Coffee & Cream rebuilds after arson
Investigators still seeking suspects as property owner starts repairs
NORTH SMITHFIELD – State and federal fire investigators are still seeking the person behind a Dec. 22 arson fire at the Coffee & Cream Restaurant on Greenville Road, but that won’t block the owners of the property and business from beginning the process of rebuilding.
A sign from the state Fire Marshal’s Office has been posted on the front of the fire-damaged breakfast restaurant offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest in the arson case, and members of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in both Providence and Boston are reported to be working on the case.
The fire is believed to have been set outside the rear far side of the restaurant, situated at the intersection of Smithfield and Greenville roads
and burned into the back kitchen and former drive-up window service area, according to officials. A similar arson reward notice was placed on the New Life Worship Center Church off Douglas Pike in Smithfield after a fire was started on the outside of that building and also caused interior damage.
Although the investigation of the Coffee & Cream fire continues, Mark Pincince, the president of Nation Wide Construction, 1296 Park East Drive, Woonsocket, said
his company is preparing to begin rehabilitation of the restaurant after investigators released the property and Coffee & Creamers’ owners were able to start removing any fire or smoke damaged business furnishings from the interior.
Coffee & Cream and the Beef Barn, also located on the business property but not damaged in the fire, are owned by different members of the Branchaud family.
The property at the corner of Smithfield and Greenville Road is owned by Greenville Road Development, LLC, a company held by Pauline Valliere, the sister of Pincince’s partner in Nation Wide, Al Valliere, according to Pincince.
Nation Wide will be conducting the repair to the Coffee & Cream Restaurant when the initial clean up, by the business’ owner, Jonathan Branchaud, is completed, Pincince noted. Branchaud’s father, Normand, established
the business in 1991, and it remained a family run operation until the fire.
“He’s has been removing content and that has been authorized at this time by his insurance company,” Pincince said.
Coffee & Cream had a rustic horse farm theme with many horse riding mementos decorating the walls and shelving and even a mural of a pasture covering a wall in the main dining room. Several bronze sculptures of famous racing horses and riders were also in the decor.
The next step in the businesses rebirth will be for Greenville Road Development’s insurance company to complete an assessment of the damage to the structure so that reconstruction and renovations can be started, Pincince noted.
The fire damaged the outside wall of the kitchen and drive-up area and burned up into the roof area where firefighters cut vent holes to release heat and fire while bringing the blaze under control and saving a majority of the structure. As part of the repairs, the roof will also be replaced and the rest of the interior gutted and cleaned of any smoke and water damage. The dining area and popular breakfast counter just off the main entrance sustained mostly smoke damage, Pincince noted. The insurance settlement will have to be completed before the repair begins, Pincince said.
“It will probably take a few months once we get the final piece of this done,” he noted.
Of course that won’t be soon enough for Coffee & Cream’s customers who have been keeping close watch on the progress toward a reopening.
“Jonathan and his father, Normand, have had people calling them on a daily basis and checking on the progress toward reopening,” he noted.
The Beef Barn, which luckily did not sustain any fire damage despite having a small building connection to the breakfast restaurant, remains open to customers. Pincince said the building connection has a firewall separation that likely helped prevent any possible spread of the fire to the other business.