Caffe Sorrentino - New Location- Edmonton City Centre

[ibz]

Nope. I heard basement level.

[nunuangel99]

Originally Posted by ryanE

Nope. I heard basement level.

That is correct, lower level east side near food court.

[rapid_business]

boo.... kinda counter-intuitive to the italian coffee bar feel, no? The 107th st. location sets the bar.

[nunuangel99]

Originally Posted by onishenko

boo.... kinda counter-intuitive to the italian coffee bar feel, no? The 107th st. location sets the bar.

Blame Oxford for the location, it was the only area they were allowed to set up.

[Coldrsx]

i agree oni...that kind of establishment should have been streetside...with open windows cut out of the ridiculous berlin wall. I understand there are other issues with this and why it is where it is, but to be honest i wont go into the dungeon for a cap.

again, we fail

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

i agree oni...that kind of establishment should have been streetside...with open windows cut out of the ridiculous berlin wall. I understand there are other issues with this and why it is where it is, but to be honest i wont go into the dungeon for a cap.

again, we fail

Who failed? Oxford, the owners of the cafe? Oxford presented the space, the owners accepted it. If the owners wanted a streetfront location, I'm sure they would have found one. It is obvious that they (the owners) only wanted to cater to the downtown office workers.

[Coldrsx]

^ok, not fail, swing and a miss then.

A place like that should be in a better location...and i do know it is tough these days, but how about oh i dunno, RHW where the TOYO was, mcleod building where First city was, in the revillon, on 104st, the new 10830 jasper avenue....i could go on.

[ibz]

Based on the rates ive seen posted for the Revillon Im not surprised they arent there...

I think it would have been great to have it somewhere street level as well, but it will no doubt do very well in the mall. Everytime I walk thru there at lunch these days its frickn packed.

[CMD UW]

My point being is that the owners opted for the downtown 9-5 crowd versus a streetfront location. No reason to complain about it.

[ibz]

Exactly. There will be many others to fill those other spaces.

[nunuangel99]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

^ok, not fail, swing and a miss then.

A place like that should be in a better location...and i do know it is tough these days, but how about oh i dunno, RHW where the TOYO was, mcleod building where First city was, in the revillon, on 104st, the new 10830 jasper avenue....i could go on.

BTW, they are looking for other DT locations as well!!

[Coldrsx]

^better be...we have enough 9-5 crap in the downtown, we need 5-9 stuff and weekend stuff.

Honestly, this will be a nice addition to the mall, but on weekends and evenings that will add NOTHING to the core.

[nunuangel99]

Entrepreneurs see juicy opportunities with Caffe Sorrentino
Nick Lees, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Sunday, February 10
The gushing sound of an espresso being poured at an Edmonton cafe may reverberate around the world.

Rick Botelho and Dion Kunellis stopped at Caffe Sorrentino on 109th Street one day. And began dreaming.

"We loved the easygoing, modern Italian feel to the place, and the coffee was excellent," says Botelho.


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Rick Botelho, left, and Dion Kunellis at the new Caffe Sorrentino in Edmonton Centre.
Nick Lees, the Journal

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Font:****He was developing franchises for a juice company in both North America and abroad, and Kunellis had owned several juice franchises in Ottawa.

"We immediately saw a potential in franchising Caffe Sorrentino," says Kunellis.

Sorrentino's owner Carmelo Rago, who has 14 restaurants, was enthusiastic about the idea.

"Our head office is on 109th Street and 107th Avenue and I'd originally created the Caffe so I could have a coffee any time with friends," he says.

The trio's first joint venture opened recently in the basement of Edmonton Centre (under Winners) and has already attracted a following.

"People stop on their way to work to take a coffee with them," says Botelho. "Now, one company has booked our 50-seat cafe for a conference."

Rago says some people initially saw the "Sorrentinos" sign and thought it must be a restaurant.

"We serve food, but the idea is to have the kind of caffe you'd find back home," says Rago. "Europeans are familiar with them. Guests can enjoy such things as a glass of wine, a cognac or a Sambuca."

Soccer fans will appreciate the large-flat-screen TV and the $20,000 Italian coffee machine. The Caffe imports Lavazza, Italy's most popular coffee, and sells it alongside olive oil and a freezer of take-away lasagna, cannelloni and other popular Sorrentino dishes.

There have been several serious inquiries about a franchise. According to the Caffe's web page, a franchise costs $325,000. "We're pretty confident we can take our cafes across Canada and then overseas," says Botelho.

[Mycroft]

hey nunu, I'd visit cafe sorrentino downtown more often if the wireless internet was upgraded...right now I can't connect with my ipod touch

This is usually a symptom of having an older router. If you could pass that on it would be fantastic

[nunuangel99]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

hey nunu, I'd visit cafe sorrentino downtown more often if the wireless internet was upgraded...right now I can't connect with my ipod touch

This is usually a symptom of having an older router. If you could pass that on it would be fantastic

I will let them know...thanks.