As Northeastern students return to campus for the fall, a new business with a familiar name has caught everyone’s eye.
Amelia’s Cluck & Smash, formerly Amelia’s Taqueria, reopened in June on Huntington Avenue with a brand-new American-inspired menu featuring burgers, hot dogs and more. After the rebrand, which took place in 20 days, business had a naturally slow start due to the lack of students present in Boston. However, the start of the school year brought a wave of new customers, skyrocketing sales almost overnight.
“I was always impressed by Sept. 1, how the flood of students come to Boston, and how active and vibrant the community gets,” said Amelia’s Cluck & Smash owner Amir Shiranian.
Shiranian attended Boston University for a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and the University of Massachusetts Boston for business and finance. Shiranian designed hand-woven carpets for 22 years before opening Amelia’s Taqueria in 2013 and had no prior experience in the food industry.
The original Amelia’s is located near Boston University in Allston, with the Huntington Avenue store opening a year later. Today, Amelia’s Taqueria has four locations, primarily located near college campuses, including Berklee College of Music and Boston College.
At the time of its opening, Amelia’s Taqueria on Huntington was the first taqueria in the neighborhood. Over the past five years, El Jefe’s Taqueria, Mamacita Mexican Comida and Anna’s Taqueria have opened and expanded the variety of Mexican-inspired cuisine on the street.
“I always say we were the first one to start taqueria on campus … we decided to be the first one to depart and then start our new brand,” Shiranian said.
When searching for a new idea for his business, Shiranian worked with consultant Bill Goldman, who helped create the burger and chicken cuisine idea for the new restaurant. The idea was meant to satisfy what college students in the area love to eat, and Shiranian thought chicken and burgers were a good option.
According to its website, Amelia’s Cluck & Smash believes in providing food that should be “bold, satisfying, and simple to enjoy,” and that “life’s too short for boring bites.” Customers seem to agree.
“One day, me and my roommate were so hungry, and they were handing out free samples outside. So, we took one of the samples, which was fries and their sauce. I don’t know what is in it, but it is so good,” said Mariy Dudina, a second-year human services and psychology combined major. “We literally live right next to the building, and I think we finished it before we even got to our room.”
The restaurant’s renovation also included a brand new Fenway Park-themed interior and a Cluck & Smash wallpaper created by Raha Shiranian, Amir Shiranian’s wife and business partner.
Amelia’s Cluck & Smash employees went through retraining to learn the preparation and presentation of the menu’s cuisine. In addition to the staff remaining consistent at this Huntington Avenue business, Amelia’s churros are still featured on the menu.
“Now we prepare everything, every single day, so everything is fresh,” said Darlyn Hernandez, a member of the Cluck & Smash team.
The week of Sept. 15, from Monday to Thursday, Amelia’s Cluck & Smash ran a $5 meal deal for hot honey chicken tenders, redeemable for Northeastern students with a Husky card.
“I don’t think there are that many burger places nearby, other than Five Guys … and Amelia’s has a good spot. There’s not as much competition as Mexican food,” said Daniel Dabagian, a second-year politics, philosophy, and economics student.
With the success of Amelia’s Cluck & Smash so far, Shiranian also hopes to grow this branch of his business into new locations.
“Well, change is always good in life, altogether. I believe change brings energy and also opens up different avenues,” Shiranian said.
