The Chef at Bella Vista's New Italian Spot Is Actually From Ravello

Ravello opened November 4 at 738 South 11th Street in Bella Vista, and the chef running the kitchen, Marco Passante, actually grew up in the town of Ravello on Italy's Amalfi Coast. It's the second restaurant from brothers Florin and Marco Matranxhi, who run Adoro on East Passyunk Avenue, and this one is built to seat 80 to 100 people, nearly double what they started with.

The address has cycled through three concepts in under two decades. Hawthornes ran a brunch service there from 2009 until it closed, then the canned vodka company Two Robbers took over the space as the Lodge, a full cocktail bar and restaurant, before pulling back on regular service in August to focus on its Fishtown tasting room and wholesale vodka business. The kitchen, bar and dining room stayed intact through all three operators, which is exactly why a restaurant group with one proven location could move into an 80 to 100 seat room instead of building one from scratch.

Neither outlet reports what the Matranxhi brothers are paying in rent or what the landlord spent getting the space ready, so the real terms of this deal aren't public. What is clear is that a beverage company running a restaurant as a side project can walk away from food service the moment it stops being the core business, while an operator whose whole identity is restaurants treats the lease differently. Landlords sitting on a built-out bar or restaurant space should weigh that distinction before signing the next tenant who isn't primarily in the restaurant business.