A homegrown New Haven business unveiled its next course on Friday, with owners and city officials cutting the ribbon on the latest outpost of G Café at 1177 Chapel St.
Co-owner Christian Festa said, “We’re bringing the European experience of a coffee shop here in New Haven with great quality product.” He and partner Andrea Corazzini hope to run “a good place to hang out with friends. That’s what we strive for.”
Operating in the former Jojo’s coffee shop at the corner of Chapel and York, the new G Café is the second location of the chain downtown after its flagship on Orange St.
Another G Café opened late last year at Tweed New Haven Airport as part of the launch of Avelo Airlines service, and a fourth shop is open at 1008 Main St. in Branford. The company makes all of its breads and pastries at a facility on Hamilton Street in the Mill River district.
Anthony Giano, operations manager at the Chapel West Special Services District, said he has high hopes for the new coffee shop.
“This spot is a great spot, I think it’s going to make a lot more foot traffic for our district,” Giano said.
Celebrating a new opening in downtown is part of the city’s strategy to help businesses survive the pandemic, Mayor Justin Elicker said.
“Businesses have really been struggling,” Elicker said. “We hear that. Publicity ‒ that’s part of what today is about, to say that New Haven is up and running.”
Yale COVID rules impact businesses
With its location at the edge of the Yale campus, the new café is likely to be impacted by the university’s Jan. 4 recommendation that students stay away from New Haven businesses due to the dangers of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Most students are still studying remotely until the scheduled return to campus on Feb. 7, but the university has yet to amend its recommendations to stay away from local restaurants except to order takeout.
Elicker called Yale’s COVID-19 rules “not helpful” at a pandemic briefing earlier this week.
“Our businesses are really, really struggling right now,” he said.
“We’re doing our best to support businesses right now but that’s a real challenge,” Elicker said, calling the pandemic’s impact on New Haven’s economy his biggest challenge.
Despite the university’s edict, Yale students were among the customers in line on Friday for artisanal pastries like croissants, cronuts and financiers, petite French almond cakes.
A cluster of first-year students ordering takeout at Book Trader up the street early Friday said most Yale students in New Haven were still going out to some extent.
“It’s like a suggestion not a requirement,” said student Anika Seth of Yale’s rules. “It’s not really being enforced.” Students are tested twice a week and feel pretty safe from the virus in the city, the first-years agreed ‒ they felt there was more concern about students bringing COVID into the community.
“Yale is only one part of the city,” said G Café co-owner Andrea Corazzini when asked about the university’s recommendations. “The city is a lot more than just Yale, so it’s ok.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
