If everything goes according to Joe and John Lanni's plan, the name
Currito will become much more familiar to Cincinnatians in the next few years.
The two Cincinnati men are building a national chain of Currito burrito restaurants from their offices in Hamilton, OH and opening more locations in Cincinnati to build a customer base in their home town. They will open a new flagship location at Xavier this summer (another is on UC's campus), and another Downtown by the end of 2011. Two more Cincinnati locations are planned for 2012.
Currito expands on the "fresh mex" restaurant concept with ingredients and flavors borrowed from international cuisine. Their tag line is "burritos without borders."
The Lanni brothers' father, Nick Lanni, founded the Great Steak and Potato Company in 1983 with one restaurant in Dayton, and sold the company in 2004 with nearly 300 locations around the country, so the two brothers grew up immersed in the restaurant business.
They planned to take over the business, but a prospective buyer made an offer that the family decided to accept. After the business was sold, the two brothers decided to strike out on their own with a new idea, Joe Lanni said.
"At the time John and I were looking to get into business for ourselves," Lanni said. "We wanted to get into the burrito business, but we didn't want to do something exactly like Chipotle."
They bought a business called "The Wrap" in Boston, where Joe Lanni was living at the time, and converted it to work with their concept. After a couple of name changes, they landed on "Currito" with the help of local branding agency
LPK.
"It was based on one of their concepts that this was the cure for the common burrito," Lanni said.
To that effect, they sell burritos with names like "Bangkok," "Cajun," "Buffalo," and "Mediterranean" and utilize mango salsa, organic tofu and a couple of dozen other ingredients not typically associated with fresh mex burrito joints.
Currito restaurants also sell smoothies and salads. Lanni said the restaurant is keeping in step with the "changing palate" of the American public.
Currito currently has 14 locations in airports, malls and college campuses around the country.
Writer: Henry Sweets
Photography provided.
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