Soup FOR You! Spoodles Soup Set for September Opening

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Photo: Jose Rios.

Jose Rios wanted to tell the 3o or so people attending the Belmont Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Monday, July 13, at the Belmont Gallery of Art how he runs Spoodles Soup Factory, his eatery/take out in Foxboro.

But Board Chair Eric Smith cut him short. Without air conditioning, the third floor in the Homer Building was about as hot one of Rios’ five-alarm chili bowls.

The interruption did not indicate any trouble the board had with the special permit Rios was applying for to open his second outlet at 374 Trapelo Rd. adjacent the Studio Cinema in the former home of Cafe Burrito. In fact, the application was approved unanimously by the ZBA Monday. 

Unlike the memorable character on “Seinfeld” who would find multiple reasons not to serve you soup, Rios is looking for ways to get customers to come back time and again to take his soup.

“I will bring back old-fashion customer service, where my employees will take the time and answer every question to guarantee you’ll enjoy what you pay for,” the Grafton resident told the Belmontonian. 

The restaurant, open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., will serve fresh salads, wraps and sandwiches along with a variety of soups and chili from the staples such as chicken noodle to the adventurous chipotle sweet potato or chicken enchilada. 

The 768 square-foot location will have 13 seats and employ five employees.

Rios, who started his first eatery in West Newton 33 years ago, said he is looking to open by the first week in September when the weather gets cooler and school is back in session. 

Let’s Eat: Trio of Eateries before Zoning Board of Appeals

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Photo: The location where a businessman hopes to open a pizzeria on Park Avenue. 

Three restaurants will come seeking special permits before the Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday, July 13, and while two – near neighbors on Trapelo Road – appear to face perfunctory review for approval, one already has neighbors opposing its location at the intersection of Belmont Hill and Route 2. 

The ZBA meeting is taking place at 7 p.m. in the Homer Building.

George Rozopoulos, a well-known Wilmington pizzeria owner who comes from the family which established the Pizza Lover’s chain on the North Shore, is seeking to lease the former Belmont Market at 92 Park Ave. adjacent the overpass and the access road onto Route 2 and bordering Arlington, and open Rizzo’s Roast Beef & Pizza.

“Belmont is a beautiful town,” said Rozopoulos in his statement of interest, a place where “parents can walk … and kids ride bikes to grab a bite.”

“This location will be cool and hip inside and the walls will be covered with memorabilia,” said Rozopoulos, which recently was the home of Olive Market and Deli. 

Rozopoulos will serve essentially the same menu as he does at this Wilmington, Peabody and Salem locations, such as pizzas, calzones, hot and cold sandwiches, rice bowls and subs. 

The shop will have 18 seats, using the existing nine parking spaces in the area. Rozopoulos hopes to have up to 20 outdoor seasonal seating.

Yet some neighbors are rather bothered that a pizza place will be located at the edge of the residential neighborhoods. Two couples have objected to the special permit request, citing traffic – Park Avenue is rather congested for about an hour in the morning and evening rush – parking and health concerns as there is reportedly past encounters with “mice and rats” from the past businesses.

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Adjacent to the newly-opened Studio Cinema, a Foxboro-based soup restaurant is seeking to occupy the former home of Cafe Burrito.

As reported in the Belmontonian this spring, owner Jose Rios wants to bring his concept of 8 to 12 daily soups as he does at his shop Spoodles Soup Factory at 374 Trapelo Rd. The restaurant, open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., will serve fresh salads, wraps and sandwiches along with a variety of soups from the staples such as chicken noodle to the adventurous chipotle sweat potato or chicken enchilada. 

The 768 square-foot location will have 13 seats and employ five workers.

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Number One Taste, the Chinese take-out at 382 Trapelo Rd., will be changing owners with Jack Sy seeking to take over the business from the current owners. He will keep the same menu and name as well as same hours; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday to Thursday; and open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. 

“This will be a family business. We want to have this business because cooking is a passion and we take pride in what we serve,” said the resident from Boston’s South End.