Two months after public disclosure of a bankruptcy filing, Westport’s Zest Cafe & Restaurant at 8 Church Lane said today it will close Tuesday “due to economic forces beyond our control.”
Zest Restaurant is closing Tuesday “due to economic forces beyond our control.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
The 3,500-square foot restaurant seating 80 opened in 2006 in the basement of the building which once housed Westport Bank & Trust Co. and now is home to a Patagonia clothing store at 87 Post Road East.
“As you may have heard by now, Zest in downtown Westport is closing its doors due to economic forces beyond our control on April 21, just shy of our third anniversary,” co-owners Chef Pietro and Janine Scotti said in an e-mail message to customers.
̶#8220;As the owners, we want you know your heartfelt support during the past three years, particularly during our last weeks at Zest, touched us deeply and we thank you for all the kind words, calls and gestures.”
The couple, who have won many fans not only for their cooking but their support of various Westport causes, said they hoped to see customers at their sister restaurant.
“Because so many of you expressed sadness at the closing of our downtown location, we’re happy to let you know that we are looking forward to transporting many of your favorite lunch dishes, to our sister restaurant, Da Pietro’s on Riverside Avenue, just across the bridge,” they said.
“Though many of you consider Da Pietro’s a special-occasion restaurant (and it is!), we are excited to announce that Da Pietro’s menus will now reflect some of the more casual, affordable, fresh-market offerings so many of you have come to love at Zest.
“As you know, the recession is taking its toll on many small businesses in Fairfield County; the neighborhood places that make our towns unique.
“We look forward to continuing the amazing relationship with the community of Westport and surrounding neighborhoods. Please stop by Da Pietro’s for lunch or dinner and say hello!
“Seeing your smiling faces always makes our day. We thank you for your patronage and your love! www.dapietros.com”
This is very disappointing. Zest was truely a unique experience and brought a lot of character and flavor to Westport.
We are so sorry to see you go. Your food was amazing!!!!!!
Another great culinary loss for Westport.
We’ve enjoyed many excellent meals at Zest. The food, wait staff and wine were always very good!, and fairly priced. It was also my daughter’s favorite Westport restaurant, she always voted to go here when deciding where to eat. (Now I feel bad that I vetoed her a couple of times).
At least we still have Da Pietro’s, and I’ll look forward to seeing some of Zest’s dishes on their menu.
Speaking of eateries, we made it to Crumbs yesterday and I’m glad to say, the coffee and cupcakes are delicious. My wife, who has very discriminating taste (obviously, look who she’s married to) declared, “this is the best cupcake I’ve ever had!”.