Pasta Maker Barilla Opens First Restaurant, Aims to Be 'Italian Version of Chipotle'It's not often that a packaged food brand opens a restaurant, but that's exactly what the 138-year-old Barilla company is doing.
ByKate Taylor•
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It's fairly common to see restaurant brands pop up on the shelves of grocery stores, such as withBaskin-Robbins ice creamand Taco Bell meal kits. Less common: items that start on shelves and evolve into restaurants.
Barilla has been making pasta for 138 years, but only recently opened its first restaurant in New York City. The company is famous for its low-cost dried pasta and more, recently,tangling with gay rights activistsafter the Barilla Group chairman made homophobic comments in a radio interview.
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Barilla's restaurant,Academia Barilla, focuses on Italian staples and fast service. In addition to salads, pastas and paninis, the restaurant sells products such as dried pasta, sauces and olive oil.
Academia Barilla is reportedly aiming to be an "Italian version of Chipotle,“链不是氧化铝ne in its mission: several chains, including one funded by Chipotle, are competing for the title of "披萨的辣椒," fast-casual sushi joints have been categorized as "the Chipotle of sushi" and both Chipotle-backed andindependent chainshave duked it out for the title of "Asian version of Chipotle."
Barilla's expansion into the restaurant business reveals a new path to a booming fast-casual market. With restaurants producing increasingly diverse products – Cinnabon now sells空气清新剂and Taco Bell marketssocks– more items from grocery stores' shelves may soon be opening up their own shops.
