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The owner of Sangiovese Ristorante has signed a lease to open a restaurant in the 1st on Main development in the Carmel Arts & Design District.
Restaurateur Chris Evans, who owns and operates Sangiovese restaurants at the Ironworks at Keystone complex on the north side of Indianapolis and in the Yard at Fishers District, told IBJ the new 5,300-square-foot restaurant will be called Tre (three in Italian) and is expected to open Feb. 24 if plans go as expected.
Tre will offer indoor seating for 120, outdoor seating for 40 to 50, a full-service bar and a private dining room, Evans said. About 50 to 65 full- and part-time employees will be needed at the site.
Like the Indianapolis and Fishers Sangiovese eateries, Tre will offer an upscale authentic Italian menu, but it will have noticeable differences from the other locations. Evans estimated the menu, which is under development, will include only about 25% to 30% of the items featured at the other locations.
“There are some new things we want to try,” he said. “We want to take things up a notch. This is going to be higher end with stepped-up service.”
The 1st on Main mixed-use redevelopment project at the northeast corner of Range Line Road and Main Street includes a 73,000-square-foot office building with first-floor restaurant space and a private rooftop terrace; eight luxury condominiums ranging from 3,000 to 3,340 square feet; 35 upscale apartment units; a 310-space parking garage with public access; and a community plaza.
The 1.7-acre project, which was announced in late 2021, is being developed by Carmel-based Lauth Group at a projected cost of $47 million. The location offers high visibility, abundant parking, steady foot and vehicular traffic, and a built-in customer base from the surrounding apartments, condos, offices and shopping spots.
“I think that location is the best location in Indiana,” said Evans. “It’s just a great and vibrant corner.”
Sangiovese Ristorante was founded in 1994 by local restaurateur Gino Pizzi, who owns Ambrosia on College Avenue in Broad Ripple. In 2000, Pizzi sold Sangiovese to Kostas Protopapadakis. Evans, who worked for six years at Ambrosia as a bartender and manager, acquired Sangiovese from Protopapadakis in 2007 at the urging of Pizzi.
In 2015, Evans moved Sangiovese from leased space in Rivers Edge shopping center at 4110 E. 82nd St. to Ironworks at 2727 E. 86th St.
In January 2020, Evans opened a second Sangiovese in Fishers, just two months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing both of his restaurants to close for two months. With help from a federal paycheck protection loan, Sangiovese was able to stay in business and is now doing really well, Evans said.
“We’ve been really fortunate” he said. “Business has been great.”
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