< Full site
The Verde Independent Mobile



Flatiron Café under new management


Inside the Flatiron Café is a new attitude and new atmosphere. Hannah Phelps and Katia Page work hard to make their customer’s dining experience one they will not only enjoy but also will remember.
Hometown menu with more variety

 7/10/2012 1:05:00 PM

 By Philip Wright

 JEROME – 15.Quince Grill and Cantina owner and master chef Vladimir Costa took over ownership and management of the Flatiron Café at 416 Main St. a couple of months ago. Costa said the Flatiron was struggling and in danger of closing.

“I thought this place can make money,” Costa said. “I thought about changing the name.”

But he decided against that. “I can’t change 20 years,” he explained. “This is the Flatiron Café and it will stay the Flatiron Café.”

Even though the Flatiron is a landmark in Jerome, Costa said making changes to the business is like starting over.

“You have to create something new,” he said.

He is confident that the business environment in Jerome will support the changes he makes at the Flatiron.

“Jerome has been increasing in business rapidly,” he said. “The town is becoming more known.”

Some of his confidence comes from the success he has had since opening 15.Quince Grill and Cantina.

“On weekends people are waiting two to three hours,” he explained. Some of the popularity of the restaurant comes word of mouth and from the great reviews he has gotten in travel publications. He said Arizona Highways voted 15.Quince as one of the top 15 restaurants in Arizona.

The food for the Flatiron will be prepared at 15.Quince then finalized at the café. Costa has created an all-new menu for the Flatiron.

“This is a brunch menu,” he said. “The first thing I did was create a hometown menu.”

That idea of a hometown menu has been very successful for Costa at 15.Quince. It offers locals throughout Jerome and the Verde Valley a significant discount on menu items.

At the Flatiron, the brunch menu has several items priced regularly at $8.95. Those same items are all available on the hometown menu at $5.95.

The new menu includes smoked salmon, breakfast burrito, breakfast sandwich, and other breakfast items and sandwiches. It also offers wraps, salads, blended juices and other beverages.

To-go orders are offered at a 20 percent discount from the menu.

“It’s something that I give the community,” Costa said.

An outdoor dining patio is available across the street from the Flatiron, and Costa said he is putting in a sit-down counter with pullout stools around the wall of the café.

In addition to the Flatiron Café, Costa now has two bed and breakfast rooms available. One is called the Flat, and it is above the Flatiron. The other is called the Bordello, and it is above the old Safeway next door to 15.Quince on Main Street.

Hours for the Flatiron Café are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week.

Cal (928) 634-2733.


 

The Verde Independent Home


< Full site