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YOSTERIA no longer coming to downtown Youngstown hotel
YOUNGSTOWN
Plans to bring Italian restaurant YOSTERIA to the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel downtown are no more.
Alex Zordich, YOSTERIA owner, confirmed to The Vindicator Thursday that he opted not to move forward with plans to locate in the hotel after he and the building developer could not come to an agreement.
“It just didn’t work out, unfortunately,” Zordich said. “It was nothing personal on either end, we just couldn’t find the right agreement for both sides.”
He said he remains on good terms with the building developers.
The hotel was developed by local developer Dominic Marchionda, who runs downtown development company NYO Property Group, and the Pan Brothers Associates of New York. Marchionda could not immediately be reached to comment.
The hotel, located in the renovated Stambaugh Building on Central Square, opened in May.
In the months leading up to the opening, the plans for the hotel’s first floor included an upscale restaurant, coffee shop and YOSTERIA, which was slated to offer hand-crafted wine, bread and regional Italian food.
Bistro 1907, an upscale restaurant in the style of a modern French bistro, opened in May.
Chef and owner Mark Canzonetta said the restaurant has been more successful than he imagined it would be.
“It’s been going fantastic. Way better than expected – beyond our wildest dreams,” he said.
The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Canzonetta said he’s had steady business for each meal.
“We’re really happy with the way things are going,” he said.
Plans to bring Branch Street Coffee Roasters to the hotel, to a space on the first floor across the way from the bistro, remain in the works.
Branch Street owner Matt Campbell was in Seattle this week learning how to use a custom-made machine that will be the “centerpiece” of Branch Street’s downtown location, he said. He likened the machine to a Ferrari, reporting there are fewer than 120 of them in service in the world.
Branch Street currently has a location on U.S. Route 224 in Boardman. Campbell said he fully intends to move forward with the location in the hotel, which will be accessible from inside the building and from the sidewalk.
“The downtown store is going to be our showpiece,” he said. “I can’t wait for this leg of our journey. Downtown Youngstown has always been a dream of ours.”
Campbell said he is hoping to open the new shop shortly after Labor Day.
As for Zordich, he said he plans to find another downtown location for YOSTERIA. Currently, YOSTERIA is operating out of a kitchen at the B&O Station, serving pizzas on Fridays and Saturdays.
Zordich said he is in the process of scouting out locations, including some owned by NYO.
“My heart and my passion are downtown,” he said.