Chef Fabio Viviani is close to opening his first Jars shop, in Chicago, a desserts-only concept that has sold two franchise deals for 20 units total before a corporate store is open.
“My very first crack at hospitality was in baking. I was a baker from age 11 to age 15,” says Viviani, who owns and operates more than 55 hospitality venues. “And I hated it. I hated it so much, because you had to measure, you had to wait, you had to proof, you had to wait. It was a very precise job. I’m not precise, I’m an artist.”
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The grand opening of the first Jars, at 905 West Fulton in the trendy West Loop, a few blocks from Viviani’s Bar Siena, is “almost there. It will be sometime late October-ish. We’re still dealing with some delays, some little things, the beauty of the aftermath of a worldwide pandemic. It’s hard to find people in construction, that’s normal,” he says.
Jars by Fabio Viviani stores need about 750 to 1,000 square feet, and cost less than $100,000 to $600,000 to open, according to the franchise disclosure document. “What’s your favorite dessert?” Viviani asked when describing Jars in an earlier interview. Is it peach cobbler from Georgia or Boston Cream Pie from back East or tiramisu from New Jersey or any of a hundred other delicious sweets?
Chef Fabio Viviani is franchising his Jars dessert concept, along with Colbie’s Southern Kissed Chicken and Chuck Lager’s, a tavern-style concept.
“Now we’ve developed a concept that has no kitchen, no skills required in the back of the house,” he said. “We team up with the sweets producers. Our skill will be assembling,” he said, showing off photos of the creations packed artfully into jars. “It’s beautiful and gorgeous.”
Jars is “the future of fast-casual in the dessert space,” he declares today, with his signature enthusiasm. “At this time in history, it’s very hard to find skilled labor. It’s very hard to find GC, construction. This will require low capital to entry, require no kitchen, require virtually no expertise.”
Bethany Nelms and family members, first-time franchisees, signed a 10-unit deal to bring Jars to Orange County, California. Jason and Tejal Wible signed a 10-unit deal for Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, Texas. “After visiting with Fabio and witnessing his infectious passion and vision for the brand, we were sold,” Tejal Wible said in a statement. Fransmart, which expanded Five Guys and The Halal Guys among others, is leading development efforts.
In the franchise space, Viviani is also involved in Colbie’s Southern Kissed Chicken and Chuck Lager America’s Tavern. But most of his time is spent on Jars these days. “We are focusing heavily on Jars, that’s my personal project,” he says. Jars is my child, and the same way I don’t delegate my kids’ babysitters, I don’t delegate my Jars.”