TBowl opens doors after Taglio closure

In just under one month, Marco Lentini has transformed Taglio into TBowl.

Today, TBowl — located at 3716 Spruce St. — officially opens its doors at 11 a.m.

Though the 2,000-pound oven imported from Italy remains in the restaurant, 1996 College graduate and 2002 Wharton MBA recipient Marco Lentini, the founder of Avanti Restaurant Corporation, has completely revamped its original concept from an Italian eatery. Now, the retail space will serve as a home for a fast-casual restaurant featuring rice bowls and bubble tea crafted by Penn students.

Lentini and the Boba Bros Bubble Tea creators­ — College sophomore Arthur Kuan and Engineering junior Benjamin Shyong — said they attribute the quick turnaround to late nights, hard work and determination.

Lentini­ — also the owner of Gia Pronto, next door to TBowl ­— held a soft opening of the new restaurant Tuesday night for family and friends. At the opening, Kuan and Shyong served their Royal Milk bubble tea and Taro bubble tea to the thirsty clientele.

TBowl “was delicious,” said College and Wharton senior Travis Stier, who attended the event as a friend of Kuan.

“The bubble tea was an excellent idea,” he added.

College and Wharton junior Federico Moncaleano said he enjoyed the addition of a healthy food option on campus.

“It was really fresh and really tasty. It feels like you’re eating at home,” he said.

Director of Human Resources for Avanti Paola Lentini noted that the “orange Mandarin sauce” seemed to be a favorite. She feels that TBowl will strike a chord with vegetarian students in particular, as the menu includes a tofu option and “high-end” vegetables.

In tandem with TBowl’s opening, Lootsa.com ­— a website, similar to Groupon.com, that targets Penn students — launched this morning. Founder and 2004 Wharton graduate Sona Karia will feature a half-off coupon for TBowl on the website. This joint launch of TBowl and Lootsa will create a system of mutual benefit, Karia said, adding that now there will be “two Penn people in two different businesses to get students what they want.”

Lootsa’s team of Penn alumni and current Penn students has “so much respect for Marco, and we want to work with him in any capacity that we can,” Karia added.

Regular prices for rice bowls start at $3.95, with $0.95 vegetable toppings and $1.95 protein options. Boba Bros bubble tea is offered for $3.25. The Lootsa deal offers $6 off of a $12 purchase.

“It’s a great deal, great food and a great way to kick off the week,” Karia said.

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