The restaurant replaces Tavolino Italian Gourmet, which operated in the space for more than a decade before abruptly closing in February.
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Worcester Business Journal and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Brio 33, a restaurant in Westborough’s Bay State Commons plaza, celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting on Thursday.
The restaurant replaces Tavolino Italian Gourmet, which operated in the space for more than a decade before abruptly closing in February, leaving employees scrambling for work.
Brio 33 Co-owner and Westborough resident Gail Hanson was part of a team that brought the space back to life, with the help of Manager Abigail Winant and Executive Chef Kevin Sanders, two former Tavolino employees.
About half of the 40 or so employees at Brio 33 are former Tavolino staffers, said Hanson, a former patron of the restaurant. The grand opening of Brio 33 on Thursday came after a soft opening in late October.
“It's not part of a restaurant group,” Hanson said of Brio 33. “There's only one, and we're here to hit it out of the park and make it a great thing for the team and for the community.”
The restaurant is one of several in the MetroWest area opening in spaces formerly occupied by other restaurants, as higher construction costs have encouraged prospective restaurateurs to look for spaces with food-related infrastructure in place.
“The journey is kind of what embodies who we are,” Sanders said of the effort to reopen in the space following Tavolino’s abrupt closure. “We just kind of kept showing up, and nothing's impossible. The community rallied behind us even before we were open.”
Brio 33 has a bar and outdoor patio space. The restaurant is described as a New England-style bistro, with a menu featuring dishes like bacon-hash scallops, clam chowder, lobster newburg, and steak tips.
Brio 33 is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at 600 Union St.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
