An empty former bank building in Westville is undergoing renovations and will be reborn a new Mexican food restaurant in the weeks to come.
The business will be at 36 Fountain St., at the corner of 614 Central Ave., close to the Southern Connecticut State University campus. Currently, it is fenced off for renovations.
Two veteran culinary entrepreneurs, Marc Knight and Robert Bolduc, are launching the new restaurant. They also own the popular Geronimo Tequila Bar & Southwest Grill, at 271 Crown St. in New Haven and on the Post Road in Fairfield, and the Shell & Bones Oyster Bar and Grill in New Haven. Their chef partner is Arturo Franco-Camacho (formerly of Roomba and Bespoke fame).
“The new restaurant will be a taco bar, featuring mostly tacos and tequila,” Knight said. “It is going to be a more casual Geronimos, though we haven’t settled on a name yet.”
Their company, Central Fountain Group LLC, recently approached the City Plan Commission for review of its site plan to convert the bank building into an eating establishment.
Stacey Davis, planner II with the city, said the commission approved the plan at its September meeting.
The existing building and rear parking lot will remain, but the owners plan interior renovations and to build a new, covered outdoor dining patio. The building sits on a 0.33-acre parcel.
Construction began in August and is expected to continue throughout the fall, according to documents on file at City Hall.
“It needs a total, complete renovation,” Knight said. “We will have a large outdoor patio and a large bar. We are planning to have large overhead doors so it can be an indoor/outdoor restaurant.”
Central Fountain Group LLC bought the building from First Niagara Bank in June 2017 for $350,000, according to City Hall records. In October 2017, the company received special exception approval for a restaurant liquor permit.
According to Knight, the project underwent some design changes, but is “back on track.”
“We are shooting for an early spring opening,” Knight said. “We are always interested in expanding, and we feel Westville is an untapped market, so there is a lot of potential there.”
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
