In the first week of May this year, Restaurant Olivia had 10,000 people on its waitlist.
“We have more people who want to dine with us than we have chairs to put them in,” said co-owner Austin Carson.
To keep up with demand, the Michelin-recommended Italian restaurant, 290 S. Downing St., is doubling its dining capacity this month with the opening of a 1,200-square-foot addition next door.
The addition will be the new main entrance for the restaurant. It will have a wine and amaro bar – reserved for walk-ins – six additional tables and a private dining room with an expansive table fit for 14 guests. Both will have a view into the restaurant’s open-concept pasta station, where chefs are making homemade pasta throughout the day before dinner service.
Not only will Restaurant Olivia host private events, but Carson said they also plan to host wine education and pasta-making classes in the private dining room.
From the open-concept pasta station, executive chef and co-owner Ty Leon will teach eager (and hungry) students how to make filled pastas, like tortellini and cappelletti. The beginner-friendly classes, which will be held each month, begin on Nov. 11 for $125 per person, which includes a snack and a jar of Restaurant Olivia’s pasta sauce. Reservations are required.
The wine education classes, hosted once a month by wine director Scott Thomas, began this summer, but the new private dining room will allow larger groups to taste some of the finest wine selections from around Italy. Prices vary depending on the wine.
“We did a class focusing on really high-end Barolos with some reservas and vintage bottles, and that was north of $300, but we’ve also done a class for $195,” Carson said.
On top of the new addition, Restaurant Olivia has expanded its cocktail bar and cocktail program in the original dining room.
“Increasing opportunities for revenue allows us to reinvest in the business in a way that makes for a more sustainable future,” Carson said. “We’re adding 401K and health insurance this year, so being able to double down on those sorts of things that make our business model more robust and allow us to be more innovative and creative in the industry at large is fantastic.”