Coffee & Cream still in limbo 10 months after devastating fire

NORTH SMITHFIELD – There hasn’t been much construction activity at the fire-destroyed Coffee & Cream Restaurant at the intersection of Greenville and Smithfield roads, but Marc Pincince of Nation Wide Construction said that is to be expected and work should be starting at that site in earnest in the near future.

The popular breakfast restaurant suffered heavy damage in a Dec. 22 fire and most of the structure located next door to the Beef Barn sandwich restaurant had to be razed as part of the effort to rebuild.

Pincince, whose 1296 Park East Drive, Woonsocket, based construction company is handling the repairs, said the owner of the property Greenville Road Development, LLC, has been awaiting a final settlement with its insurance company before starting the reconstruction work.

The initial cleanup and required demolition was done back in February and March but the site has remained cordoned off by construction fencing with little additional work being done since that time.

“The biggest issue is with waiting for the insurance company,” Pincince said while noting there have been false rumors circulating that the restaurant would not be rebuilt.

There are some other issues to address in the reconstruction such as building code updates, but Pincince said the breakfast restaurant is on track to be rebuilt.

The owners of Coffee & Cream, Normand Branchaud and his son Jonathan, have every intention of reopening once the building reconstruction project is completed, Pincince said.

“They are really waiting for us and we are waiting for the insurance com- pany on the structure settlement,”

Pincince said.

The building contractor did recently take down a remaining wall and framing for the barn-styled roof but that was done in regard to the design of the new replacement structure and code requirements, according to Pincince. Now all that remains of the old restaurant are the floor joints over the basement, Pincince noted.

The fire that damaged Coffee & Cream is believed to have been set outside a back wall and had similarities to another fire at the New Life Worship Center Church on Douglas Pike in Smithfield. Both fires remain under investigation.

Although the Coffee & Cream and Beef Barn shared a building connection, firefighters were able to keep the Coffee & Cream fire from spreading to the other business and it has remained open while the Coffee & Cream repairs are pending.

Pincince said he hopes to see the restoration work begin soon so that work will be able to continue through winter months where possible.

“We absolutely are at the mercy of the insurance company,” he said.

Photo by Joseph B. Nadeau The owners of the popular Coffey & Cream Restaurant, which suffered heavy damage during a December fire, say they’re focused on re-opening the restaurant, but the process of rebuilding has been an admittedly slow one. Pictured above is all that remains of the restaurant.