $9.95 per person, respectively.
“We’ve done different things to kind of continue to capture our customers and make affordable options for them so that they’ll continue to come,” Thibodeau said.
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