Sound Bites Caf?© is ready for an upgrade. The small restaurant, located at 708 Broadway Ave. in Ball Square, bought out neighboring Mexican restaurant El Guapo, and will be expanding into the area next door by the beginning of May.
The change in location will be accompanied by an extension of business hours. Currently, Sound Bites is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and serves breakfast and lunch, but after the move, it will remain open until 1:00 a.m.
"We're going to have breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we're going to have a bar" serving alcohol, owner Yasser Mirza said.
He said he is looking forward to owning a larger restaurant. "Business is good," he said. "We need a bigger place."
Sound Bites' space restrictions, however, have added to its fast-paced feel in the past. "It's got a very distinct atmosphere," senior Amanda Shanner said. "They rush you through everything, but that's part of the charm."
Senior Margaret Senese also feels that the hurried atmosphere is an integral part of Sound Bites. "You certainly are not permitted to linger," she said. "They're brusque with their customers, but you expect that going in, so you don't mind."
"If you want conversation, go to The Broken Yolk or something," Shanner said.
Mirza conceded that employees will not rush customers as much after the expansion. "We're going to be more relaxed," he said.
He is confident, however, that it is the food, rather than the atmosphere, which attracts his loyal customers. "We have the best food in town. Tufts University [and] everyone knows about my food."
Tufts students, who Mirza said account for around 40 percent of his customers, have mixed feelings about the changes, however. While senior Marilyn Pimienta said, she would "definitely" try Sound Bites' new dinner menu, Senese has no plans to eat dinner at Sound Bites. "I probably would just go for breakfast," she said.
Senior Alex Kelston was curious about the addition of the bar and new late-night hours, which he said are "so not Sound Bites." Already a fan of the restaurant, he hopes that the changes will not lead to a bad result. "I hope it doesn't change the atmosphere," he said.
No changes are planned for Mirza's other restaurant across the street, Sound Bites BBQ & Grill, which will keep its current hours, serving food for takeout and delivery.
