La Terrasse, one of the well-known restaurants that lines Sansom Street between 34th and 36th streets, is in new hands and will officially be changing ownership shortly.
But students and the University community need not worry -- the restaurant is maintaining its French-American bistro cuisine.
Thomas Knox, the former owner of La Terrasse, will sell his business to two brothers -- Marc and Marlon Nufable.
Marc Nufable was previously in the information technology field, and Marlon has been the owner of another successful restaurant near campus, the Thai restaurant Pattaya Grill, for nearly two years.
The change from being an IT to a restaurant owner is a big one for Marc, but since "the early going, I've always wanted to pursue a business," he said.
"There's a lot here that made me want to commit to this: you're on campus -- there's a history and stability," Nufable added.
La Terrasse originally opened on Sansom Street in 1966 but was forced to close in 1988. It was re-established in the spring of 1997.
Knox had been there "only a couple of years, but was part of a group who owned [the restaurant] for five or six years," Nufable said.
Although the restaurant is already well known, the brothers still have some goals in mind for ways to improve their newly acquired business.
"The main goal is to push the La Terrasse name beyond the campus borders... because we're not well known in Center City or the South Jersey markets," Nufable said.
In addition to the long-term goal of expanding the restaurant's clientele, the brothers are considering making some internal changes to the building.
They are "hoping to enclose the deck in the rear" and expand catering capabilities, Nufable said.
While there are a number of business ownership opportunities in the area surrounding campus, the Nufables settled on La Terrasse for a variety of specific reasons.
They decided to buy the restaurant because of its "reputation, charm, and because it's a fixture in University City... [with] a nice culture," Nufable said.
The brothers also decided that it was a "good long-term investment."
Nufable cited the French-American culture of La Terrasse as one of the reasons it was so successful in the first place.
He assured the clientele that "the cuisine will remain the same," with the usual changes in dishes that restaurants make a few times a year. Additionally, "the atmosphere will [also] remain the same."
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