Feast BBQ and Royals Hot Chicken, two fast-casual concepts in the area, have won chef Ryan Rogers plenty of praise.
But his new project, Bar Vetti, is the one that he believes will allow him to get creative.
Bar Vetti, initially announced in September 2016, is going into the 800 Tower City Apartments, a complex on Fourth Street south of Broadway that recently has undergone a renovation.
"It's really our first foray into sit-down dining," he told me during an interview yesterday at Feast.
With that, he said, he and fellow chef Andrew McCabe, also from Royals, can create a much more dynamic, curated menu (something we got an early preview of already.)
Fast-casual restaurants have been a growing segment of the overall restaurant industry in recent years. But Rogers said they don't give chefs much of flexibility because the menus stay pretty consistent once they're developed.
Bar Vetti, an Italian concept that will offer pizzas, house-made pastas, seasonally selected entrees and small plates, changes that by offering much more flexibility.
Bar Vetti was expected to open last winter, but now Rogers is targeting a fall opening. The buildout, furniture, liquor licenses and a certificate of occupancy are still being finalized, he told me.
Part of a wave
Rogers sees himself as part of a wave of young restaurateurs who have opened new places in Louisville in recent years that focus on a single product or dishes.
Feast is barbecue and Royal's is fried chicken, of course. Mirin, a Frankfort Avenue restaurant owned by chef Griffin Paulin, is focused on ramen. Morels Cafe, on Baxter Avenue, comes from Stanley Chase and is focused on vegan fare. Chik'n & Mi, a restaurant from husband-and-wife team Jason Mccollum and Aenith Mccollum on Brownsboro Road, is all about chicken and noodles. You get the idea.
Rogers started Feast BBQ in New Albany in 2012. He was by himself when he did it - he even opened a few credit cards to get it started - but since then, he's brought on a couple of silent partners, whom he declined to identify.
Feast is still in New Albany and also has a location on East Market Street in Louisville's NuLu neighborhood, near Campbell Street. Royals Hot Chicken also is on East Market, a few blocks closer to downtown.
Feast and Royals are a part of a restaurant group he and his partners have created called Hicotton Hospitality. Bar Vetti will be part of that group too. The group employs about 80 for now. Once Bar Vetti opens, Rogers expects that number will increase to about 100.
He declined to say how much revenue the group generates. It has a slim margin, he said, but it's profitable nonetheless.
Although Bar Vetti is the next big step for Hicotton, Rogers said he doesn't believe it's the last one. He thinks the market can support four or five Royals and Feast BBQ locations, particularly in the East End or southwest Louisville.
