Two Italian entrepreneurs with roots in Seattle are opening a fast-casual pasta restaurant, Due' Cucina, in Dallas.
The first restaurant is scheduled to open in August 2024 in Lakewood near Abrams Road and La Vista Drive, according to initial reports. Dallas now.
Due' Cucina has a lovely origin story about two Italian men who went to high school together. But there's also business talk here, as the two have roots in Amazon and nuclear science. Co-founders Davide Macchi and Filippo Fiori secure $2.5 million investment from Houston-based company to expand Seattle-based Italian concept to three Texas addresses It was reported that. otaku wire.
All three Texas restaurants are in Dallas-Fort Worth, Macchi said.
he says dallas morning news He wants Due' Cucina to be an Italian Shake Shack. street This is “Pasta Chipotle.”
“People say we're the classic tech guys,” Macchi said. He resented the idea. Yes, Fiori has a PhD in nuclear engineering. And Macchi has his MBA and has even worked at Amazon. Macchi said he had a bright idea to bring easy Italian food to American audiences, and he “opened a restaurant and went into debt” in Seattle in 2017.
The restaurant has grown to four locations in Seattle and is currently building another location in Redmond, Wash., but Macchi believes the next big move is Texas. The Lakewood renovation will include converting the former Unleavened Fresh Kitchen, which closed in late 2022, into an Italian restaurant with a $250,000 upgrade.
The restaurant is small, uses self-service kiosks, and incorporates the latest technology. Behind the counter is a “pasta lab,” where Macchi said “we want our customers to see what we're doing.”
What to eat at Due' Cucina
Both Macchi and Fiori said they miss the trattorias in Italian towns large and small.
“We miss the real experience: great food that's 100% made from scratch and can be consumed in a casual way,” he said.
The menu doesn't change much between Washington and Texas. The short rib ragu and bolognese ragu are two of Macchi's favorites of his, and the pasta is clearly the star here, all made in-house.
Prices will remain the same from lunch to dinner, with the most expensive dishes coming in at less than $15. Those dining in may start with appetizers such as arancini or burrata. The restaurant also sells wine, Negroni and espresso drinks.
Delivery and takeout will be a significant part of the business, Macchi said, averaging 40% at other stores. “We can enjoy Italian food every week or every other week,” he said.
From Italy to Seattle to Dallas. why?
Born and raised in Italy, Macchi moved from Seattle to Dallas to expand Due' Cucina. He currently lives near his Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House in East Dallas.
He has two children, ages 2 and 4, and said he wanted to open a restaurant where his children and others could eat the Italian food he grew up eating.
“It could have been anywhere,” he said of Due' Cucina's next step. He and Fiori considered Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
“We started saying, 'Where do we want to live?'
Dallas felt like a good fit for his family, he said.
What's next for this bright company?
“We want to prove that we can feed the market” in Dallas, Macchi said.
after that? He has big dreams for his restaurant and food tech startup Due 'Cucina. Once he has eight or nine restaurants, he plans to raise more money to expand.
Due' Cucina is scheduled to open in August 2024 at 1900 Abrams Road in Dallas. It will be the first location in Dallas, but likely not the last.
