Hot Harry’s Coming in June
By Robin Vinci | Editor at May 5, 2024 | 6:00 pm | Print
New Britain will soon have it’s own burrito restaurant. Hot Harry’s will soon open at 1470 East St. next to the Dollar General.
“We are pushing hard to open June 1, but we may have a delay,” said president of the company Richard Tarascio. “It will definitely open some time in June.”
Tarascio of Columbia, CT came to the company 8 months ago from Wayback Restaurants. The company has been looking for a Connecticut location as it has five franchises located in Massachusetts, New York and Iowa.
Hot Harry’s began in Pittsfield, Mass in 2004 and has been around for 12 years.
“We have a good opportunity here,” said Tarascio. “We are focusing on franchising. We changed our store designs, menu board and logos. Then we started selling locations.”
The New Britain store will be the first one with the new design.
“This is my store. I am building it personally,” said Tarascio. “We wanted an opportunity to be in Connecticut and get a foothold. I hope there will be others in Connecticut, but this is the first one.”
Being so close to Central Connecticut State University is what enticed the franchise to choose New Britain.
“We like being close to CCSU even though school will be out when we open. We will offer students the blue chip card,” he said. “Our actual grand opening will be in a few months.”
Hot Harry’s name was just a thought up name and does not refer to anyone in particular.
Hot Harry’s makes everything fresh including it’s sauces and salsas. They feature burritos of the month such as Chile Cheese Frito Burrito or Hot Flaming Cheeto Burrito. In April the store had Philly Cheesesteak Burritos as its special. This month it is Southwest Spicy Chicken.
Specials each month will be on their Facebook page and website. Prices for burritos begin at $7.25. Burritos come in steak, pork, chicken, beef, bean or tofu.
Other foods include bowls, quesadillas, tacos, salads, soups, chilis, nachos and poppers. Breakfast includes the Sunshiner, Early Riser, Healthy Start and Grande Scramble.
From the Signature Sauces, marinades and dressings to the homemade Spanish rice and seasoned ground beef, Hot Harry’s prepares them from homemade recipes on site daily. Meats are also char-grilled and cut daily and tortillas are fried onsite daily.
“When people try it they will see that everything made fresh makes a difference. Fresh made will turn people on,” said Tarascio. “The biggest thing with our burrito is it doesn’t weigh you down. Our recipes have a nice blend.”
