Q&A: Adam Romo, CEO of Eatzi's

FORT WORTH--On Wednesday, Dallas-based Eatzi's Market & Bakery announced its long-awaited entry—or should we say entrée?—into the Fort Worth market. Eatzi's CEO Adam Romo recently spoke with GlobeSt.com's Anna Caplan about the decision to finally open in Cowtown.

GlobeSt.com: Why is Fort Worth finally a viable place for Eatzi's after all of these years?

Adam Romo: Fort Worth has always been a terrific city for commerce. Our growth strategy has been to venture out starting from our original Oak Lawn location, which we call the "Epicenter for Food." We then opened our Lovers Lane location only three miles from Oak Lawn, followed by further iconic locations in Grapevine and Plano.

GlobeSt.com: What about the UPV location speaks to you?

Romo: I have been searching for a Fort Worth location for the past two years.  And having evaluated over 20 prospective sites, the UPV location was clearly ideal for Eatzi's. UPV is in the center of an affluent, densely populated area, with ample surface parking, which is critical to our business. The upscale co-tenancy will be great for the center and for our customers. And the end cap location within the center offers outstanding visibility to University Drive.   

GlobeSt.com: What's the square footage you're looking at, and how will you renovate/alter the space?

Romo: Our store will occupy approximately 5,300 square feet, all contained within the existing Chili's space. The front patio [as you enter the store] will wrap around to the east side of the building, facing University.

GlobeSt.com: At this early date, any new items planned for Fort Worth or how will it compare to other stores?

Romo: The menus at all our stores are 95 percent identical. The balance represents "chef specials" that each store develops on their own. The most successful specials are later rolled out to the other stores to become part of the core menu.

GlobeSt.com: Any concern about competition in the near vicinity with The Fresh Market across the street, and the city also at long last getting a Whole Foods next year too?

Romo: We find the upscale, organic, specialty grocers to be complimentary to Eatzi's.  Ninety percent of what we carry and sell is our own prepared foods while only 10 percent is 'grocery items.' Our competitors are the opposite, selling mostly groceries and a significantly smaller proportionate amount of prepared meals. And our customers tell us that our prepared food quality, variety and convenient shopping format is superior to our competitors.