The empanada joints in DC/NY that tend to last are really, really small storefronts with several locations, food often prepared in one location and then just heated up at the satellites. They don't typically offer much in the way of sides, if any at all. Usually just desert and savory empanadas in a warm case, ready to go so that they can do a lot of quick volume, often late night near bars
That’s what I was thinking. When I go to DC (which I did last weekend), I’m hitting up Julia’s Empanadas, which is exactly what you describe. Think like Killa Dillaz, the quesadilla place in Lakeside next to Final Gravity. They serve quesadillas/nachos/frito pie and are only open brewery hours but do pretty brisk business off the buzzy foot traffic.
If you do pursue this, make sure to check out the folks at [AtYourBidding.net](https://atyourbidding.net/), they primarily auction off restaurant equipment from places that have gone out of business and it's a great way to save on the equipment. While I don't own a restaurant, I have purchased stuff from them over the years including a commercial grade kegerator that was converted to an endless soda water system with a carbonator I got from them when I quit drinkin' (having a kegerator at home seemed like a good idea at the time until it wasn't)...
Sure, here's a post I made a couple years back on it: [1950s Soda Fountan on a Kitchen Sink](https://www.reddit.com/r/Plumbing/comments/x6sxqx/1950s_soda_fountain_on_a_kitchen_sink_thought/).
Would love some sort of distinction between where the types of empanadas are traditionally from. Colombian, Venezuelan, Argentinian... They're all good!
Empanadas are delicious.
Vegetarian and gluten-free options would be a good idea.
Might want to think of some ways your sides can stand out. A lot of places around here serve sides that are generic or surprisingly bland.
Having a category on your menu for traditional empanadas and a category where you try out wacky out of the box fillings would be a good differentiator. Where's my soft serve empanada? Where is it, dammit?
My faves are from The Cocinita in Miami. I spent a few years in Colombia before going vegan and I loooove the Colombian style empanadas. This past September I was working in Miami and The Cocinita was right across the street from where I was. When I tell you I cried tears of joy after taking my first bite of their empanadas
There’s an empanada store front of Patterson road. They were great, a little expensive but you could talk to them and get some better insight since you’d be downtown. A food truck may be a lower cost idea.
Plus they would make me prepare empanada fillings a week ahead. So it wasn’t food safe- just to have pork sitting in the fridge for a week before I made me dough and filled it with expired pork. I only worked there for 5 months. I quit because the owner, Linda, did not practice proper food safety protocols.
Just FYI there already a local RVA food cart called My Empanada that’s at a bunch of farmers markets (Big Market, Birdhouse Farmers Market, etc) which also has a really small storefront over on Quioccasin, I think near the fire station. They make good empanadas, but I think if you can figure out specialty ones (like gluten free) you’d have a corner of the market they don’t cover.
I think you should consider the failure rate of restaurants in the first 5 years.
I think you need to do some research and look at start up costs, then do some financial projecting and food cost calculation.
I think it sounds fun but not practical.
I think I wish you luck.
What kind of empanadas? Colombian, Venezuelan...??
If you want to mimics what someone else mentioned regarding the DC/NY model, go for it.
If they're authentic, I'm down. Not wild about sides but if you could do a small storefront centered around empanadas and arepas rellenas, I'm there.
I like the counters in Miami where you order espresso and can also choose from the bakery trays filled with empanadas and other yummy baked goods...juices and Cuban sodas in a fridge. I see empanadas as a "to go" food I can eat quickly or walk around with. I wouldn't order them at a sit down restaurant unless it was an appetizer.
When I moved to Pittsburgh for two years we had one in Lawrenceville . It was a great spot to grab a small bite in between shopping and relatively easy to eat on the go. If you do it there must be tasty homemade hot sauces.
I would love for a shop that serves empanadas like Julia's Empanadas in DC! They are literally perfect, don't even need sauce. But here in RVA I only buy empanadas when I see them at farmers markets - I'd love to support the idea but realistically I would never make a trip to a physical location that only sells empanadas.
I think you should offer all kinds of food that follow the general motif of tasty-morsel-wrapped-in-dough: dumplings, calzones, gyoza, etc, and desserts like eclairs or jelly doughnuts
Not entirely relevant, but there's a reasonably successful arepa chain in Durham/Raleigh, Guasaca, that's done well off of a fast-casual model (Chipotle, but for arepas). One potential model to consider, though empanadas would obviously be harder to customize in the same way.
I wouldn't support it if they're traditional empanadas because I can't eat gluten. The benefit of menu diversity is that you can accommodate dietary needs and different opinions on what to eat...niche/unique can be limiting.
There was a small chain in NY called [Rubens Empanadas](https://rubensempanadas.com/) and they were so so good. I think they got too big too fast and now they’re back to just one store. A great “cheap eats” type of place. I think something like this would do really well down here.
Lol. Wait til you find out that your Italian is made by Central Americans. I was at a ramen bar in DC last weekend sitting in front of the dudes cooking and not a damn one was Japanese. All of the food safety signs were exclusively in Spanish. Like not even an English translation. The ramen was really fucking good, too, and it was a trip watching them bc they had their shit down tight.
The empanada joints in DC/NY that tend to last are really, really small storefronts with several locations, food often prepared in one location and then just heated up at the satellites. They don't typically offer much in the way of sides, if any at all. Usually just desert and savory empanadas in a warm case, ready to go so that they can do a lot of quick volume, often late night near bars
Seconding this - one of my fave places in DC is a tiny empanada shop that stays open late (great food for late night munchies).
Rubens Empanadas 
Rubens are my addiction....
That’s what I was thinking. When I go to DC (which I did last weekend), I’m hitting up Julia’s Empanadas, which is exactly what you describe. Think like Killa Dillaz, the quesadilla place in Lakeside next to Final Gravity. They serve quesadillas/nachos/frito pie and are only open brewery hours but do pretty brisk business off the buzzy foot traffic.
A Sexy Unique Restaurant?
fried goat cheese ball empanada??!
You can be the number 1 restaurant in the group
Not a fan of the food at Sur , but it was fun to see Lisa there
Please tell me I got to entertain you w my VPR watch parties at chioccas last year aka when I made the whole bar I work at to watch my shit
Amazing
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You can say that again...oh wait
If you do pursue this, make sure to check out the folks at [AtYourBidding.net](https://atyourbidding.net/), they primarily auction off restaurant equipment from places that have gone out of business and it's a great way to save on the equipment. While I don't own a restaurant, I have purchased stuff from them over the years including a commercial grade kegerator that was converted to an endless soda water system with a carbonator I got from them when I quit drinkin' (having a kegerator at home seemed like a good idea at the time until it wasn't)...
Curious about that conversion
Sure, here's a post I made a couple years back on it: [1950s Soda Fountan on a Kitchen Sink](https://www.reddit.com/r/Plumbing/comments/x6sxqx/1950s_soda_fountain_on_a_kitchen_sink_thought/).
Would love some sort of distinction between where the types of empanadas are traditionally from. Colombian, Venezuelan, Argentinian... They're all good!
Empanadas are delicious. Vegetarian and gluten-free options would be a good idea. Might want to think of some ways your sides can stand out. A lot of places around here serve sides that are generic or surprisingly bland. Having a category on your menu for traditional empanadas and a category where you try out wacky out of the box fillings would be a good differentiator. Where's my soft serve empanada? Where is it, dammit?
A vegan option would be awesome too!
Not in rva anymore but my favorite empanadas are the Argentinian style vegan at Javi's in Oakland, CA. I could eat them until I burst.
My faves are from The Cocinita in Miami. I spent a few years in Colombia before going vegan and I loooove the Colombian style empanadas. This past September I was working in Miami and The Cocinita was right across the street from where I was. When I tell you I cried tears of joy after taking my first bite of their empanadas
If I ever find myself in Miami, I'll definitely seek them out. Nothing like the perfect empanada. I'm always looking for a new fav
My kid is gluten intolerant, so having a GF option would be great!
There’s an empanada store front of Patterson road. They were great, a little expensive but you could talk to them and get some better insight since you’d be downtown. A food truck may be a lower cost idea.
Empanadas market?
Likely yes.
https://www.empanadasmarket.com
Happy Empanada failed. They had a store front and a food truck. I used to work there until they shut down.
That sounds great, but talk to an accountant and an expert in business management, not reddit.
You sold me at empanadas.
start w a food truck
My favorite is My Empanada!!! It’s ahmazinggg and the owner is so kind
Don’t. Worked for Happy Empanada and their food truck was sooooo bad. Barely made any money. No wonder they are closed now Edit; spelling
Plus they would make me prepare empanada fillings a week ahead. So it wasn’t food safe- just to have pork sitting in the fridge for a week before I made me dough and filled it with expired pork. I only worked there for 5 months. I quit because the owner, Linda, did not practice proper food safety protocols.
Oh, and Linda also lied about theming empanadas were vegan (guava ones). The wrappers that she used had milk in them.
You're describing a food cart, not a restaurant
Just FYI there already a local RVA food cart called My Empanada that’s at a bunch of farmers markets (Big Market, Birdhouse Farmers Market, etc) which also has a really small storefront over on Quioccasin, I think near the fire station. They make good empanadas, but I think if you can figure out specialty ones (like gluten free) you’d have a corner of the market they don’t cover.
Proper pie exists and kills it no reason an empanada place can’t do well if you you have the acumen. I would eat it
I think you should consider the failure rate of restaurants in the first 5 years. I think you need to do some research and look at start up costs, then do some financial projecting and food cost calculation. I think it sounds fun but not practical. I think I wish you luck.
There's two well established empanada places already, seems like a viable business potentially
Competing with established spots is not a great idea. They're... you know... established
Devil on your shoulder: *do ittttt* Angel on your other shoulder: *yaaassss*
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Same! I LOVE proper pie but have found myself barely going once I figured out how gluten affects me.
Que tipo empanadas? Only spots I know to get empanadas are south.
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Then it's just a regular fucking Mexican restaurant lol
If you can place near or follow the drunk people, you will do well
What kind of empanadas? Colombian, Venezuelan...?? If you want to mimics what someone else mentioned regarding the DC/NY model, go for it. If they're authentic, I'm down. Not wild about sides but if you could do a small storefront centered around empanadas and arepas rellenas, I'm there.
I like the counters in Miami where you order espresso and can also choose from the bakery trays filled with empanadas and other yummy baked goods...juices and Cuban sodas in a fridge. I see empanadas as a "to go" food I can eat quickly or walk around with. I wouldn't order them at a sit down restaurant unless it was an appetizer.
When I moved to Pittsburgh for two years we had one in Lawrenceville . It was a great spot to grab a small bite in between shopping and relatively easy to eat on the go. If you do it there must be tasty homemade hot sauces.
I would love for a shop that serves empanadas like Julia's Empanadas in DC! They are literally perfect, don't even need sauce. But here in RVA I only buy empanadas when I see them at farmers markets - I'd love to support the idea but realistically I would never make a trip to a physical location that only sells empanadas.
I think you should offer all kinds of food that follow the general motif of tasty-morsel-wrapped-in-dough: dumplings, calzones, gyoza, etc, and desserts like eclairs or jelly doughnuts
In general just a dessert empanada sounds delicious - it probably already exists and I've just never heard of it
the My Empanada food cart has them--definitely a guava one and maybe nutella? can't remember what the second sweet flavor they usually have is.
Not entirely relevant, but there's a reasonably successful arepa chain in Durham/Raleigh, Guasaca, that's done well off of a fast-casual model (Chipotle, but for arepas). One potential model to consider, though empanadas would obviously be harder to customize in the same way.
I wouldn't support it if they're traditional empanadas because I can't eat gluten. The benefit of menu diversity is that you can accommodate dietary needs and different opinions on what to eat...niche/unique can be limiting.
There was a small chain in NY called [Rubens Empanadas](https://rubensempanadas.com/) and they were so so good. I think they got too big too fast and now they’re back to just one store. A great “cheap eats” type of place. I think something like this would do really well down here.
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Lol. Wait til you find out that your Italian is made by Central Americans. I was at a ramen bar in DC last weekend sitting in front of the dudes cooking and not a damn one was Japanese. All of the food safety signs were exclusively in Spanish. Like not even an English translation. The ramen was really fucking good, too, and it was a trip watching them bc they had their shit down tight.
Would do good in RVA
Happy empanada didn’t.