Our original location now becomes our flagship and prototype location. Imagine coming to a wine tasting knowing that your opinion will effect the wine lists at other locations. Imagine that the wine purveyor knows that, as well! Good wine tasting! We will be trying out new dishes and new features of the restaurant here in Naples. One thing that has always been a constant at Naples Tomato is change and we do not expect to 'change' that! The role of 'The Vine' will be the same as it always has been - to connect people to people while stewarding YOUR restaurant, and now other locations, as well.

As an example, we are kicking around the idea of a French Press Cioppino. Never heard of that? Neither have we, but it may be a good way to make sure that all the seafood cooks correctly without some getting overcooked and rubbery. One thing is for sure, the foodies on 'The Vine' will taste it first and we'll see if it works!

It's a sad but true fact in the restaurant business -- it's not a level playing field, period. Even though we wish independent and chain restaurants could buy food, advertising, insurance, dishware and just about everything else at the same price, the reality is that multi-unit operators have significant advantages. "The Vine' has already been the beneficiaries of our decision to franchise in this regard. Many people have said - we don't know how you are offering these values this summer. Besides tightening up our operations, we are already enjoying better pricing due to our decision to expand and we have passed that savings on to you!

The key to the whole thing is to maintain quality. As an example, we still use no stock bases or rues. We use almost entirely fresh herbs (in rare cases dried are sometimes better). And, of course all our sauces are made with San Marzano tomatoes. We've kept the quality ingredients and are still making everything from scratch - we are just gaining some purchasing power and we are passing that onto our guests. Is this a 'if you can't beat 'em join 'em?', well maybe, we do have a little competitive streak in us!

As we do this we continue to wish EVERY independent restaurant a TOTALLY level playing field. Unless Dine Originals kicks us out we will continue to contribute to that cause. Also, we would be proponents of a level playing field for ALL restaurants as the food service industry is the largest industry in the nation, besides government which of course we all pay for.

Over the next few months, we will be changing all of the artwork in the restaurant to be scenes from Naples and this will be the standard for all of the other restaurants. Imagine: New Englanders may soon be able to experience Naples for a night in mid-February without leaving town! Hopefully, they will remember this when they make their vacation plans.., If we are successful, these efforts will create new jobs for the community, as well.

As we said earlier, without 'The Vine' there would be no opportunity for franchising. TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY we are going to offer a special gift to you! You will be greeted with a complimentary champagne toast or glass of house wine at your choosing. Then, you will have a complimentary appetizer choice of seafood medley ravioli (a ravioli of lobster, pancetta and shrimp with a sauce of roasted tomato, shrimp, scallops and white wine) or you can choose an appetizer portion of 'The Bomb'! It's on us! You CAN combine this with the $14.99 entrees and the enomatic wine at 50% off. Makes the foodie in all of us smile!

Please note 'The Vine' when you make your reservation. Yes, you can try both appetizers if you come both Tuesday and Wednesday!

We currently have about 20 people interested in a Naples Tomato franchise. We only plan to award a minimal number of franchises at this time. The franchisee candidates need to explore the opportunity in greater detail and we need to evaluate the best franchisee candidates and locations. This will take some time. We will keep 'The Vine' informed as things develop.