Bess Eaton is opening a counter in Groton at The Bridge Market, possibly by Jan. 1, market owner Karen Dole said.
“We’re very excited,” said Bob Currier, owner of Rolling Tomato Pizza, which also has a location at the Bridge Market. “We’ll be a food court. Best doughnuts and coffee, best pizza, best sandwiches, right here.”
Dole said she reached out to Bess Eaton when she first opened the Bridge Market on Fort Hill Road, but didn’t receive a response. Then one of the owners stopped in at the market during the spring, and said he’d entertain the idea of opening there.
Bess Eaton is a coffee shop that serves fresh doughnuts and freshly brewed coffee. Doughnut selections include plain, glazes, frosted and jelly-filled varieties.
The company is constructing an area inside the Bridge Market, which plans to have a common seating area for customers buying sandwiches, pizza or doughnuts and coffee.
“The ultimate goal for the Bridge Market is we’re going to eliminate groceries and we’re going to become a food mall,” Dole said.
The market plans to turn the bar along the right side, which served ice cream, into a soup bar in winter, and possibly a hot dog bar.
Dole is also creating more specialized gourmet sandwiches, named after places in Groton. Some examples: The Midway Oval (buffalo chicken salad with crumbled blue cheese, lettuce and tomato on a Kaiser roll); The Claude Chester (cranberry walnut chicken wrap with lettuce and tomato); and the Fort Hiller (a veggie and hummus wrap).
Dole said she believes Bess Eaton will attract more customers. “People remember the big tank, which is a huge cup of iced coffee, and they used shaved ice rather than cubed ice,” she said.
The Bridge Market is also reaching out to other restaurants to try to bring them to the market, including one that makes tacos and another that makes Philly cheese steaks.
