Francesca’s Scott Harris rebrands with a new name — his own

Three decades after opening a less-than-warmly reviewed but immediately popular trattoria near Wrigley Field, Scott Harris’ Francesca’s Restaurant Group has gone eponymous with plans for new locations, cuisines and markets, including expansion to Indianapolis, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville and Charlotte. Among its roster of eight concepts, Vasili’s (Greek), Zade’s Lounge (pizza and bar menu), Fiore (pizzeria and bakery), Davanti Enoteca (Italian/wine bar), Fat Rosie's (Mexican/tequila bar) and Francesca’s Mio Modo are slated for Chicago-area expansion and/or remodels in 2022 or later. [...]Harris notes a changed restaurant marketplace and the growth of youth-oriented destinations in cities like Indianapolis, Dallas, Charlotte, Nashville and Atlanta have redefined fast-growing metros ”on fire” for new restaurant concepts.