The smoky, gritty aroma of smoked meat from Stanley’s consumes nearly an entire portion of Beckham Avenue, but everyone should prepare for an entirely new set of smells coming from just across the street from TJC.
Roast Social Kitchen is Nick and Jen Pencis’ latest venture. Nick and Jen have been the owners of Stanley’s for the past nine years, and they have chosen to follow their dreams and open a new eatery in Tyler. The new restaurant will serve pizza while also addressing the difficult task of broadening horizons for food in Tyler.
“We’re going to supply students with so much more than a sandwich and a drink.” Jen said. “Good food is simple and not hard to make, thus it shouldn’t be hard to obtain.”
In college, Jen said that she always felt like there weren’t enough healthy, decently priced food options for students.
“I really feel bad for the college students in this town. There’s not a lot going on for students here. They need a place to bring a laptop, grab a coffee, and study,” said Jen.
They had already installed power plugs by most of the tables and seating areas.
“In a nutshell, we’re just trying to be thoughtful of every aspect of a restaurant. From how it feels, looks, smells, sounds and obviously how it tastes,” said Nick.
The “fast-casual” nature, as they called it, of the business is intended to be something totally different than anything else in Tyler. Since the restaurant is still under construction, the Pencis’ aren’t ready to explain their full menu items yet, but they did tell me that, along with things like pizza and small meals, customers will be able to purchase things like cheese or meat by weight.
“We have agreed,” Nick explained. “That we will take an even smaller profit margin for the sake of supplying the customers with something that’s just better. It tastes better and is healthier than most restaurants. It seems like so many restaurants buy the cheapest stuff possible to increase their profits. In the end, our product will speak for itself.”
The new restaurant is under construction in the shopping center right next door to Payless Shoes. There is no official opening date set at the moment, but they are aiming for the restaurant to open its doors around the end of the year.
