Pita Delite, a fixture on the Wilmington fast-casual dining scene for the past 15 years, closed the doors to its South College Road location at the end of July, with plans to relocate to the Landfall Center.
With the new location comes a new layout for the restaurant, which will allow customers to customize their sandwich and salad orders. Owner John Ridenhour said he has seen the growing trend in fast-casual dining of allowing customers to customize their meals without having to charge for every add-on.
The updated menu will feature a variety of new ingredients including fresh spinach, garbanzo beans, new spreads and cheese blends, jalapenos and a gluten-free wrap.
Ridenhour, who admits he can be a bit obsessed when it comes to cleanliness and keeping things in order, said he loves working in an open kitchen that allows customers to see their food being prepared and also allows him to interact with them. He served as general manager of the South College Road location for 10 years before the opportunity to purchase the restaurant was presented to him in 2013.
“You have to have great service,” Ridenhour said. “Your restaurant has to be a home away from home. If I go somewhere and someone knows my name and the food is good, then I’m going to come back.”
Ridenhour said the new location, which will have hardwood floors and mosaic tile walls, is being designed after the company’s newest location on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Pita Delite was founded in Greensboro, where there are currently four locations, with an additional location in High Point. Each of those locations is run by members of the founding family, said Ridenhour. He said he feels very fortunate to have been a part of this small but well-respected franchise.
“It’s been an incredible experience,” Ridenhour said. “The restaurant life is an interesting one; there’s never a dull moment. It’s a lot of hard work, but if I had to do it all over again I would.”
Ridenhour hopes to open at the new location, 1319 Military Cutoff Road, unit BB, by the end of the month.
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