Downtown restaurateur seeks south Springfield market

Riad Matar, owner of Riad on the east side of Park Central Square, said his original business plan called for additional locations in Springfield five years after opening the downtown restaurant in February 2004. But Matar said better-than-expected sales have prompted him to pursue a second location ahead of schedule. Riad revenues reached Matar’s “conservative” five-year projections in a little more than three years, he said without disclosing details.

The restaurant’s success lies in a loyal clientele, Matar said, suggesting that 80 percent of his business comes from repeat customers who routinely recommend Riad to friends and family.

“This is the foundation we have to build on and expose it to more people in Springfield, because a lot of people in Springfield … don’t know what Riad is,” he said. “But we hope it will be as successful as the one downtown.”

Matar is in negotiations with CJR Commercial Realtors to lease 2,410 square feet in Twin Oaks Marketplace at 1250 E. Republic Road, just east of National Avenue. The second Riad location will be in the strip center’s west end, he said.

The restaurant space, which will have a seating capacity of about 80, includes a patio large enough for 18 tables that will face north toward Republic Road, Matar said.

Inside, the restaurant will resemble the downtown Riad and will include a couple of large-screen televisions, Matar said. Renovations to the kitchen and dining area will cost at least $150,000, he added.

The restaurant will serve lunch and dinner, and its full-service bar – a liquor license is pending – will stay open late after the kitchen closes, Matar said. A more family-friendly menu is in the works to accommodate the south-side demographic, he said.

Matar also hopes the new restaurant will offer a convenient lunch spot for medical professionals who work at Cox South and St. John’s Hospital.

South-side company

Another Springfield restaurateur who first opened a restaurant downtown and later positioned himself to capture business with a south-side location is Bijan’s owner Mike Jalili. Eight years after opening Bijan’s on East Walnut Street, Jalili purchased the former Chardonnay restaurant on East Republic Road and opened Touch in its place in July 2005.

“Word of mouth spreads really quickly on good restaurants, not by who you are,” Jalili said. “We’ve done well with Bijan’s and Flame (on West Walnut), and now we’re doing very well with Touch.”

Jalili said some of his customers only eat at one of the restaurants while others frequent all three. For many, he said, it’s a matter of which restaurant is closer to home.

Future expansion for Riad could include a third location on Springfield’s east side along Battlefield Road or Sunshine Street, said Matar, who recently abandoned plans to open a restaurant in Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza. Matar hired a broker to aggressively pursue the venture, but to no avail.

Matar said he expects the second Riad location to open in September or October.