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Upstart Italian chain Pastagina dishes ‘gourmet fast pasta,’ but shuns pizza

Upstart Italian chain Pastagina dishes ‘gourmet fast pasta,’ but shuns pizza

MONTEREY PARK CALIF. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

He also treads a patented path no competitors may share—that of a quick-service concept featuring imported-from-Italy pasta that’s cooked to order from dry state to finished meal in only three minutes. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Originally from Italy, Terribili is co-founder of Pastagina, a five-unit chain here that focuses on “gourmet fast pasta.” —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Where most fast-casual Italian concepts offer a few pasta dishes as an alternative to pizza, paninis and salads, Pastagina casts its noodles in a starring role. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Customers can choose from various pasta shapes and 15 sauces—from Bolognese to smoked bacon with broccoli and toasted almonds. As guests watch at the front counter, chefs toss the freshly cooked pasta with the sauce to create a meal akin to a casual-dining experience—but in only the time needed to boil eggs for breakfast. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Pastagina is among a growing number of fast-casual Italian concepts across the country that target consumers looking for a more gourmet experience—somewhere between quick-service-pasta pioneer Fazoli’s and more-upmarket casual concepts like Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden, yet faster and less expensive. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Pizza Hut’s successful addition this year of a line of family-size pastas for home delivery points to the increasing demand for a mass-market alternative to pizza, the menu cornerstone of quick-Italian concepts. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

For Pastagina, however, a key point of differentiation is its proprietary cooking gear, which allows dried pasta to be cooked to order rapidly. At other Italian restaurants, pasta typically is parboiled then boiled off to order to shorten order turnaround. Terribili believes parboiling results in a “slimy” product that doesn’t hold sauce well because the binding starch is washed away. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

The Pastagina concept was built around a pasta-cooking machine that Terribili’s partner, Jong Kim, discovered at a restaurant show in Chicago. The first version of the machine had flaws, but Kim bought the patent and worked with engineers to improve its performance. Now the company is about to roll out a second-generation model. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

From an operational standpoint, the equipment couldn’t be simpler. The chef scoops a precisely measured amount of dry pasta directly into the top of the stainless-steel cooker and presses a button. The machine, which does not require a venting hood, uses a combination of pressure, steam and hot water to cook the pasta, which is formulated in Italy for Pastagina. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

In three minutes, the perfectly cooked pasta automatically drops out the bottom into a colander to drain. The chef then tosses the pasta with the heated sauce. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Sauces are all made from scratch at the Southern California chain’s commissary in Monterey Park. They’re pre-portioned and flash-frozen for delivery to the restaurants, which range in size from 1,300 to 1,500 square feet and do not require full-size kitchens, only prep lines consisting of the pasta machine and induction cook tops for rethermalizing sauces and soups. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Pre-portioning also helps reduce waste, Terribili said. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Along with the soups, such as chicken noodle, minestrone and Italian bean, Pastagina offers salads. In addition to Italian sodas, beer and wine, most units offer gelato and Italian-style frozen yogurt, which helps boost sales. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Most units also use real china and flatware to further convey a casual-dining experience. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Pastagina’s average check is $7 to $9 per person and Los Angeles units have been averaging about $2,300 to $2,400 in sales per day, Terribili said. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Some say pasta is a difficult sell at lunch because of its lack of portability, but Terribili said his concept has worked well in high-volume business areas. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

“Pasta has always been viewed as a dinner item, but we have to change the mentality a bit,” Terribili said. “I see pasta as an alternative to burgers. It’s more healthy.” —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

No newcomer to the restaurant business, Terribili also owns a three-unit casual-dining chain, Spark Woodfire Grill, and a seafood concept called Red Fish. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

After emigrating from Italy in 1979, he worked as a manager at the once legendary Rex il Ristorante in downtown Los Angeles and later opened the trattoria Alto Palato, which he sold after about 11 years to open the Spark concept with partner Kim. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

While the Spark restaurants and Red Fish are operated by Spark LLC, Pastagina is operated separately under Pastaria LLC. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

The company plans to open two more Pastaginas in Los Angeles this year, and three are scheduled to open in 2009. Terribili, whose first Pastagina debuted in 2007, hasn’t decided whether he will franchise the concept. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

“The company is very young,” he said. “I don’t know which direction I will take yet. After we have 10 open, we will make a decision.” —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Some foodservice veterans think a narrowly drawn pasta concept has advantages and drawbacks. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Consultant Dennis Lombardi, a principal at WD Partners in Columbus, Ohio, said Pastagina’s simplified production process and small footprint sound like “a great concept for college campuses or airports.” —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

However, main-course additions might be necessary to broaden the market base. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

“If you’re only serving pasta, you’re limiting your reach and frequency of customer,” Lombardi said. “There’s a veto vote issue.” —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

With quality pasta as the main selling point, Pastagina will also face competition from up-and-coming competitors such as Vapiano, an international brand owned and franchised by Hamburg, Germany-based Vapiano International. Pasta is made fresh in-house at Vapiano units and not dried, allowing for quick cooking. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

As with most fast-casual Italian concepts, however, Vapiano’s pastas, which account for 30 percent to 40 percent of sales, share the menu with pizzas and salads. The company and its franchisees operate 35 units in 12 countries, including three U.S. branches on the East Coast. Another 80 to 100 U.S. outlets are planned for the next three to four years. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Terribili said fresh pasta has its place as a softer noodle, but it doesn’t offer the same “bite” as pasta cooked from dry. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

“They’re really two different products,” he said. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

So far, most fast-casual Italian chains around the country remain relatively small. Go Roma, a brand owned by San Francisco-based Forklift Brands, has eight units, and growth is on hold while the concept is tweaked, president Jeff Drake said. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

In Los Angeles, Maria’s Italian Kitchen, with nine full-service units, recently opened the limited-menu, lower-priced Maria’s Express as a potential growth vehicle. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

Mary’s Pizza Shack, a nearly 50-year-old chain based in Sonoma, Calif., is developing a fast-casual variant under a different name, though chief executive Cullen Williamson declined to disclose details. —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

“There’s definitely an opportunity” for fast-casual Italian, Williamson said. “It doesn’t seem like anyone has been able to take it to a bigger scale yet.” —In the burgeoning niche of fast-casual Italian dining, Los Angeles restaurateur Danilo Terribili sees a less-traveled path: not serving pizza.

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