 The popular Southwest Florida
comfort-food chain will add three locations to its existing 10 and
completely revamp the brand to better serve its customers.
Bonita Springs, FL -- Mel’s Diner, affectionately known as “Southwest
Florida’s kitchen,” plans to add three locations within the next 18
months, increasing the size of the company by 30%.
The new locations will consist of a second store in Sarasota (set to
open in early 2006), a first location in Cape Coral (Summer 2006) and a
third in Naples (in 2007). Currently, the chain boasts 10
locations throughout southwest Florida.
“The location in Sarasota is a conversion which will be easy for us to
open quickly. We have been looking for this type of opportunity in
Sarasota,” said Ralph Desiano, chief operating officer for Mel’s Diner.
“Meanwhile, Cape Coral is an under-served market for the density of
population, and the Naples location is in response to the rapid growth
in that market. Sarasota should do between $2.5 to $3 million annually.
Cape Coral should easily do $3 million.”
In addition to this, Mel’s Diner will also make several changes to its
brand in the coming year, including a décor redesign and complete menu
update, among others. These steps are part of a company-wide plan to
unify corporate efforts better, to extend the life of the brand both in
terms of time and reach, and to better connect to its customer base.
“Mel's is still in the preliminary stages of developing the new concept
that will be introduced next year,” said Desiano. “Our goal with
the decor is to ‘warm up’ the atmosphere, adding wood and earth
tones -- keeping the welcoming Mel's feel, but updating it
with some more contemporary elements as well.”
Desiano added that the new menu will feature items like Key Lime
Chicken and the Chicago Chicken Muffeletta, but will still focus on the
comfort foods that have made Mel’s Diner a Southwest Florida favorite.
“We want to continue to serve comfort food, but with a plus -- the
‘plus’ being the use of highest quality ingredients and adding gourmet
twists to many of the entrees. For example, instead of
serving just meatloaf, we might serve meatloaf with Portobello
mushrooms and a demiglace sauce,” said Desiano.
“We are looking forward to working with our guests, through promotions
like a recipe contest early next year, to come up with the exact
food items.”
Founded by Chris Karakosta in San Carlos, FL in 1989, Mel’s Diner
originally set out to mimic the look and feel of Karakosta’s first
eatery, the Chicago-based family style diner, Dimitri’s. Before Mel’s,
Karakosta owned and operated two other establishments in the southwest
Florida area, the upscale steak-and-seafood spot, The Green Onion, and
Stevie Tomato’s Sports Page, one of the area’s first sports bars.
In Mel’s, he sought to return to the familiarity and wholesomeness of
Dimitri’s, while also supplying an environment where his family could
spend more time together -- they originally served as his staff in the
eatery. Because of that, each Mel’s Diner store continues to pride
itself on the family-friendly service, high value and made-from-scratch
comfort foods that made the original location a success.
For more information, visit www.melsdiners.com.
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Media Contact:
Quantified Marketing Group
407.936.1010
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