Walk into a hamburger joint, and you’re probably walking out with a burger.
And the greasy bag you leave a taco stand with is likewise probably packed with tacos.
Rashid Elmrini looked at that current state of fast food and figured he could shake it up a bit with a restaurant that offers a wide variety of quick options, all on one menu, under one roof.
“I wanted to make a positive impact on the current state of fast food,” Elmrini said July 2 at Deelish, his new restaurant at South Havana Street and East Jewell Avenue.
The restaurant, which opened June 15, is different from other fast-food restaurants in that the menu has a much wider variety, Elmrini said.
That means a diners can get a Cuban press sandwich, or a Philly cheesesteak or a cheeseburger or a pita, among other things, he said.
“We wanted to offer variety,” he said.
The restaurant is Elmrini’s first foray into the fast food business — though he prefers to say the restaurant serves fresh food, quickly — but it isn’t his first go around in the restaurant business.
Since he moved to the United States from his native Morocco in 1986, Elmrini has been in the food or service business, working as a bartender, in the kitchen and waiting tables.
About a decade ago, he parlayed that experience into a opening Mynt Mojito Lounge in Downtown Denver’s Larimer Square.
On some level, business is business, but there isn’t much Deelish and Mynt have in common.
“Opening a club on Market Street is a little different,” he said with a laugh.
While Mynt is a stylish nightclub in a bustling section of downtown, Deelish is a daytime restaurant in a suburban area.
And, Elmrini said, the fast-food business is very competitive, with dozens of restaurants within a few blocks hoping to nab the same diners.
The location, though, was ideal for Deelish, he said.
For one, Havana is one of the busiest thoroughfares in town, and several nearby businesses bring plenty of customers, he said.
The neighborhood also made the area a good fit for the restaurant’s broad menu, he said.
“Aurora is a very diverse area and I wanted to showcase that diversity with our cuisine,” he said.
The down economy also helped a little, at least in terms of real estate, Elmrini said.
“That’s one of the good things in this economy, you can lease space for less than you would usually pay for it when things are hot,” he said.
It appears Elmrini wasn’t the only businessperson who had an interest in the property at 1901 S. Havana St.
Gayle Jetchick, executive director of the Havana Business Improvement district, said she heard of a few businesses who had their eye on the building, which was home to an Arby’s for 30 years before it closed in January.
Filling the property in just a few months was a big plus for the business district, she said, and it hopefully shows that the redevelopment project along Havana is working.
“We’re hoping that it’s all the marketing and redevelopment on Havana and the business district’s efforts, but it’s hard to say,” she said.
For Elmrini, he said he hopes the Havana location is just the first of many for Deelish, though he doesn’t have plans set for a second or third location yet.
“We are going to try to get this going, build a good strong business, then we go from there,” he said.