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Taylor Gourmet to open three locations in three months

By Abha Bhattarai,December 23, 2012

The original Taylor Gourmet on H Street NE. (Lois Raimondo/The Washington…)

Taylor Gourmet, the homegrown Italian deli that opened its doors four years ago in the H Street Corridor, is undergoing a rapid expansion.

The company, which currently has four locations, is in the process of adding three more delis in as many months — two in Washington and one in Merrifield.

“We typically don’t plan to take on this much work at once,” co-founder Casey Patten said. “But each project takes on a life cycle of its own.”

Earlier this month, Patten and co-founder David Mazza, both Philadelphia natives, opened Taylor Charles Steak and Ice, which serves Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and water ice, at 1320 H St. NE in the District.

The duo has a team of in-house contractors — project managers, plumbers, electricians — who oversee the design and building of each new location, making it possible to set up shop within a couple of months, Patten said.

“We essentially have someone on board for every trade,” he said. “They understand the specs, which in turn speeds up the process. You get a better product, better quality and better pricing.”

In the coming months, Patten and Mazza plan to add about 100 employees to their current roster of 250. After that, Patten said they’ll take a break from opening new stores.

“We’ll have our hands full for a while,” he said.

The deli in Merrifield’s Mosaic District, which will be the shop’s first Virginia location, is set to open by early February. A month later, Taylor Gourmet will open up shop at 645 E St. NW.

And as for a third location in the works — at 1750 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, less than two blocks away from the White House — Patten said he was hoping to be close to one of the sandwich shop’s most famous customers: President Obama.

“If we can get a direct line to deliver there, it’d be great,” he said.