I know two people on the planet that are potentially upset by the closing of DeliFrance on the boulevard: The writer of this column and Warren Stanley, of De Palm Tours.
I went to DeliFrance for its bread, when the cravings for carbs, heaped with Filet Americain, capers and mayo, possessed me. Warren went to DeliFrance because of its proximity to his office.
Looking back at the situation, we all have to admit that as soon as SuperFood moved up the boulevard, also offering a shopping plaza, the old neighborhood around Sun Plaza lost its appeal. Then the Green Corridor hermetically blocked the access from the main drag, preventing spontaneous walkins from veering off the highway, into the lunch-room. Then paid parking was introduced, then the government started digging. They did not say why, they did not say for how long. They just tore up the strip, keeping a more off than on work schedule. It took about three month to completely dry the stream of diners to DeliFrance, and when the business died, Riccardo Solci, decided to close it.
The construction company, he says, has no sense of urgency, they have all the time in the world, in total disregard of business, suffering from the dugout, dusty street, with stalled heavy equipment everywhere.
So that’s it. The well-established lunch-room with the addictive bread, since 2006, is looking for new owners. By the way, the original DeliFrance concept is hard to maintain because of considerable difficulties in importing the part-baked, and ready-to-bake goods. But what’s there is very attractive, a turn-key operation and it would work well with the right concept, providing the government concludes the rainwater drainage project in front.
As I said before, Riccardo is a perfectionist, which is both a blessing and a curse. He is a sprinter, not a long distance runner, and by now he lost patience.
A restaurant in that location would be well served as a Pollo Tropicale for example, if the new owners figure out a drive thru window. Anyone interested?
