A new restaurant in downtown North Bend stirred up so much excitement that patrons lined up outside the door to try the food during their soft opening.
“It’s something we weren’t expecting,” said Anthony Babbini.
“People seem to really enjoy the different flavors, something new, something unique and they've been good to us,” he said.
Babbini's Paninis offers a variety of panini sandwiches, smash burgers, snapper dogs, and salads as well as sides, beverages and kids menu items.
Anthony Babbini is an experienced restaurant owner who has teamed up with lifelong-local Scott Bradley to open Babbini’s Paninis.
The two met while working in a restaurant and quickly realized they both had a dream to open up their own business locally.
“Anthony gave me a business plan, and I believed in his vision,” Bradley said. “So we rolled from there.”
The owners said they have skillsets that complement each other, and they are happy to bring their vision to life in the local community.
After a busy first week, the Babbini’s Paninis owners said they are buttoning up staffing and polishing their menu items. They said they are planning to bring back breakfast burritos, and are considering customer requests for vegetarian and spicy menu options.
Italian-raised owner Babbini said many of the current menu items are based on family recipes.
“It's nice to know that this is what I grew up eating and I can share it with other people,” he said.
The paninis come in a variety of combinations and are named after employees and family members.
One of the most popular menu items so far is The Beverly – a panini with turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato, spinach, cheddar, mayo and mustard on Sourdough Bread. Other favorite panini ingredients include roast beef, grilled onions, pastrami, sauerkraut, jalapeno mayo and more.
No menu item costs more than $13.99. A deluxe classic smash burger comes in at $8.99 and the Snapper dog is only $4.99.
So far, the Babbinis Panini’s owners said they have had great support from the community, including North Bend’s Main Street program. The small business owners also plan to join the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
The small business owners said they do not plan to emulate the top-down approach of some corporate restaurants.
“We’d like for everyone to feel like they're cared about at work and to share our successes with our employees,” they said.
Babbini’s Paninis is located at 1860 Union Ave. They are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday.
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