Boulder’s second food hall, Avanti Food & Beverage, slated to open this August, has just announced its final three restaurant concepts to join the six-restaurant operation at 1401 Pearl Street next door to the Boulder Theater.
In addition to its current roster of Rye Society, New Yorkese and Rooted Craft American Kitchen, the food hall will host Venezuelan concept Quiero Arepas, a middle eastern concept in Boychik, and Taiwanese-focused Pig and Tiger.
Quiero Arepas, Denver’s well-known and 100-percent gluten-free Venezuelan arepa restaurant run by husband-and-wife team Igor and Beckie Panasewicz, has operated out of Denver’s Avanti since 2015 and will mark its first Boulder expansion with Avanti’s Boulder opening; Boychik, founded by childhood friends Charles Troup and Chase Devitt, will serve traditional middle eastern cuisine with a modern twist.
Pig and Tiger, run by Darren Chang and Travis Masar, will serve modern Taiwanese cuisine inspired by Chef Darren’s Taiwanese-American upbringing and the 10+ years of experience in Asian quisine that Chef Travis, a competitor on Top Chef season 11, brings to the table.
“We are proud to be able to offer entrepreneurs and restaurateurs an affordable opportunity to launch their concepts during a time when every penny counts more than ever,” in a prepared statement said Patrick O’Neill, co-founder of Avanti Food & Beverage.
Designed to grow
With its design as a restaurant incubator, Avanti will help provide restaurateurs the basic infrastructure they need to run a kitchen, including guidance on building a menu, testing concepts, and operating a kitchen where restaurateurs can gain a following and potentially raise some money to level up in their own solo endeavor. Similarly to Boulder’s other food hall, Rosetta Hall, Avanti will own and operate the buildings’ bars and provide front-of-house staff and bussers.
So far, the European market and food truck-inspired food hall has graduated 11 restaurants at its Denver LoHi location and the Boulder location aims to do the same. Restaurateurs typically sign a two-year lease with Avanti.
