New Italian Buffet at First National
Well, it's no announcement of a large firm coming to First National, but there will be a new restaurant coming to First National soon. I support any new growth we can get in the mini mall on the main floor of First National.
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"Italian buffet comes to First National Center
by Heidi R. Centrella
The Journal Record
10/6/2004
Downtown Oklahoma City diners soon will have a new lunch option - Italian.
Owner Hassan Daneshmand will bring the fourth eatery to First National Center, 120 N. Robinson Ave., after spending more than 23 years in the restaurant business.
Italian Express will serve buffet-style pastas, pizzas, lasagnas, salads and daily Italian specials, such as chicken or beef cannelloni and manicotti. The buffet will allow diners to mix and match from a variety of pasta, red sauce, meat sauce, Alfredia sauce, chicken, sausage, meatballs and the like. "You can build your pasta dish the way you like it," said Daneshmand, who also will offer take-out and catering to area offices. But what the entrepreneur is most proud of is the quality of his food, to include the level of freshness. Everything is made fresh daily, he said.
"A lot of restaurant companies say that, but they don't do it," he said, adding that his restaurant will not have a freezer. There's no need since food will be delivered daily, he said.
"Everything is delivered fresh every day. For example, my chicken that will be on the buffet line tomorrow morning will be killed today and delivered tomorrow. That's how fresh my chicken will be."
This is Daneshmand's first venture in opening a restaurant, but the Louisville-native has spent many years operating restaurants, many of which are in Oklahoma. For the last 12 months he served as area manager for Pepperoni Grill, prior to that he was the regional manager for Zio's Italian Kitchen and he spent five years as the general manager at Olive Garden on Memorial Road. He also, in 1984, opened the first Garfield's in Edmond.
But Daneshmand said it is time to branch out on his own.
"I've always done it for everybody else," he said. "It's time to do it for myself."
And since there's not an Italian restaurant in the downtown area, aside from a couple of small pizza places and what's available in Bricktown, he thought this would be the best location and one well received.
"People love Italian," he said. "Coming from my experience at Zio's and the Olive Garden, I know there's a need for it and there's a market for it downtown."
Daneshmand has hired four employees to work the 1,200-square-foot space that will seat 65 and be open from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
He plans to open the week of Oct. 11.
However, Daneshmand has no plans to advertise, aside from a couple of easels he will place outside the building upon opening. Rather he prefers to build his business via word of mouth. Aside from quality of food, Daneshmand said his level of service, too, will be exemplary. "I want to be able to take care of every customer, every guest who walks through my door," he said. "I will be on the floor from the minute we open until the minute we close, and I will visit with every customer who walks in."
Daneshmand said he's heard many positive comments from passersby in the building, and he hopes his restaurant will, too, increase traffic at First National.
"Word will travel. And that's a great thing for the building because it will bring more people into the building," he said. "It's about my food. My food is outstanding. And if you come in and try it once, you'll be back for more."
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