The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club
Green & Tonic’s Forest Street location is expected to remain closed through at least August after a flash flood tore through downtown New Canaan, destroying equipment, inventory, and much of the interior of the popular café.
CEO Fausto Mieres said the damage from the July 21 storm was far worse than anything the business has experienced since opening the New Canaan location more than five years ago.
“It was severe,” Mieres said. “Everything pretty much is done.”
The floodwater damaged nearly every part of the business. Mieres said the walls will need to be cut out about four feet above the water line, while the service counter, kitchen equipment and electrical systems all sustained major damage. The store also lost its entire inventory.
“All the walls need to be cut,” he said. “The counter is done. All the equipment is done. Obviously, we lost all the inventory, It was pretty bad.”
Green & Tonic expects to be closed for the entire month of August, though Mieres said the exact reopening date remains uncertain.
“We’re hoping by Labor Day weekend we’re up and running,” he said. “But it’s unknown. A month could be more. We don’t know what the mitigation company is going to discover after they cut up the walls.”
In the meantime, customers are being directed to the company’s Darien location.
Mieres said the closure has been especially difficult because the New Canaan café has become an important part of the community since opening.
“We had big plans for this location,” he said. “We’ve been there for a little over five years now, and the store grew a lot. It became a staple to New Canaan.”
As Green & Tonic expanded to other Connecticut communities, Mieres said the company has tried to make each café feel uniquely connected to its neighborhood.
“We made it our goal to, as we scaled, make sure that we don’t lose track of who we are,” he said. “Each location should feel like it belongs to that community.”
The response from customers has helped keep employees motivated during the cleanup.
“Everybody’s supportive,” Mieres said. “People stop by and just say hi. They feel bad, they wish us well. They’re being supportive, but obviously they miss us.”
Although the business suffered extensive property damage, Mieres said he is most grateful that no one was injured.
“I want to thank the first responders,” he said. “We had customers inside and we had our team there. They showed up immediately and got everybody out safely. At the end of the day, all the material stuff can be replaced. The safety of our customers and our team was the priority.”