Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 72
perspectives
5 questions for
phil romano
Founder, the Romano Group
1
You and your partners are invigorating neglected,
underserved West Dallas with the new Trinity
Groves development. What first attracted you to the
neighborhood?
There was only one way Dallas could grow—west. We bought
land there on a month-to-month basis. Then suddenly the
Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, connecting it to the interstate,
became a reality. We had a lot of people coming over after that
and we needed a plan.
2
3
And that plan was the creation of a restaurant, retail,
and art destination.
Yes, an entertainment zone. We’ll have an ‘off-Broadway’
theater, an art museum, and concerts. A chocolatier, winery,
and culinary school are going in. There’s already a brewery.
The collection of restaurants, though, is a critical mass. The
Millennials, new people as I call them, want new things. They
like to discover, give back to the community, and make
a difference.
So far there is Babb Bros. BBQ and Blues; Hofmann
Hots for hot dogs [shown]; the permanent pop-up,
Kitchen LTO; and the catering outfit 3015 at Trinity
Groves. There are plans for many more, like Chino
Chinatown, by local firm Studio 11 Design. What
else can we look forward to? How do you choose the
restaurants?
I believe in diversity, and there’s going to be a lot of it in the
food—whether French, Italian, Moroccan, or Irish. Diversity
in culture makes for a strong community. I’m incubating
restaurant concepts, opening this up to young entrepreneurs.
We interview them, taste the food, and if we like it we finance it,
but own fifty percent and are partners. We provide them with
the talents they might not have, like design. They make the
customers happy, and we take care of the rest. If they don’t make
it work, they’re gone. There are no familiar brands here; we
want to create brands through owner-operated businesses.
4
5
You started the chains Fuddruckers, eatZi’s, and
Romano’s Macaroni Grill. What is it about the culinary
world that called to you?
In college, when I ran karate schools, a guy was opening a
restaurant and I got involved because it sounded like the allAmerican dream to me—plus, all the food and booze I wanted.
The longer you stay with something, the better you get.
What is your hope for Trinity Groves?
We’re the gateway to West Dallas. As soon as people come
over the bridge they are going to see the trees twinkling like a
winter wonderland, and they are going to be knocked down.
People do things for money, recognition, or intrinsic value; this
is something I’m doing for the city of Dallas. I’m going to need
community support to make this work.
http://www.roomthreesixty.com
http://www.roomthreesixty.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - October 2013
Contents
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - Intro
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - Cover1
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - Cover2
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 1
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 2
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 3
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 4
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 5
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 6
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 7
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 8
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 9
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 10
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 11
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 12
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 13
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 14
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 15
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 16
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - Contents
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 18
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 19
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 20
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 21
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 22
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 23
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 24
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 25
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 26
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 27
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 28
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 29
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 30
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 31
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 32
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 33
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 34
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 35
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 36
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 37
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 38
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 39
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 40
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 41
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 42
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 43
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 44
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 45
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 46
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 47
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 48
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 49
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 50
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 51
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 52
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 53
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 54
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 55
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 56
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 57
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 58
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 59
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 60
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 61
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 62
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 63
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 64
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 65
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 66
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 67
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 68
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 69
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 70
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 71
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 72
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 73
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 74
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 75
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 76
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 77
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 78
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 79
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 80
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 81
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 82
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 83
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 84
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 85
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 86
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 87
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 88
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 89
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 90
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 91
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 92
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 93
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 94
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 95
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 96
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 97
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 98
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 99
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 100
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 101
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 102
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 103
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 104
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 105
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 106
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 107
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 108
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 109
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 110
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 111
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 112
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 113
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 114
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 115
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 116
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 117
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 118
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 119
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 120
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 121
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 122
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 123
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 124
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 125
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 126
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 127
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 128
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - Cover3
Hospitality Design - October 2013 - Cover4
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