FALL RIVER – The Pink Bean in Somerset is open, but its Fall River location isn’t. Rise Café in Somerset opened this week, offering drive-thru orders and serving only two people at a time in the lobby. And in Fall River, Mission Cold Brew has reopened for two days of the week.
For those looking for their daily fix from their favorite cafes and coffee shops, things are starting to look up, ever so slightly.
Pink Bean Cafe owner Bonnie Souza said it seemed like the right time to open the Somerset location, especially since some of her employees weren’t eligible to collect unemployment and they were looking to get back to work. In order to keep everyone safe, they’ve changed the way they do business there though. They’re offering window service from the closed-in porch, giving them more space for the employees inside the café. All the employees are wearing masks and gloves. “I have the space and the ability to do it and I wanted to put everyone back to work as soon as possible,” said Souza.
Customers have a choice of ordering at the window or texting their orders and then they’re delivered to their cars in numbered parking spaces. In a week, they will also be able to pay for their orders through the Labrador app as well, she said.
So far, Souza said her employees are happy to be back on the job, even part-time, and it’s going well. In fact, with customers texting ahead of time, it has streamlined the process from when everyone showed up at once. “Surprisingly, we’re able to serve people a lot faster,” she said.
On the other hand, she said with the way the space is configured in Fall River, she doesn’t expect to open up there until the economy is back where it should be.
After being closed since March 24, The Rise Café opened on Tuesday. Jason Almeida, who owns the business with his sister, Jessica, said things went well for their first day back. Since they do a lot of drive-thru business, he figured it was safe to reopen. Additionally, only two customers are allowed in the lobby at a time to maintain social distancing. The most popular items among their customers are the breakfast sandwiches and at lunch, the panini sandwiches, but today they sold a lot of soup. “I think people are getting sick of cooking,” he added.
While they were closed, Almeida said they took some time to work on some projects including painting and repairing potholes in the parking lot. “And we did an extra, extra amount of cleaning,” he added.
According to its Facebook page, Mission Cold Brew has reopened again for contactless pre-orders through their app on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They introduced a new tea, Ruby Oolong, that’s brewed with strawberry, rosehip, passion fruit and vanilla and they’re also offering to-go bags of tea for people who want to stock up.
Choco-Latte Café in Fall River has stayed open for the duration of the dining-in ban offering takeout and delivery with a limited staff of owner Lyn Mitchell and a cook. “It has been quite slow but we have had some of the regulars who are still working in the area ordering each day,” said Mitchell. “We have even had a few new people order for delivery. I'm grateful for the business we have had, but hoping more of the businesses (our customers) come back soon.”
Sweet Rose Café owner Lisa Normandin said she’s considering opening the first week in May, depending on how things go and whether or not Gov. Charlie Baker extends the dining-in ban past that date.
Jim Souza, owner of New Boston Bakery said he’s also considering opening around May 5. In the meantime, Souza said he’s taken advantage of the time to do some painting and deep cleaning around the popular city café and bakery. They’ve also installed a plexiglass screen at the register to keep everyone safe when they do open. Right now, Souza said they’re working out how they will do business once they do open to keep everyone safe. But even if Gov. Baker doesn’t extend the dining-in ban, Souza said they will likely not start off with the dining areas open, at least for the first week.