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DEERFIELD, ILL. - In opening his fourth Sopraffina Marketcaffe, Chicago restaurateur Dan Rosenthal continued to fill an escalating consumer demand for quick-service concepts offering full-service-style food.
Rosenthal chose a newly constructed village center in an affluent northern suburb for the new unit of Sopraffina Marketcaffe. The new site marks a departure from the trio he operates in downtown Chicago office buildings.
If the suburban location succeeds, more Sopraffina units will be opened in similar settings, said Rosenthal, who owns and operates the concept with his wife, Lin.
"The suburban planning commissions, mayors and trustees are looking for high-quality, proven, independent concepts that can help to retain the unique flavor of their communities," he said.
Sopraffina can benefit from what Rosenthal sees as a backlash against national chains, especially quick-service ones, he said.
"People don't want any more fast-food operations in their village centers that make them look like every other main street in the world," Rosenthal said.
Loosely modeled after oldfashioned Italian marketplaces, Soprafinna was inspired by the Rosenthals' trips to Florence, Italy. Different prepared foods are displayed in a series of in a scramble-system stations and served in a quick-service format.
While lunch has been the mainstay of the urban units,...