Cane Rosso in Arlington nears opening; Zoli’s in Fort Worth adds take-and-bake pizzas
Better times are near, and also better pizza.
A Cane Rosso Italian restaurant will open this summer in Arlington, bringing more of the gourmet pizzas and pastas that Fort Worth knows from Cane Rosso and its crisp-crust cousin, Zoli’s.
While the restaurant industry has been in a slowdown, Cane Rosso has gone ahead with construction of its new downtown Arlington location, a former radiator shop at 200 N. East St.
Hiring and permitting may take longer than usual, owner Jay Jerrier said, but “we’re dying to get open.”
Business is down at his restaurants. But the Cane Rosso in Fort Worth still has strong sales for the best seller, a soppressata pizza with bacon marmalade and habanero honey, and for drink kits like a frosé (frozen rosé wine).
Zoli’s drew crowds last week for a new feature: $12-$15 take-and-bake pizzas that come with a special pan for baking at home.
Zoli’s also added new $40-$60 family dinner packs for six to eight people: half-pans of brisket lasagna ($60, feeds eight), or a choice of six pastas including spaghetti Bolognese with meatballs or chicken fettucine Alfredo (all $40, feeds six, $40).
Last month, business went into a 24-hour downhill slide when Zoli’s went overnight from packed houses and patio crowds to slow business as a take-out pizza shop in frightening times.
“Cane Rosso has been super busy. ... Friday and Saturday we are swamped,” Jerrier said.
Zoli’s, very crowded when it opened, has been slower.
“Good news is, there’s lots of parking!” Jerrier said.
It’s a sad time for the restaurants’ “pizza czar,” Lee Hunzinger. He was named to the U.S. team for the World Pizza Championship in May in Parma, but that’s been moved to October.
Jerrier said he’s coping with the slowdown by walking 7 to 8 miles daily.
He called the abrupt changes last month a “complete disaster.”
“We were forced to pivot to 100% off-premise sales in 24 hours — very stressful,” he said.
March through June are some of the best months for restaurants, he said.
“I’m worried that when we get open sales are still going to be way, way down,” he said.
People seem wary of going out, he said.
His salaried employees have taken pay cuts, and the rest of the staff is working fewer hours.
Some of the new menu items like the take-and-bake pizzas will probably stick around after regular service resumes, he said. And he’s hoping the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission continues to allow liquor and mixers to go.
For now, Cane Rosso is open for take-out lunch and dinner daily at 815 W. Magnolia Ave., 817-922-9222, canerosso.com. Zoli’s is at 3501 Hulen St., 817-402-0050, zolispizza.com.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
