Floriana's MidCity debut comes after years of eyeing Huntsville
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Floriana is no stranger to large spaces, as its Wilmington location measures 7,000 square feet. Photo: Courtesy of Floriana
Italian restaurant Floriana is opening its third location next year at MidCity.
Why it matters: The Washington, D.C., fine dining staple is hoping to elevate Huntsville's culinary offerings as the city continues to grow.
Zoom in: Owners Jamie Branda and Dino Tapper, Floriana's son, are working to get contractors in place to ready the 8,000-square-foot NOLA building on the corner of Mid City Drive and Stax Street.
Catch up quick: Before opening its Wilmington, N.C., location in 2020, Branda said he initially wanted Huntsville for Floriana's second restaurant, but the executive chef had ties to Wilmington.
- Primed for growth for the last seven to 10 years, he said Space Command and other recent developments are bolstering the market. "I don't feel like we're getting to Huntsville late," he said.
- Branda said he feels there's space in Huntsville for Floriana's model of traditional fine dining, to serve the city's educated and well-traveled workforce.
Yes, but: That model is changing a bit for Huntsville, with the addition of a pizza oven for a more casual option and a raw bar. "You're going to be able to pick what experience you want," Branda said.
- "Alabama has access to really phenomenal seafood," said Branda, who's been traveling to the state regularly over the past 20 years to visit a close friend in Huntsville and hunt in Greene County.
State of play: At MidCity, "the raw numbers were good," he said, and the Orion, hotels and other offerings were a big draw.
- Comparing it to the D.C. location on 17th Street, Branda said it's not about competing with other restaurants, but about creating that destination, a la "I don't know what to do tonight, let's go to MidCity."
- "We think we're pretty lucky to get in when we are," Branda said, adding that he suspects over the next few years there will be people wishing they had moved to MidCity earlier.
The bottom line: "Our goal is not to sell a bunch of dinners one night, our goal is to have people think of us as the go-to fine dining spot," Branda said.