A "NEW" EATERY IN DENVER

Why don't we have more FRESH, LOCAL-INGREDIENT SOURCED RESTAURANTS in DENVER? And why are NONE of them Italian? 

In Italy, food is simple, fresh, seasonal, and is locally sourced. In the United States, tomatoes come from Mexico in the middle of winter. Why doesn't this match up?  

Help us promote the Italian way! Leave it to DiFranco's, a fresh food and local-ingredient sourced Italian eatery to make this happen--with a little added help. This is where we need your help.

DiFranco's wants to be the first Italian eatery in Denver to source as close to 100% local as possible.

OUR CURRENT GRASSROOTS MARKETING

DiFranco's produces fresh Italian pasta sauces--everything from Ryan's grandmother's tomato sauce from San Pier Niceto, Sicily, to a proscuitto vodka sauce using Colorado's own Morning Fresh Cream, Osage Garden's fresh Basil, and many other local ingredients. It all started with the pasta sauces at local famers markets, which proved to be a successful "marketing experiment." After building a local following, we have decided to open our first store.

OUR CONCEPT

Our concept is pretty simple--just like the food. We will use fresh ingredients in a counter-service atmosphere. We will be open for a light breakfast with homemade Italian pastries and breakfast sandwiches and until early dinner. For lunch and dinner, you can order off the menu, which will will feature a fresh pasta dish, a few pasta dishes with DiFranco's sauce, a few seasonal salads, and DiFranco's signature Italian subs. In addition to ordering off the menu, you can also visit our prepared foods section, where we will offer a seasonal baked pasta, chicken cutlets, or even italian sausage, peppers, and onions. 

WHAT'S NEXT?  

Whether you call it a restaurant, market, deli, or all of the above, we've found a space and now it's time to start remodeling it and purchasing equipment. This won't be your everyday restaurant. We want to make it feel like you're at home with your family. Our design work will use warm colors with building materials that we can source from the Rocky Mountains, giving it a Colorado feel. The restaurant will have only one community table with a few bistro tables in an open air environment. Meet your neighbors and enjoy food from your local farmers--but let us do the cooking! Remember, if you don't have time to cook or eat in, our menu is available on a take home basis. From our kitchen to yours, enjoy a home-cooked meal within the walls of your own house.

OUR LOCATION

We will be located at 955 Unit D on Lincoln Street in Denver and plan to open in late spring. 

WE NEED YOUR HELP

So here comes the hard part. We've found a location, but it's dirty and ugly. We want to clean it up and bring in our own equipment. We need your help to finance the cleaning and remodel the space. Every little bit helps. We want to make this a reality! Not only to promote our local farmers, but really introduce Denver to simple, yet amazing Italian food.  Can you help us out?  Check out our pictures below to see what we've found! 

The storefront faces south on Lincoln Street. Below is a picture of the front entrance. 

Below is a photo of the counter as you walk in. Imagine a few brand new deli cases with fresh Italian food and couple of shelves on your left with locally sourced Italian dry goods. This will be a place where the local Italian companies, including DiFranco's, will showcase their products.

And then there were PURPLE ceilings. These have to go! A new color is in the works.

We are fabricating our own hightop community table to create a sense of family. 

Check out our rewards, described to the right. Hopefully you like them! We are ready to go! Are you ready to try us out and give us a chance? DiFranco's is about the experience--amazing food (because it's Italian and locally sourced), a unique atmosphere (yes, we will have hip music playing in the background), and just great, friendly people. Please help us make this a reality so that we can share our passion for food with the rest of our "local family."

Above all, THANK YOU for helping us make this a reality! We really appreciate your support.