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How many times last week did you order a pizza, or pick up take-out on the way home from work? Restaurant owner Joe Marrello hopes it was one time too many.
According to industry statistics, Americans are expected to spend more than $115 billion on fast food this year. Marrello believes it's time-pressure and the lack of other options, not choice, that keep many consumers eating fast-food several times a week.
Part of what Marrello and his partners in Albany-based restaurant management company Marrello Management Group plan to do with Bellini's, their new Italian restaurant, is offer an upscale take-out option. Along with specialty pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven, takeout customers can pick up meals Marrello calls "updated" family recipes: "authentic Italian entrees with a 2002 spin," he said.
Today's consumers need convenience, but they also want quality. People want meals they can feel good about sitting down to, Marrello said.
For Marrello Management, the 90-seat Bellini's that opened in Slingerlands in April is just the beginning. The restaurant caters to an upscale, professional crowd for drinks and dinner, busy families for take-out, and area businesses for lunch. The company is planning Bellini's in Niskayuna, Clifton park, North or East Greenbush, Latham or Loudonville,...