A Connecticut bakery and cafe chain known for its pastries and grab-and-go meals is staking out new ground in Vernon. Doro Marketplace has signed a lease for space in the strip plaza at 212 Talcottville Road, where it will join Toor Wine & Liquor as the newly built center's tenants take shape.
The deal was confirmed according to Patch, which reported that Doro Marketplace is a Connecticut-based European-style bakery, cafe and prepared-food market operated by the West Hartford-based Doro Restaurant Group. The spot would mark the chain's first foray into Vernon, adding to a growing list of Connecticut towns where the bakery has set up shop or announced plans to do so, as first detailed by The Connecticut Scoop.
Doro Marketplace's menu centers on fresh-baked breads and pastries, coffee and espresso drinks, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, soups and grab-and-go meals, per the same report. The chain currently lists six Connecticut locations, in Avon, Old Saybrook, Plainville, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor Locks.
Building Permits Still in the Works
Vernon Director of Development Services Shaun Gately said the chain's design team was working on the permits for both the building and health departments, the station's report notes. No opening date has been confirmed for the Vernon storefront.
The plaza itself is rising on a site with a bit of local history. The new building is being constructed on the former Pancho Loco restaurant building and the former Lazy Liquor building, according to The Connecticut Scoop. Construction was described as well underway, with the new structure expected to run roughly 20,000 square feet and include multiple tenant spaces.
A Chain on the Move Across Connecticut
Vernon is only the latest stop in a busy expansion push for Doro Marketplace. The company has also announced plans for additional Connecticut locations in Enfield, Glastonbury, South Windsor and Milford, Patch reported. That growth builds on a concept that began in West Hartford before spreading to Old Saybrook, Plainville, Windsor Locks and Wethersfield, according to the Hartford Courant.
Earlier this year, Doro Marketplace opened a new location on Route 44 in Avon, a 3,800-square-foot spot that previously housed New England Pasta, the Courant reported. Individual Doro locations typically run between 3,000 and 4,500 square feet, employ 20 to 25 people, and produce their own baked goods each morning, either on-site or out of the company's Wethersfield commissary.
Enfield Could Be Next in Line
While Vernon permits move through the pipeline, Doro Marketplace is also pursuing approval for what would be its seventh Connecticut location, at 98 Elm St. in Enfield, according to CT Post. That proposal calls for two adjacent tenant spaces totaling 4,062 square feet, per Hartford Business Journal.
The Enfield plans include indoor seating for 76 customers and an 824-square-foot outdoor patio with room for 38 more, the outlet reported, for a maximum occupancy of 145 people across both spaces. No comparable seating or square-footage details have been released yet for the Vernon location.
