Interview with Jun Horiuchi, President and Kal Parikh, SVP of Finance & Treasurer, of WDI International – Tony Romas & Capricciosa
What is the concept behind The Torrance Tony Roma’s & Capricossa?
Tony Roma’s: For over 30 years, Tony Roma’s is proud to serve guests with “The Best Ribs in the World” as judged in a nationwide US contest. Today, there are over 200 locations on five continents and it all started with the special barbecue sauce and juicy ribs prepared by Tony Roma’s unique method. In addition to our price-winning ribs, we attract guests with our true American cooking and large portions appetizers, mouthwatering flame grilled specialties, and fabulous selection of seafood and fresh salads.
Capricciosa: Authentic Italian cuisine founded by award winning chef Masaaki Honda in Shibuya, Japan in 1978. Capricciosa has now 134 restaurants across the world and is visited by approximately 12 million guests each year. ‘Capricciosa’ in an Italian word for the term ‘Caprice’, conjuring images of spontaneous gatherings in little Italian eateries where lots of people enjoy delicious food with great company. The secret of Capricciosa’s popularity is in the hand-made special sauce created from imported Italian tomatoes. Capricciosa specializes in pastas and pizzas and serves authentic Italian dishes in large portions made famous in Japan since 1978!
How did you get connected with Location Matters?
Mike Spilky was the listing agent of another site in Laguna Hills. We contacted him for more information & quickly realized how resourceful he was in his abilities to source additional locations, not readily available on the market.
Why was this site ideal for Tony Roma’s & Capricossa?
For both locations: The restaurant is in a freestanding and highly visible building with that is very visible in one of the more prominent intersections in all of Torrance. We were also able to capitalize on the exiting restaurant improvements of the previous tenant Claim Jumper.
For Tony Roma’s: There are only few rib joints in the whole Torrance Area and the closest competitor “ Lucille’s Smokehouse” is still 2.5 miles away.
For Capricciosa: High percentage of Asian residents reside in the Torrance area especially Japanese residents who are our main target customers.
How was your experience working with Location Matters?
The whole experience was perfect and the overall transaction went effortlessly.
What is Capricossa and is this the restaurant’s first location?
‘Capricciosa’ in an Italian word for the term ‘Caprice’, conjuring images of spontaneous gatherings in little Italian eateries where lots of people enjoy delicious food with great company.
This location is the first Capricciosa in Mainland US.
What are your plans for expansion?
Currently we do not have a specific plan for expansion but if a prime location is presented to us which makes good economic sense, we will definitely look into it. (Link to client profile) Click Here for Capricciosa site requirements.
