By ZOE FERGUSON
The owners of Gorgers Subs in downtown Ithaca will open a new late-night restaurant, The Taco Shack, on the Commons later this month.
Matt Diamond — who owns Gorgers with his brother, Barton Diamond — said the location of the new restaurant, between Samurai Sushi and Casablanca Mediterranean, is perfect.
“It’s been six months or so, eight months since we’ve had the idea of opening it,” Matt Diamond said. “We’ve been waiting for the right location, a spot that would be perfect for what we’re doing.”
Barton Diamond added they had previously tried “doing late-night” when Gorgers first opened but said their location was “just a little bit too far away” from the most populated areas of Ithaca.
“People don’t want to [leave] the Commons,” Barton Diamond said. “So that’s a much better location for late-night.”
The Diamond brothers’ business structure will remain the same at The Taco Shack, Matt Diamond said, though the new restaurant will have a“more dynamic” menu.
“We’ve kept everything the same throughout the duration of our operations,” Matt said. “Hopefully, over there, we’re going to do it a little differently.”
The owners said they want to focus on fresh, unique foods at both of their restaurants.
“We’re going to switch it up every day, do a lot of fresh salsas [and] a lot of fresh sauces to go on everything,” Matt Diamond said. “We do a lot of sauces [at Gorgers] that you won’t see in other places.”
At both restaurants, the owners offer “high-end flavors at take-out prices,” according to Matt Diamond.
Barton Diamond added there would be “a lot of vegetarian options,” including homemade seitan, a food made from wheat gluten.
“Any of the tacos that we make for the meat eaters won’t be exclusive to them,” Barton said. “They will be open to everyone.”
There will be no kitchen at The Taco Shack, so all meat will have to be prepared ahead of time in the Gorgers kitchen, according to the Diamond brothers, because there are no available kitchens open on the Commons.
The brothers said they hope to open The Taco Shack opens on April 25.
Though the lack of a kitchen may make fish tacos impossible to provide at the restaurant, its offerings will still be diverse, according to Barton Diamond.
“You can customize it to whatever flavors you want,” he said. “It’s not just going to be a standard taco.”