A nearly four-decade-old Italian restaurant brand is making an unusual bet: launching a sports-bar concept. Nando Ghorchian, owner of Caffe Buon Gusto, is developing the new concept.
According to WhatNow, Ghorchian has operated Caffe Buon Gusto for 38 years and is in the final stages of preparing the new concept. The new spot will add a sports-bar concept to his restaurant business.
Caffe Buon Gusto's longtime restaurant at 236 East 77th Street operates as an intimate, candle-lit traditional Italian eatery, according to Caffe Buon Gusto. The proposed concept is described as a sports bar.
From Brooklyn Storefront to Multi-State Brand
Ghorchian first launched Caffe Buon Gusto in 1988 on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, building the brand over nearly 40 years from a single Brooklyn location into a multi-borough operation, as reported by Jersey Digs. The brand has a BYOB outpost at 918 Washington Street in Hoboken, New Jersey, marking its New Jersey presence, per the same outlet. WhatNow reports that Caffe Buon Gusto now has outposts in Brooklyn and Hoboken in addition to its Manhattan restaurants.
The brand also has a history of adapting its concept to different neighborhoods. In March 2018, Caffe Buon Gusto expanded into the Bronx with a venue on Manhattan College Parkway in Riverdale that included a coffee shop designed to attract students, while outdoor seating in the back was planned for the summer, according to The Riverdale Press.
An Unconventional Path Into the Kitchen
Before entering the restaurant business, Ghorchian worked for the United Nations with a focus on medicine, according to the Riverdale Press. He later took a restaurant job in Manhattan, where he spent three years mastering pasta- and bread-making before opening his own establishment, the paper reports. That hands-on training shows up in Caffe Buon Gusto's signature dining model, which offered 12 different pasta sauces, with customers able to choose regular, homemade, or whole-wheat pasta to pair with them, per the Riverdale Press.
WhatNow reports on Ghorchian's sports-bar concept.
A Former French-Mediterranean Bistro Gets a New Life
The 1589 Second Avenue space previously operated as Osteria Nando, another restaurant from Ghorchian, according to Manhattan Community Board 8. WhatNow reports on Ghorchian's sports-bar concept.
The 1589 Second Avenue building was constructed in 1920 and has five stories, according to StreetEasy. The location also sits under 500 feet from the Second Avenue Subway's Q station at 86th Street, according to the same listing.
Testing a New Model in Sports Bar Territory
According to WhatNow, Ghorchian's new concept is a sports bar.
Whether Upper East Side sports fans embrace the new sports-bar concept remains to be seen. For now, the concept would add a sports-bar format alongside Ghorchian's existing Manhattan restaurant.
