M’tucci’s east, Piñon Coffee, doughnut delivery
One of Albuquerque’s most popular Italian restaurant chains is moving across the river.
M’tucci’s Restaurants announced plans last week to open a fifth location near Interstate 25, in the former home in Chama River Brewing Co. The restaurant will be the company’s first on the eastern side of the Rio Grande, and managing partner John Haas said he expects it to be the most popular location yet, with new high-end dishes accompanying old favorites.
“We really want to bring something new and unique,” Haas said.
M’tucci’s has been a West Side staple since it opened six years ago, and the company has four locations in west Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. However, Haas said, it has been a challenge to raise awareness east of the river, where the majority of the city’s population resides.
“There’s a lot of people who maybe haven’t heard of us, or just know us by name because of that,” he said.
The search for an East Side location began about two years ago, Haas said. He said the location the company eventually settled on, at 4939 Pan American NE, made sense because of the high visibility and the volume of other restaurants in the area.
“We just feel like it couldn’t be better,” Haas said.
M’tucci’s is planning to overhaul the 9,600-squarefoot former brewery space, brightening it up and adding an outdoor bar and patio area. Also on tap is a private room with a fireplace for birthday parties and other private events.
The restaurant is scheduled to open by late winter, Haas said. It will employ 120 people and offer seating for more than 300 customers.
The company will also be updating its food and beverage offerings at the new location, adding new menu items such as a high-end 32-ounce Italian porterhouse that will cost around $150.
“It’s a very special, unique dish,” he said.
The new restaurant will be known as M’tucci’s TwentyFive, which Haas said is an homage to its location near the interstate, as well as a reference to M’tucci’s founding goal of being a fixture in the community for 25 years.
“We see this as a pivotal piece to making that possible,” Haas said.
Piñon Coffee opens in Rio Rancho
One of Albuquerque’s most distinctive coffee chains is opening its first location in Rio Rancho.
New Mexico Piñon Coffee, founded in Albuquerque around two decades ago, held a soft opening for its new coffee shop, at 1761 Rio Rancho Blvd. SE, on Friday. The new coffee shop will be the New Mexico chain’s largest, according to marketing manager Drake Miller.
Miller said New Mexico Piñon Coffee, which operates coffee shops on Alameda and Fourth NW, has been looking for a third location for nearly two years. He said the company targeted Rio Rancho and Northeast Heights specifically, citing a shortage of local coffee shops in those areas.
The Rio Rancho coffee shop will have a large drive-thru as well as an outdoor patio area with several tables. Miller said the facility will have seating for 20 to 30 customers at a time, with options ranging from bar seats to lounge space.
The shop is hosting a grand opening event from Oct. 17 through Oct. 20, featuring specials on drinks, pastries and merchandise.
The coffee shop will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the week, Miller said.
Affordable doughnuts
Albuquerque has a new place to grab coffee and doughnuts by the dozen, but don’t bother looking for a storefront.
Glazed Factory Donuts, which is in its soft opening phase, offers 50 varieties of doughnuts that can be ordered online, over the phone or at the company’s roving food truck. Co-founder Bennie Martinez said the plan is to build up a cult following through social media and word of mouth as a place to get affordable, classic doughnuts.
“Our mission was to create something flavorful and something for a good price point that everyone could enjoy,” Martinez said.
Martinez, who also is
president of MCT Industries, a manufacturing company that shares a building with Glazed Factory, met co-founder Natalie Palmer during her time in charge of an Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise in Albuquerque. The two became friends and decided to start a business together.
After considering other avenues, the pair opted to sell fresh doughnuts without a storefront, which Martinez said keep overhead costs low and allow Glazed Factory to offer doughnuts at $11.99 per dozen, in the same ballpark as national retailers such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme.
Once the company fully launches, Palmer said customers can order doughnuts by the dozen and bulk coffee through the company website and by phone at 505-208-0150. Delivery is free within 3 miles of the company’s commissary kitchen, 7451 Pan American NE, and $5 within four miles, although orders must be at least $25. While Martinez said the company can’t deliver everywhere, it is partnering with Grubhub to fill in the gaps and deliver smaller orders.
Martinez added that the food truck is an way to take the doughnuts, along with lattes and other coffee drinks brewed by Portland, Oregon, roaster Coffee Bean International, to areas of town that may not be as familiar with the company. The Glazed Factory food truck will visit areas outside the company’s three-mile radius. Martinez said the first stop will be at San Mateo and Balloon Fiesta Parkway NE during the festival.
“So as you park your car in the morning, you can get a cup of coffee and a doughnut and walk into the park,” he said.
Although Glazed Factory offers a range of flavors, such as maple and blueberry streusel, customers won’t find extravagant boutique doughnuts that have gained popularity elsewhere. Martinez said hip varieties such as maple bacon can be filling and expensive to make, and they often don’t inspire a repeat visit.
“We want this to be something fun and friendly for all ages,” he said. “We want a 2-year-old to like it; we want a 100-year-old to like it.”
Once the company’s website is fully up and running, customers will be able to order doughnuts atglazedfactorydonuts.com. Stephen Hamway covers retail and real estate for the Albuquerque Journal. You can reach him at shamway@abqjournal.com or by phone at 505-823-3919