‘Perfect recipe for disaster.’ Trevioli owner breaks silence about closure

Trevor Morris, owner of Trevioli Italian Kitchen, has broken his silence about his Columbus restaurant closure and the legal fallout at the other location.

Since Morris announced last month the closure of Trevioli Italian Kitchen, 7466 Blackmon Road, customers have speculated about the status of Trevioli’s second location, at The Rapids, 1329 Front Ave Suite A.

A Facebook user, Katie Bahten, posted Tuesday in the Columbus, GA Foodies page: “Does anyone know if the Trevioli’s at the Rapids downtown is still open? Did only Blackmon Rd. close?”

Morris, who hasn’t replied to the Ledger-Enquirer’s requests for an interview, responded an hour later. In an extended comment, Morris explained why he didn’t include The Rapids location in his closure announcement.

“I wasn’t at liberty to post whether downtown would close or not, because I didn’t know,” Morris wrote. “I was never majority stakeholder, but I figured since it was (legally) my name and recipes, I’d have some clout with the rest of ownership — which ended up not being true.”

Morris details his experience with the ownership, claiming he was quickly removed from management after the restaurant opened. He said he had little control over changes in staff and the menu.

“The menu deviated, different personalities came and went, and I was fairly depressed about the whole ordeal,” Morris said.

Last summer was the breaking point for Morris. He said he was removed from managing partnership, and he proceeded to seek legal options to protect the Trevioli name and get it removed from The Rapids location. Those efforts failed due to a lack of financial resources, he said.

“I was constantly told business is just business and not personal, but to me, it was something I’d built day by day, for 12 years,” Morris wrote.

In May, the Trevioli location on Blackmon Road was dealing with a massive flooding problem caused by a bar next door, Morris said. The insurance company did not cover his lost business. “It was the nail in the coffin,” he wrote.

“Loss of business paired with the high cost of utilities, insurance, and rent, food cost, and the general state of the economy was a perfect recipe for disaster,” Morris wrote. “I feel for the employees who lost their jobs and have spoken with some today. Unfortunately, I am not in an immediate place to hire as we are working to get the food truck operation topside. On the other hand, this business has never been for the weak. They will prevail.”

Morris also said he will continue the Trevioli food truck service. Details about when operations will resume are unclear.

“Thank you for 12 years,” Morris wrote. “We aren’t done just taking a break.”

Morris and management at Trevioli at the Rapids did not respond to the Ledger-Enquirer’s requests for comment as of publication.

This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 1:24 PM.