Operations

Velvet Taco is opening a seatless restaurant

An 800-sq.-ft. unit will open without a dining room.
Velvet Taco seatless restaurant
Photo courtesy of Velvet Taco

While incorporating new design features into its more traditional fast-casual restaurants, Velvet Taco is also planning to give a takeout-only outlet a try.

The 18-unit chain plans to convert a former Dairy Queen unit in Charlotte, N.C., into an 800-square-foot restaurant that offers exclusively take-out and delivery service. It will not have seats, according to CEO Clay Dover.

“You’ll notice some similarities” to the Velvet Tacos that are being developed with such features as a two-sided kitchen production line and a reliance on digital ordering, Dover added.

The move into an off-premise-only format comes as the chain is about to embark on a study to see what white space is available in the nationwide market for further development of the brand, he revealed.

 

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