Cioccolato plans move
Margaret St set to lose restaurants
THE owners of a top-rated chocolate cafe and char grill restaurant have revealed they will soon exit their long-time location in the Toowoomba CBD.
Primitivo Chargrill and Cioccolato owner Adnun Khan, who started them with his brother Albab in 2015, will move the businesses from their current spots near the intersection of Margaret and Ruthven Sts at the end of the current lease.
Mr Khan said the expansion of Grand Central Shopping Centre had pulled a lot of customers from the traditional main street of the CBD, forcing his hand in moving.
“It’s just come up - the lease came to an end when QIC was taking a lot of the flow of customers,” he said.
“The CBD used to be ‘eat street’, but now we and Sofra are the only trading foodies left on Margaret St. Eating spots are trading elsewhere.
“If you look at it holistically, it’s just the natural progression of a city. We love our location, but every city progresses and grows.”
Both restaurants are among the top-rated eateries in the Toowoomba CBD on websites like Trip Advisor.
While he wouldn’t reveal the new spots, Mr Khan said the location of one restaurant had already been picked while the brothers looked around for the second.
“We’ve basically locked down the Cioccolato site, Primitivo is still in negotiation but we’re confident we’ll get that site,” he said.
“It’s going to be convenient and close, with plenty of parking. Convenience is the main thing (for customers) at the end of the day.
“Primitivo is going to be next level - we took over an existing kebab shop in the beginning. We gave it a go and the feedback is very good. It’s just the space is very cramped.
“This next site is going to be 100-150 seats with a rotisserie.”
Cioccolato will close from June 30, but delivery will still be available with a limited menu.