The owners of Westford-based 110 Grill have bought another Massachusetts chain restaurant, adding an Italian-inspired eatery to its portfolio.
The company recently purchased Evviva Cucina, and is changing the name of its Westford and Marlborough locations to Evviva Trattoria. Chief Operating Officer Ryan Dion said Evviva's original owners are keeping its third location in Beverly and plan to change the name to something completely different.
"What's attractive about it is 110 Grill is upscale, polished American cuisine, and Evviva Trattoria is upscale, polished Italian cuisine," Dion said. "All it's going to do is attract more people to the area because one's American, one's Italian, so you're not directly competing against each other."
At just four years old, 110 Grill already has 16 locations throughout Massachusetts, New York and New Hampshire, with eight more set to open in the coming months.
Dion said the company hopes to grow the Evviva Trattoria brand, as well, and already has plans for a third location next to an existing 110 Grill in Wrentham.
The sale came about earlier this year when 110 Grill co-owner and developer Robert Walker - who was also a part-owner of Evviva Cucina - was offered an opportunity to buy the business.
"The majority owners in that business decided they didn't want to do it anymore, so they offered for him to buy them and out and he did," Dion said. "Here we are now, and it is owned and operated by 110 Grill Management - our sister company, essentially."
The company decided to change the restaurant's name to avoid confusion.
"We believe that 'trattoria' is more authentic Italian, whereas 'cucina' is perceived by the public as maybe a little bit more Mexican and Spanish, and people were getting confused. It almost had some identity challenges," Dion said. "We just wanted to be more approachable to people and more recognizable."
Several tweaks have also been made to Evviva Trattoria's menu, including the addition of items like sausage and kale soup and gnocchi Florentine.
Dion said the restaurant will also be allergy-friendly - 110 Grill is already known for its wide range of gluten-free options. And in the coming weeks, gift cards purchased at 110 Grill will be good at both chains and customers can collect loyalty points at each restaurant.