Fidelli Kitchen will add a fast-casual Italian restaurant and boutique wine and beer shop to South End

Fidelli Kitchen will occupy a 3,500-square-foot space along the Rail Trail at 1616 Camden Road in the newly completed 1616 Center. If you’re facing Price’s Chicken Coop, it’s the next building on the left.

CEO Scott Richards told the Agenda that they’re targeting a November 17th opening but this depends on construction and permitting. 

Fidelli Kitchen joins a growing trend of higher end fast-casual counter-service restaurants opening in Charlotte.

In Midtown, Pizzeria Omaggio opened last year and, more recently, Tazikis opened across the street. Local serial restaurateur Frank Scibelli opened Yafo in SouthPark earlier this year, and Blaze Pizza, “the Chipotle of pizza chains,” is just down the street from Fidelli’s location.

They’re the kind of places you’d be equally comfortable grabbing something to go in your gym clothes or sitting down with a glass of wine.

As a differentiator, Fidelli prides itself on its “industry first-of-its-kind” Career Accelerated Training (CAT) program for employees. Fidelli plans to use the program to attract top talent with the understanding that they’ll deliver top service at Fidelli before graduating to the next step in their career. Restaurant work, says CEO Scott Richards, is an “honorable profession” and CAT is a way for him to train his Fidelli employees accordingly. More to come on this in a later story.

The menu, according to a press release, is “inspired by a healthy Euro-Italian way of life.”

The full menu hasn’t been released but will include panini, pasta, soups and a variety of tapas-style small plates for sharing.

Not to speculate too heavily on what’s to come but… There is definitely some approximation of a pizza cone featured prominently on the website.

Fingers crossed, Charlotte. Fingers crossed.

Fidelli will also incorporate a boutique wine and beer retail store.