New Third Ward Restaurant To Close After Less Than A Year
Catering will continue, but sandwich and soup shop set to bid farewell.
Site of Third Coast Gourmet, 309. N Water St. Photo taken April 18, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
After nine months in its home on Water Street, the future of Third Coast Gourmet is uncertain.
Owner Joena Vitale plans to close the business, 309 N. Water St., on Jan. 24, though its deli sandwiches, soups, salads and more will remain available for catering customers. In the interim, Vitale is weighing her options for the future: sell, relocate or reinvigorate the shop with the help of an investor.
“I’d love to stay in it,” she said. “If an investor would believe in our brand and believe that we can do this.”
The decision weighs heavily on Vitale, who has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars and innumerable hours into the business, even through medical crises. In July 2023, she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder, leading to weeks in the hospital and nearly two months in rehab. As she began to recover, her fiancé suffered a stroke, requiring a five-day hospital stay.
“I put everything into this business,” she said. “My whole life is in this place, and it’s going to kill me to leave, but we have to.”
Vitale is proud of her concept, noting that she’s received rave reviews and many return customers; however, she cited several challenges that hindered the business’s success.
Even before opening, the restaurant’s build-out took longer than anticipated and faced hurdles due to city regulations and the elevation of its entrance above the sidewalk.
After its April opening, construction on the neighboring 333 Water apartment tower closed the sidewalk north of the storefront and obstructed its visibility, Vitale said.
“That was a big detriment. People didn’t even know we were here.”
She also said that Water Street, the busiest Downtown thoroughfare, has lost its luster in recent years. “It’s not like it used to be pre-COVID,” she said, noting a lack of foot traffic, even during events like Summerfest and last summer’s Republican National Convention. A proposal would rebuild the street in 2027.
It was an unexpected twist for Vitale, who had anticipated steady business from both passersby and workers on the upper floors of the Renaissance Building, where Third Coast Gourmet occupies a ground-floor space.
“Sometimes I have 10 orders for the whole day. You can’t sustain [a business] on that,” she said, noting that traffic is unpredictable. “It’s up, it’s down, it’s all over.”
Her many attempts at advertising—through social media, local publications, specials, events, and signage—fell flat. She also tried diversifying the menu, adding gourmet hot dogs and a simplified, budget-friendly sandwich.
“Not one was sold,” she said.
Despite mounting financial challenges and ongoing health complications, Vitale is reluctant to leave the business.
“I love what I’m doing,” she said. “I’m a social person, I love to entertain. This was my chance to really talk to people.”
The hands-on Vitale is on-site every day, weaving through the dining room to chat with customers, making sandwiches — “with love,” she adds — and working side by side with her prep cook, her speaking Italian and him, Spanish.
Third Coast Gourmet serves a menu of deli sandwiches and wraps, including the best-selling Island Turkey, with aged white cheddar, mango salsa, lettuce and chipotle mayo; Capone, with Italian cold cuts, provolone, onion, tomato, artichoke hearts, romaine and seasoned oil; and Prime Of Your Life, with shaved prime rib, swiss cheese, micro greens and “gusteau” sauce.
The restaurant is partnered with Boar’s Head, using meats and cheeses exclusively from the company for its deli sandwiches. They’re also sold by the pound.
Additional menu items include soups, salads, frites and charcuterie boards. Beer, wine, craft soda, Stone Creek coffee and wheat grass shots are also available.
Third Coast Gourmet will close its doors for good after service on Friday, Jan. 24. Its final day will be centered on customer appreciation.
Until then, the restaurant will continue its regular operating hours: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Photos
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