By Dave Matlow
After eight months, the South American/Asian cuisine restaurant Café Moja at 12 Wilton Road has closed.
Cafe Moja has closed after eight months, citing construction that turned away customers. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“It was not worth staying open for another year while construction all around us makes it unsightly for customers,” said Rick Demers, executive chef, as he stacked chairs today from the restaurant.
“We only have one window left that faces the water. The rest is blocked by construction. We got through the winter in good shape, but construction did us in during the spring and summer.”
Demers also pointed to a sign in the parking lot owned by his landlord that restricts restaurant parking hours to 6 p.m. to closing. “Since that sign went up, our lunch business, which was 24 percent of the total, dropped to 8 percent,” he said.
Rick Demers, executive chef, said he hopes to open elsewhere with the same concept. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
He did not mention that the Board of Selectmen this week voted to reduce parking in the municipally-owned lot near the restaurant to one hour from two hours – at the request of his landlord.
Asked about the impact of the recently opened Bartaco Restaurant located close to Moja, Demers said, “Bartaco actually helped us. We’re up 50 percent since they opened.”
Nevertheless, Demers was optimistic.
“It’s not the end of the world for us,” he said. “We’d like to open in another town, or in Westport with different branding but using the same concept.”
