Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming soon to Milford!

The new Nashville hot chicken restaurant will be located at 1611 Boston Post Road in Milford. The new eatery will be located inside Milford Square, a shopping plaza home to REI, Sleep Number, Panera, Jersey Mike’s, and others.

Dave's Hot Chicken is a fast-casual Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant serving chicken sandwiches, tenders, sliders, fries, and more.

The new restaurant is expected to open in mid-January; with January 9th or 16th earmarked for their opening. Though these dates are subject to change. Construction is expected to begin in mid-December.
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The chain plans a number of new CT locations including: Newington, Stamford, Southington, Milford, and others! Stay tuned!

A number of new businesses have opened at The Shops at Farmington Valley! New shops include a new medspa, new candy shop, a new home decor shop, and two others coming soon!

-The Nutmeg Sweet Shoppe is NOW OPEN at the outdoor mall! The new sweet shop replaces Emerald City Smoothie. The shop has a new wall of candy for sale including taffy, fudge, chocolate, maple candy and more. They also sells milkshakes and smoothies! Check them out! The shop is an extension of The Nutmeg Fudge Company in Torrington.

-VIO Med Spa - Canton has opened at the outdoor mall! The new spa replaces Driphouse, a short lived sauna spa. VIO Med Spa specializes in cutting-edge aesthetic medicine and wellness. The medical spa provides elevated and innovative aesthetic services for both men and women that empower, enhance natural beauty, and inspire confidence.

-Anastasio Home is now open at the outdoor mall! The new home decor store is located in the former J Crew space near Sur La Table. The shop offers limited-run home accessories, a curated selection of furnishings, and upcycled luxury goods.

-Two new businesses will be opening in the coming months including Sweetgreen and Warby Parker. The pair of businesses will occupy the old Cold Water Creek space. Construction is ongoing!

Sweetgreen is coming soon to The Shops at Yale! The fast-casual salad bar will be moving into the former Patagonia store space at 1 Broadway this spring!
 
Sweetgreen is a fast-casual salad bar restaurant with location across the United States! The eatery will be moving into the former Patagonia space, just two years after the retailer closed their location. Sweetgreen plans to renovate the existing building and add an outdoor patio along Broadway for their patrons to use.
 
Construction is planned to begin this winter with an opening expected next year. Plans are currently in review with the City of New Haven.
 
This will be Sweetgreen’s 5th Connecticut location behind Westport, Darien, Greenwich, and one opening soon in Canton! The brand has over 220 locations throughout the United States; with plans to reach over 1,000 locations by the end of the decade. 

We are getting our first look at The Foundry, a new restaurant coming to Downtown Hartford!

The Foundry is opening soon at 400 Columbus Boulevard, on the 20th floor of One State Street! The new eatery will occupy the former On20, another upscale American eatery that opened in 2010 and closed in 2020 during the COVID lockdowns.

The new restaurant will be owned by Chef Jeffrey Lizotte, the former Executive Chef of On20. Chef Lizotte owns the Present Company restaurant in Simsbury.

Chef Lizotte describes the new restaurant as: “The combination of The Foundry’s innovative American seasonal cuisine, topflight people, industrial-chic ambiance, and panoramic view of the city will make every meal unparalleled, every visit indelible.”
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The restaurant plans a January 2025 opening! Stay tuned for an official date!

Brass Mill Center will be losing 2 tenants including a junior anchor store; but will be gaining two new businesses! Check out the latest news below!

-Burlington Stores is planning to relocate their store from Brass Mill Center. The store plans to relocate to the former TJ Maxx space at Brass Mill Commons, with construction planned to begin in Quarter 1 of 2025. This will leave the mall with anchor/junior anchor tenants including Apple Cinemas, Shopper's World, Ashley Furniture, and JC Penney. TJ Maxx moved to 943 Wolcott Street (Mattatuck Common) earlier this year.

-FYE is closing their doors at Brass Mill Center. Liquidation sales continue this week. An employee confirmed the store will shut down for good by the beginning of the new year. The store sells pop-culture items including Funko-Pops, records, and more.

-Gamez Zone, billed as “the ultimate gaming experience,” will open on Black Friday (Nov. 29). In addition to numerous gaming and play options, the location will host tournaments and be available to rent for birthday parties and private events.

-Candy World, specializing in a variety of sweet treats, is expected to open in December. Candy World is a chain of candy shops with locations around the country!
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The Brass Mill Center this year has faced the closing of numerous stores, including Bath & Body Works, which moved to Chase Avenue in August. Others have opened at the mall, most notably Apple Cinemas, which relocated from Wolcott Street to occupy the spot vacated by Regal Cinemas. Godin Property Brokers in Middlebury is the leasing agent for mall owner Kohan Retail Investment Group and Summit Properties of New York.

A new Mom & Pop eatery is coming to the former Undergrounds Record Café space in Oakville!

Oakville Kitchen is coming soon to 206 Main Street in Oakville, a small village of Watertown, Connecticut! The new eatery will serve hot coffee and fresh food. Brought to you by the same folks that started Johnny’s Breakfast & Lunch in Waterbury.

The new restaurant is still in the construction/renovation phase. Stay tuned for more information as they get closer to opening!
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Undergrounds Record Café closed their doors in October after nearly 2 years of business. Their last day was Sunday 10/6. The coffee and record shop opened in December of 2022. The menu features typical espresso drinks, coffee and more; the food menu featured favorites like pancakes, sandwiches, waffles, and much more.

A new food option is coming soon to Andover!

Pho House, a Vietnamese restaurant, is coming soon to Village Plaza at 144 U.S. Route 6 in Andover. The restaurant is joining Andover Pizza, Andover Package Store, CT Dance Hub, and others in the plaza.

Pho House will replace Oriental Wok. Pho House was previously located at 834 Silver Lane in East Hartford. The restaurant was forced to close after the Town of East Hartford purchased the plaza for a redevelopment.

The restaurant sells Vietnamese Pho, Banh Mi, Bubble Tea and more!
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Stay tuned for an opening date as construction progresses!

Wingstop is NOW OPEN in New Britain! The chain’s latest eatery is located at 174 Columbus Boulevard, the plaza with Chase Bank and PriceRite.

The restaurant sells chicken wing, sandwiches, fries, corn, and much more. Take a look at their menu here: https://www.wingstop.com/.../wingstop-2598-new.../menu...

Wingstop is open everyday from 11am to 12am!
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The chain has more locations coming soon in Hartford, Bristol, Middletown, and more!

Shah's Halal Food is adding 3 new CT locations in Bristol, Waterbury, and Winsted! The restaurant serves gyros, falafel, burgers, chicken, fries, and baklava. The restaurant is a late night option, usually open until midnight or later.

WATERBURY: Shah's Halal will be opening a new location at 1051 Wolcott Street in Waterbury, currently Smoking Ape Company Smoke Shop (former 7 Eleven before); the smoke shop will be divided for Shah's to move in. The new restaurant is expected to open in early 2025.

BRISTOL: The halal restaurant is also coming soon to Bristol! Shah's will open at 728 Farmington Avenue in Bristol, taking over the former Smoking Ape Company Smoke Shop. The space was also previously home to Wings Over Bristol before they moved. Look for them to open next year.

WINSTED: Shah's will be opening a new location in Winsted. The restaurant will be located at 8 South Main Street, the former ‘The River Eatery.’ The new eatery is expected to open on December 6th.
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The restaurant has locations in Middletown, Newington, Stamford, Stratford, Bridgeport, and Danbury. They have new locations coming soon in Vernon, Waterbury, Winsted, and East Hartford.
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Where would you like to see them open next?

Margaritas Mystic will be closing their doors permanently on December 19th. The Mexican restaurant is located at 12 Water Street in Mystic, part of Factory Square.

Margaritas corporate confirmed the closure in an email Monday morning. The space has already been put up for lease. Check out the listing here: https://www.loopnet.com/.../12-Water-St-Mystic-CT/33510853/

The Mexican eatery is part of a chain of 24 restaurants under the Margaritas name. The chain's only other Connecticut location is East Hartford at 350 Roberts Street.
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The restaurant is not affliated with Chuck's Steakhouse & Margarita Grill in Storrs; though it once was part of the same restaurant chain owned by John Pelletier. The Storrs location was sold back to Chuck's Steakhouse and operates independently.

Wooster Street Pizza will be closing their Cromwell location on November 30th after many years of business.

The pizza shop is located at 77 Berlin Road in Cromwell, in the plaza with Goodwill and Artisan Vapor. The Wooster Street Pizza location in Meriden will remain open. The pizza shop featured a retro car theme, inspired by Hot Wheels toy cars.

The restaurant first opened as part of the Randy’s Wooster Street Pizza chain owned by Randy Price. At one point they had locations in Enfield, Cromwell, Storrs, Berlin (express), Southington, and Manchester. Randy still operates a location in Manchester and one in Naples, Maine.
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The restaurant said in a statement “Hello all Wooster Street Pizza customers. We regret to inform you that we will be closing up shop at our Cromwell location on 77 Berlin Road on November 30th, 2024. The owners are moving out of state and have decided it is time for a change. We have appreciated the support and the clientele we have received through out these 4 1/2 years of ownership. From starting off at nothing due to the pandemic to the amazing progress we have made with the help of the amazing staff and the trust all of our customers bestowed upon us. We cannot put into words how happy we are to be a part of something so special and to be able to feel so welcomed by this community. We also had the honor being awarded the neighborhood fave in 2023 which would not be possible without all of you. With that being said we have the rest of the month to see your lovely faces. We also have our Meriden location which will remain open at 482 Cook Avenue.”

Shah's Halal Food is continuing their Connecticut expansion with a new location in Winsted! The restaurant will be located at 8 South Main Street, the former ‘The River Eatery.’ The new eatery is expected to open on December 6th.

The restaurant serves gyros, falafel, burgers, chicken, fries, and baklava. The restaurant is a late night option, usually open until midnight or later.

If you or someone you know who might be interested in working at the restaurant, please have them email Shah’s directly at [email protected]. They are looking for Front Service and Grill team members, preferably with prior resturant experience.
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The restaurant has locations in Middletown, Newington, Stamford, Stratford, Bridgeport, and Danbury. They have new locations coming soon in Vernon, Waterbury, and East Hartford.

A new pizza shop and bar is coming to Main Street!

Retro Bar & Char is coming soon to 313 Main Street in Ansonia; the former The Hub Wood Burning Pizza Bar.
The restaurant will be owned by Gary Pettinella, the owner of the former Retro Grub & Pub in Derby. Retro Grub & Pub closed in July 2023 after 5 years of business.

The new pizza shop is expected to open in January 2025 according to their Facebook page. The restaurant will feature pizza cooked in a double deck gas pizza oven, instead of the old wood burning oven. Gas pizza ovens provide a more consistent cooking process according to online research.
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Stay tuned for an opening date!

A new 7 Brew Coffee location is planned for Connecticut! The new location would be in Orange at 116 Boston Post Road.

7 Brew is a viral drive-thru only coffee shop that has become increasingly popular from videos on Tiktok. The coffee shops are pre-fabricated building with a unique shape that draws customers in. The iconic structure features neon blue around the roof of the building.

7Brew is shown on lease plans to open in an existing space on site. It is unclear if 7Brew will utilize the existing building on site, a former Subway sandwich shop, or demolish the building for their own design. No timeline has been announced for their opening.

The shop serves a number of beverages including 'The 7 Originals', coffee flavors like blondie, brunette, smooth 7, white chocolate mocha, cinnamon roll, german chocolate, and sweet & salty. The shop also features 7 Energy (an iced energy drink with numerous flavors), smoothies, milkshakes, teas, lemonades, 7 Fizz (sparkling water with any flavor), cold brew, and classic espresso and coffee drinks.
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7 Brew has one existing Connecticut location in Wallingford that opened earlier this year. They are planning numerous other CT locations in Vernon & Orange; and are scouting for additional sites throughout the State.

Enfield Square Mall will be losing a number of tenants as they struggle with dwindling foot traffic, lack of transparency from mall management, and stalled redevelopment plans. The mall already struggles with a low occupany rate, sitting at around 25% currently (as stated by the developer in May.)

D Gym announced their pending closure, closing at the end of the month. The gym opened their doors in October 2023 at the mall. The gym offers personal training services. When asked for a reason for the closure cowner Ashley Tousignant stated "It was a combination of the town and the mall management. Everything that has gone on the last 2 years has been exhausting. We are a small family owned business who has just had enough. We chose to leave the stress behind and embark on a new journey."

The Moon Crystal announced their planned closure this morning. The crystal store will close their brick & mortar location and transition to their website ( www.themooncrystal.com ) while they look for another commerical space. Everything in the store is currently 40% off (excludes commission pieces.)

Another business that has closed their retail space at the mall recently is Stateline Video Games. The retro gaming store opened at the mall in 2019; expanding to add a new event space. The store announced the closure of their retail business last week; the event space is still available to rent for parties and tournaments.
At least 2 other businesses are planning to relocate from the Enfield Square Mall in the coming months. These businesses asked not to be identified for fears of retaliation. One tenant, who asked to remain anonymous, stated “No one can pay their rent because nobody’s coming into the mall. The owners will not do anything with all the utility markings all over the mall. The mall looks like it’s being demoed. They’re not making any advertisement not trying to get new businesses. The whole thing with these new buyers, that keeps either falling through or not falling through, they’re not communicating with any of the businesses in the mall. The directories are not up to date. There’s no signage telling people who’s in the mall and they don’t advertise at all for the mall.”

A VR game lounge named Quest VR abruptly pulled out of their lease with the mall. The VR Lounge was nearing their opening when the development was announced.

The redevelopment of the mall appears to be in limbo. The developer, Woodsonia Acquisitions, plans a $250 million redevelopment of the mall into a new mixed-use center with 165,000 square feet of retail, 450 housing units, and multiple hotels. The development hinged on receiving $20 million in grants from the State, grants that were not approved. The development announced plans to reapply for the next round of grants, but the project appears on hold until then. 

Enfield Square was once a healthy mall owned by the Westfield Corporation, home to many shops including Waldenbooks, Express, Ben & Jerry’s, Filenes, G Fox, and many more. The mall continued to lose stores, including many of its anchor stores. G Fox was converted into Filenes, which was then converted into Macy’s closed in 2016. Sears closed in 2016. Cinemark closed in 2023. The mall’s lone anchor store is Target, and a junior anchor of Party City. The mall is currently owned by Namdar Realty Group, owners of the Meriden Mall, Trumbull Mall, and Crystal Mall in Connecticut. 

The mall is currently home to After Hours Events, Crystals Fun Spot, CM Repairs & Accessories, Target, Da Money Pit, Furnari Jewelers, Galaxy Pops, Game Stop, Haven Games & Hobbies, Integrity Martial Arts, Mediterranean Kabob House, New Life Church, LA Subs/MOD Pizza, North Central CT Chamber of Commerce, Pelley's Sports, Party City, Rainbow Cleaning Services, Second Floor Games, SSUPhotos Designs, Wukong Tea, and Stateline Video Games (events/parties only.) 

Bath & Body Works is planning a new Dayville location inside of Killingly Commons! The retailer is currently finalizing their lease with the landlord and plans to begin construction next year.

The store would be located in the former Olympia Sports space next to Mattress Firm in the plaza. The store would occupy around 3,500 square feet of space including Bath & Body Works and their White Barn brand.

Construction is planned to begin in February 2025 with a planned opening in April or May of 2025 if all goes to plan! Currently the closest Bath & Body Works location is in Lisbon, CT. The store will join fellow new-comer Ulta Beaty; Ulta opened their doors earlier this month next to TJ Maxx. 

There is a new 'All You Can Eat' sushi & hibachi option in Rocky Hill!

Lava Hibachi & Sushi Bar is now offering AYCE (all you can eat) sushi and hibachi at their Rocky Hill restaurant. The restaurant is located at 396 Cromwell Avenue, in the same plaza as AFC Urgent Care and Berkshire Bank.
The AYCE menu costs $29.99 for an adult and $14.99 for a child. The menu includes appetizers (like edamame, crab rangoon, gyoza, etc.), soups & salads, teriyaki entrees, katsu, tempura, hibachi (chicken, steak, shrimp), and sushi rolls including classics and their own signature rolls!

The food was delicious & quick; The staff was very attentive as well! I would recommend you give them a try! The shop also has a standard menu for ala carte items and has performative hibachi tables! Check out their standard menu here: https://lavasushihibachi.com/menu.php The restaurant opened earlier this year replacing Ninja Japan, another sushi shop.
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Check out our post here: http://www.theconnecticutscoop.com/.../plainville-scoop...

NOTE: I do have to confess, I was too excited to try the food that I forgot to take pictures of most of it. I found some pictures from them online. It is an accurate depiction of what I was served!

Aldi is planning to open their new Plainville location on December 12th!

The discount grocery store will be located at 286 New Britain Avenue, in Connecticut Commons Shopping Plaza. The grocery store is located next door to Old Navy.

Aldi will soon be joined by Connecticut’s second Boot Barn, they are coming soon to the remaining vacant space next to Aldi. This is Connecticut’s 33rd Aldi store!
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Check out the pictures of the new Aldi from The Southington Scoop’s Christopher Fortier. Make sure you check them out on December 11th!

Great Wolf Lodge is planning to open next summer on May 23th! You can now book your reserveration to stay at the new resort! Make your reservation here: https://www.greatwolf.com/connecticut

Check out the latest construction pictures attached. These images were taken from Vericon, a construction company working on the project. The resorts exterior is nearly complete while the interior work is underway.

The resort will feature a number of kid-friendly attractions including their signature waterpark, MagiQuest (an interactive magic adventure), Oliver's Mining Company (a gold mining experience), Ten Paw Alley (bowling), Howlers Peak Ropes Course & Adventure Trail, Northern Lights Arcade, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Howl In One Mini Golf, and Virtual Frontier (a VR gaming experience).

The hotel will feature 549 guest rooms including family suites, KidCabin suites, Grizzly Bear suites, Wolf Den suites, Deluxe Wolf Den suites, Deluxe Gizzly Bear suites, Great Wolf Geyser suites, and Deluxe Great Wolf Geyser suites. The hotel rooms can accommodate between 2-14 guests depending on their suite class. Rooms start at $349 including access to the waterpark. 

New Haven has a new plant-based ice cream & dessert shop!

Via Lactea CT is NOW OPEN at 2 Whitney Avenue in New Haven. The new vegan shop sells pastries & homemade ice cream.

Vegan Ice cream flavors including inventive like banana speculoos, coffee chip, caramel brownie, coquito, guava panetela, home planet, matcha strawberry, mint chocolate cookie, and many more! Ice Cream cakes and vegan cones are for sale too. Check out their menu here: https://vialacteact.com/collections/all

Many of the flavors are gluten free as well as dairy free/vegan! The shop owners were recently semi-finalists for the James Beard Foundation Award in the 'Outstanding Bakery' category.
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The shop's hours are:
Monday thru Thursday 12pm-7pm
Friday 12pm-8pm
Saturday thru Sunday 12pm-9pm

Carlo's Bake Shop will be closing their doors to make way for Sift Bake Shop.

The bakery, owned by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, opened in 2015 on the second level of the Winter entrance. The bakery serves cake, coffee, pastries, pies, and much more from their location near Chick Fil A. The bakery originally featured the Sweet Room, a dining room offering a large tasting menu.

No final closing date was provided by the bakery. News of the closure was confirmed with employees of the bakery. Carlo's Bake Shop has closed a number of their locations throughout the US including Bethlehem PA, Marlton NJ, Santa Monica, Philadelphia, along with two locations in Ontario, and others.
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A statement from Mohegan Sun reads: “The new Sift Bake Shop and A.T.Y Bar & Bonbons will take on the space currently operated by Carlos Bakery. Carlos Bakery will be open through December 31, 2024, at which point the location will begin its changeover for Sift Bake Shop and A.T.Y Bar & Bonbons. Our relationship with Buddy Valastro and the Carlos Bakery team began in 2015, and we wish them nothing but the best moving forward.”

The space won't be empty for long. Sift Bake Shop and Mohegan Sun announced last week the addition of the bakery and its sister brand A.T.Y. Bar & Bonbons. The bakery will join their other 3 locations in Niantic, Mystic, and Watch Hill RI. The new bakery is expected to open in Spring 2025!

There is a new Italian restaurant in Farmington!

Café Pesto’s Restaurante and Bar is NOW OPEN at 1274 Farmington Avenue in Farmington, the former Sugo Trattoria.

The restaurant will serve delicious Italian cuisine on their beautiful waterfront location. The restaurant will feature a patio and spacious dining room. From pasta to steak, Cafe Pesto's has an option for you!

Cafe Pesto is owned by DaRocha Enterprises, which is owned by Paulo DaRocha. Paulo DaRocha also owns Elizabeth's Bar & Restaurant in Rocky Hill and East Windsor. The space was previously home to a number of restaurants including Sugo Trattoria, Toro Loco, Wood N Tap, The Keg, among others.
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The new restaurant is open:
Sunday thru Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday thru Saturday 11am-11pm
Happy Hours Weekdays 4pm-6pm

Trader Joe’s has been signed on to join Shelton’s Fountain Square development!

The grocery store has been signed to join the development, a new 13,800 square foot space will be constructed behind Panera Bread. The grocer is also listed in the plaza’s tenants on their lease plan.
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The grocery store plans to open next summer, according to a statement from the developer in September!

​ The plans for the grocer were approved in September by the town.