Italian restaurant Trattoria Franko is heading to the Cobblestone Village at 108 S Main Street in Rolesville later this year, co-owner Justin Bee told with What Now Charlotte.
The spot is inspired by Franko’s Italian Steakhouse, which Bee co-owns in Franklinton. He is teaming up with fellow restaurateurs Nunzio Scordo and Keith LoGrande on the Rolesville venture.
“We want to open an approachable Italian joint,” Bee said. “We’re talking about making our own pasta there and it being a neighborhood, fun, easygoing trattoria.”
Bee, Scordo and LoGrande are also involved in another concept going into Lafayette Village in Raleigh this spring. Franko’s Prime will place emphasis on the steakhouse aspect of the Franko’s brand, while Trattoria Franko will focus on Italian dishes.
Bee said that the idea to break the Franko’s brand into different concepts — steakhouses, Italian restaurants and pizza spots — has been in the works for a while. Trattoria Franko will move them toward expanding the brand.
“Growing our business is very exciting,” Bee said. “This is all happening very fast for us. It’s something that we’ve talked about growing and expanding but didn’t realize it would be at our doorstep this quickly. That’s very exciting as well.”
Bee said the opening timeline for Trattoria Franko depends on permitting, but the team is aiming to have it up and running in eight to nine months.
“It’s going to be a longer process, but it works for our timeline for the year,” Bee said.
