Demographics drive Dallas detour decision

Jesse Onate managed a chain of restaurants in the teeming metropolis of Dallas.

He left it all behind to open a single eatery in Reno.

But he hopes that initial location is the starter dough of big dreams, and he's looking for investment dollars to make the dream a reality.

In response to demographic data that defines Reno as an up-and-coming locale, Onate moved himself here and, research in hand, recruited three or four local investors last year to found Viconacam LLC, says spokesman Paul Klein of PKreative Advertising.

While the amount of dough those investors doled wasn't disclosed, it funded "a hospitality industry investment firm," says Klein. With owner Onate as president and chairman of the board, the company will open its Reno restaurant in February.

The 4,300-square-foot space, with seating for about 200, will employ 45 upon opening. It's located on Double R Boulevard across the street from IGT's sprawling campus. Shawn Smith, a senior associate at Colliers International in Reno, brokered the real estate lease.

Viconacam's mission statement adds a dash of ethics to entrepreneurship, vowing to share a portion of profits from dessert sales with local non-profit organizations.

Growth will come as demographics dictate, says Klein, but the company plans to grow a chain of restaurants, perhaps a new location every two years. A hotel is also in the plans.

The long-term vision stakes out the hospitality industry as its turf. Eventually, says Klein, Viconacam hopes to go public, although its Web site, www.viconacam.com, keeps the details of its search for capital close to the vest.