This Thursday, eatZi’s is opening its third location along West State Hwy 114. Phil Romano’s gourmet market and bakery is expanding its chain just north of Dallas where suburbanites can also get a taste of simple comfort foods made fresh daily.
At the eatZi’s preview night yesterday, the new store swung its doors open for some local shoppers. Its storefront, which had previously been plastered with a Luby’s Cafeteria sign, looked like a carbon copy of the Oak Lawn location. The inside is also exactly the same as the other two locations, with a few exceptions. “What we did was we took the best of both stores and combined them,” says Elis Droubi, the General Manager. A coffee bar greets you in front because eatZi planners noticed that it did well there in the Lovers store, and salads and sandwiches have a big presence at the Grapevine store.
Jump for preview photos.
Besides getting rid of the produce wall that you can find in the Oak Lawn location, the Grapevine eatZi’s is meant to give you the same feeling as the other two stores. Classical music plays through the loud speakers while you shop for those famous meatballs, indecisively waiver between buying a ciabatta or sourdough boule because you love both equally, and order those crunchy green beans amandine with almonds from behind the ready-made glass counters. It’s the same concept, same type of food, and still has the same quality.
“We wanted people to feel like they were at other stores,” says Droubi. He eagerly anticipates eatZi’s May 17 grand opening day at 10 a.m. There will be a great deal of free samples in the store throughout the entire weekend.
And while Grapeviners might be rejoicing right now, Droubi tells me that Plano also has something to look forward to. The fourth eatZi’s will certainly be making its way there.
