In separate Instagram stories on Thursday and Friday, Dom’s in Winston-Salem and Radici in Greensboro announced that both restaurants would close, with their last day of service on Aug. 14.

While the posts were spare in their context, they stated similar sentiments.

For the one posted on the Dom’s Instagram story, the text reads, “We have some sad news to share. As of right now, August 14 will be our last day of service at Dom’s. We may continue to operate past that day in a different capacity. But Honestly that decision hasn’t been made. We hope everyone will have the opportunity to come dine with us before next Sunday. More to come.. Thank you.”

The statement for Radici, reads as follows: “We have some sad news to share with everyone. August 14th will be our last day of service. We may explain further. But hope you will all make these last few days count. Thank you.”

Triad City Beat has reached out to both accounts via social media and email but did not received a response in time for publication.

According to an employee at Radici who spoke to TCB on the condition of anonymity, employees were told by one of the chefs on Wednesday of this week that the restaurant was going to close. They have not heard from the owners and have not been given a reason as to the sudden closure.

“I guess not enough business?” the employee said. “But I honestly thought we were doing okay and you gotta give it time you know?”

Employees were told that they could go on unemployment.

Both restaurants, which are fully vegan, are owned and operated by Brian Ricciardi, who found success as a restaurateur in 2016 with the opening of his popular Italian restaurant, Mozzarella Fellas. Then in 2021, Ricciardi closed Mozzarella Fellas and turned the business into a plant-based outfit, moved locations and renamed it Dom’s. The move was criticized by some loyal followers of the restaurant but cheered by many vegan and vegetarians in the Triad who had been waiting years for an all-plant-based option. A few months later, Riccidardi brought his vegan vision to Greensboro with Radici, meaning “roots” in Italian to a prime location in downtown on Elm St. Both locations, have proven popular amongst both vegans and non-vegans alike and marked what is now a small wave of plant-based options in the Triad.

Brian Ricciardi (file photo)

The announcement of the closure of both restaurants will come as a blow to the burgeoning vegan scene. Around the same time Dom’s and Radici opened, other vegan outfits started to become popular locally including Mike’s Vegan Cookout, a food truck that makes its rounds between the Triad, Triangle and Charlotte area, and more recently, Romeo’s Vegan Burgers, which opened earlier this year on Tate Street.

While other metropolitan centers in the state have seen a steady growth of vegan options in their cities, the Triad has been notoriously lacking in plant-based options over the years. For decades, the only option was Boba House, a popular vegetarian spot on Tate Street. According to Happy Cow, a website that tracks vegetarian and vegan food spots, there are only five vegan options in the Triad currently, soon to be just two (Crooked Tail Cat Cafe and Romeo’s). In Charlotte, there are 13, compared to more than 20 in the Triangle.

TCB will continue to update this story as new information comes to light.

To stay up to date about Radici and Dom’s, follow them on Instagram at @radicigso and @domsws.

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