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RESTAURANT ROUNDUP

This is a sampling of stories from the Business Journal’s weekly Restaurant Roundup email. Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.

Taco bar set to open on Carolina Beach Road

Brothers and business partners Miguel and Ramon Villasenor have announced plans to open a third Los Portales Taqueria next month on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington.

Their original location is at 912 S. Kerr Ave., and the partners opened a second location at 39 Van Campen Blvd. in September 2019. The Villasenors also own Los Portales Supermarket on South Kerr Avenue and Tequila Comida & Cantina in Monkey Junction.

Miguel Villasenor said he and Ramon had been seeking another location for a taco bar that would provide quick access to customers from neighborhoods and businesses off Carolina Beach Road.

Miguel Villasenor said that when J. Russo’s Eatery went up for sale at the end of last year, they jumped at the opportunity to purchase the restaurant and take over the lease for the space at 3536 Carolina Beach Road in the newly renovated Cedar Plaza.

“The fast-casual concept of the taqueria allows customers to get their food within minutes,” Miguel Villasenor said. “But if they only have 30 minutes for lunch, they don’t have time to drive across town.”

For that reason, the Villasenors said they plan to continue to seek additional locations toward Carolina Beach and Porters Neck.

The taco bar will be set up just like the others, with counter service and a salsa bar. The Villasenors hope to open by the end of February.

Eatery serving margaritas, more on New Centre Drive

Ben Avalos is a native of Jalisco, Mexico, and was raised in a Wilmington restaurant family.

His father, Benjamin Alvalos Hernandez, operated restaurants in Wilmington and Elizabethtown, and after a move to Ohio, Ben said it was a dream of his to return to the Port City and carry on his father’s legacy with a restaurant of his own.

Las Margaritas Bar y Grill, 4719 New Centre Drive, in the building previously occupied by Incredible Pizza, opened Dec. 18 and serves modern Mexican cuisine with a Baja influence.

Margaritas are of course a mainstay of the bar menu, with well over a dozen flavors to choose from, including several frozen varieties – all of which can now be purchased for carryout under the current state guidelines.

As for the food, guests will find Baja-style Mexican favorites such as tacos, fajitas, chimichangas, enchiladas and burritos, all with a choice of protein.

Area restaurants announce temporary winter closures

Two local restaurant groups in early January announced temporary closures to help them weather the winter season now plagued by rising COVID-19 cases throughout the Cape Fear region.

Rebellion NC, 115 S. Front St., announced that the rising cases of COVID-19 in New Hanover County, coupled with a staff member testing positive, have prompted owners to close the restaurant temporarily.

A Facebook post from Jan. 4 stated: “We plan on getting everyone through the next few weeks healthy, performing some much needed maintenance and reopening in time for Super Bowl Sunday.”

Co-owner Brian “Wes” Westlye said that rather than face a constant cycle of opening and closing because of quarantine measures, the decision was made to close temporarily for maintenance and to allow employees to file for unemployment.

Circa Restaurant Group owner Ash Aziz as of early January had temporarily closed Pizzeria Il Forno, 1474 Barclay Pointe Blvd., and Circa 1922 at 8 N. Front St.

Nearly identical posts appeared on the restaurant’s Facebook pages Jan. 7, stating that there would be a pause in operations for the next several weeks. The restaurant group stated that the decision was not made on account of any direct exposure to COVID-19.

“We would like to make it clear that this is not because any of our employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and we have been doing everything we can to keep our guests and employees safe. We feel it’s in everyone’s best interest to take this next precautionary measure to keep our guests and staff safe.” -Jessica Maurer

| BUSINESS OF LIFE |

Food trucks roll through pandemic

BY JENNY CALLISON

Coronavirus restrictions have turned the food-truck business on its head.

Business developer and president of Wilmington’s Downtown Business Alliance Terry Espy said that food trucks used to be an affordable way for a chef or restaurateur to pave the way toward a bricks-andmortar location. Now, she said, established restaurants are wheeling out their own food trucks as a way to survive COVID-19 limitations.

“Food trucks truly have saved a number of restaurants,” she said.

The concept is simple: When health barriers reduce the number of people who can eat at your restaurant, take your food to where the people are.

Matt Danylec sees adding a food truck to his restaurant, Platypus & Gnome, as a way of generating word-of-mouth.

Platypus & Gnome couldn’t expand its outdoor dining by creating a “parklet” during 2020’s Downtown Alive initiative as some other eateries did because its abutting curbside area is a loading zone. A food truck seemed the best option, and the Chrome Gnome was born this past September.

Chrome Gnome features a rotating variety of selections that reflect the eclectic fare for which its sibling establishment is known, but some have a distinctive food truck vibe, Danylec said.

One of the Chrome Gnome’s regular stops is at End of Days Distillery on Castle Street in Wilmington. It’s among a variety of mobile meals purveyors that park in front of the establishment on weekends.

End of Days features “all that there is” in the way of food trucks, according to founder and co-owner Beth Faulkner, who added, “Honestly, I would like to sponsor about 10 more. We’ve had great experience with all of them.”

“Cheesesmith is probably the hottest truck in town,” she said. “They offer nice adult grilled cheese sandwiches, like with brie and truffles. Wilmywood is pretty hot as well. New to town is Asian fusion Bahn Sai; it’s been fairly well received.

“I’m impressed with anyone who is looking outside the box, and I feel food trucks are doing that,” Faulkner continued. RESTAURANT ROUNDUP

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER Lobster on wheels: Austin Herndon (left) and his girlfriend, Amanda Chason, are shown in front of the Lobster Dogs food truck. Herndon’s stepfather, John Suttle, owns the local Lobster Dogs food truck franchise.

Lobster Dogs, which specializes in seafood rolls and seafood-stuffed avocado, is new to the local food truck scene and is already in the mix at End of Days and area breweries.

John Cornelius estimates there are between 30 and 40 food trucks operating in the greater Wilmington market, most of them offering meals rather than just snack items. He should know. As the owner of Wide Open Tech, which developed webbased application Food Truck Track last fall, he keeps app users posted on the whereabouts and schedules of local mobile purveyors.

General demand for food trucks here continues to be on the rise, he said, citing the launch of new trucks and – for popular existing ones – long lines at host venues.

“At Flying Machine Brewing Co., for example, you can’t get a seat if you don’t get there right when a truck shows up,” he said.

Current COVID-19 contagion levels and brisk winter temperatures may have reduced demand somewhat, Cornelius said, but he predicts that enthusiasm for food truck experience will continue even when the coronavirus is no longer a factor in people’s dining decisions.

“Breweries are popular, and they don’t want to have to install kitchens,” he added, explaining that the rotation of trucks among the area’s breweries and distilleries lends variety to the experience. “If you go to one venue all the time, you are exposed to different kinds of food. The quality of the food has been good, and more higher-end restaurants are getting in on food trucks.”

These days, the range of venues has expanded to workplaces and even neighborhoods. Lobster Dogs’ food truck has brought its fare to New Hanover Regional Medical Center offices in Leland as well as several apartment complexes and HOA-governed neighborhoods.

“With COVID restrictions they are reaching out to food trucks more, to be able to offer restaurant food without [residents] having to go out,” said franchise owner John Suttle.

Food trucks have found success despite dealing with problems inherent in the business. Suttle said his biggest obstacle was finding commissary kitchen space. That’s true for other mobile purveyors who do not have a restaurant connection. Even restaurant food trucks need a health department-approved spot where they can drain water and grease, if the truck can’t get access to those facilities in the restaurant’s kitchen.

Truck repairs end up being a big problem, according to Faulkner, who cited generator breakdowns in particular as a recurring headache for the trucks she employs.

Another challenge for food trucks is marketing. Cornelius said these small operations are necessarily focused on their day-to-day operations, leaving little time to update websites and Facebook pages.

The difficulty in following the movements of favorite food trucks – or even just finding a nearby food truck at lunchtime – inspired the staff of Wide Open Tech to launch Food Truck Track.

“It’s hit or miss to find that information,” Cornelius said in an interview in December. “It’s not all in one place, and sometimes it’s not up to date. We’re trying to make it easy for the truck owner, the venue owner. We update the information and let people know what’s going on.”

2020 TOP MEMBERS

The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce recognizes the following companies for their membership and sponsorship investments in our chamber. For more information about the benefits of membership call Megan Mullins at 910.762.2611 ext 216.

Bank of America Murchison, Taylor & Gibson, PLLC EmergeOrtho Cape Fear Community College Pathfinder Wealth Consulting Alcami Corporation Harris Teeter Super Markets, Inc. Hotel Ballast RE/Max Essential Rodgers Builders Andrew Consulting Engineers Wilmington International Airport Delaney Radiologists Wells Fargo Bank Piedmont Advantage Credit Union

CloudWyze, Inc. Ward and Smith, PA Thrive Family Dental Apple Photography Geo Owl, LLC