Dilworth's Kenilworth Commons will be third location of Scibelli's popular Middle Eastern chain

Restaurateur Frank Scibelli confirmed Monday night that Dilworth's Kenilworth Commons will be the third location of his popular Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant YAFO Kitchen.

Scibelli says he expects the Dilworth location to open by early October, with the usual warnings about construction delays that plague so many Charlotte restaurants. The restaurant will go into spot that had been a Just Fresh. He gets possession of the building in June and it will take three to four months to complete if there are no delays.

Meanwhile, the second location of YAFO, on Central Avenue next to Midwood Smokehouse, should be open by mid-summer. The original location is on Governor Morrison Drive near South Park.

Scibelli didn't rule out the idea that more YAFO locations are possible.

"Ballantyne is clamoring for it, and downtown fits it really well," he said. But he doesn't have new locations to announce: "There's nothing that's imminent."

Expect new dishes at the current locations, though. Scibelli recently returned from traveling in the Middle East with YAFO partner and executive chef Shai Fargian and says he brought back a lot of new ideas. The chef at the Dilworth location will be Carmen Vasquez, who's worked for Scibelli for 16 years, many of them at Mama Ricottas.

FS Group, Frank Scibelli's prolific restaurant company, also owns Midwood Smokehouse and Paco's Tacos, among others.

Several small restaurants and shops have closed recently at Kenilworth Commons, located near the intersection of East Boulevard and Kenilworth Avenue, including Kabob Grill,Just Fresh, Dilworth Espresso (also called Kenilworth Espresso) and the Bag Lady.

This story was originally published April 9, 2018 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Dilworth's Kenilworth Commons will be third location of Scibelli's popular Middle Eastern chain."