What happened?
Noti Krasniqi requested a conditional-use permit for The Dutch, which was approved by Grapevine City Council and Planning & Zoning during a joint meeting June 17.
The Dutch will be a modern American-Italian restaurant with a cozy atmosphere, Krasniqi said.
“It will be a warm, stylish place for families, friends and visitors we have here in Grapevine,” he said.
The Dutch will move into the location at 1285 S. Main St., which formerly housed Fireside Pies. That location closed Aug. 31, 2024, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Part of the application was to enclose a 944-square-foot patio and will there will be a seating for 186 people inside and outside, according to city documents.
Krasniqi said he hopes to have the restaurant open before Christmas.
The background
Krasniqi owns Mio Nonno Trattoria, an Italian restaurant with locations in Flower Mound, Allen and the Victory Park area in Dallas. The food by Chef Ati Mala is inspired by central and southern Italian cuisine, according to the restaurant website.
During the meeting, planning & zoning commission member Beth Tiggelaar asked why an Italian restaurant would be named The Dutch.
Krasniqi explained the background of the name related to his upbringing. Born and raised in Kosovo, he played soccer as a child and got bullied a lot practicing the sport, he said. He added his mother’s advice was to grab a rock and throw it at the bullies.
Around that time, President Ronald Reagan ordered operation El Dorado Canyon April 15, 1986, in retaliation for the Libyan government’s involvement in a bombing in West Berlin, Germany, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.
Krasniqi said the correlation to the time of Reagan dropping bombs and him throwing rocks at bullies led to him being nicknamed Reagan by his friends.
One of Reagan’s nicknames was Dutch, According to the Booth Western Art Museum, which is how Krasniqi came up with the name for the new restaurant.
