Business & Tech

New Restaurant Prepares To Open At Post Office Cafe Site

After more than a year of inaction, work is under way at the landmark building, with hopes for a late July opening.


There’s a restaurant construction boomlet taking place in East Greenwich right now. In addition to publicizedand , there’s new life at the Post Office Cafe site, as well as Jiggers.

Just when it was looking like would become , work is being done inside in preparation for reopening this summer.

Brandon Sweet, manager at Waterplace Restaurant, said, “We are pushing for the end of July.

“We are still finalizing the concept,” he continued. “There will be a little bit for everybody. It will be family friendly, but the menu won’t be in direct competition with The Grille.”

Sweet was referring to The Grille on Main, also owned by the Marra family and right across the street from the old Post Office.

They’ve framed in a small stage area for performers – comedians, small combos – and there will be TVs, Sweet said. He said he’d seen the poll that ran on EG Patch in November 2011.

“Basically, what everybody wants, they’re going to get,” he said.

The , a decision made by the receiver appointed by bankruptcy court. It had been part of the Marra Restaurant Group, which owned several restaurants in the state. Other members of the Marra family bought most of the properties out of bankruptcy in February 2011, including the Post Office Cafe site.

Steve Marra in August 2011.

Sweet, a longtime Marra restaurant group employee, is working with Steve’s brother Michael on the new restaurant.

In other restaurant news, Jiggers appears to be planning to reopen too. There’s been a sign on the front window for several weeks now proclaiming just that and encouraging people to go to their website. The new owners are Stephen and Karie Head.

Meanwhile, work at the Oyster Bar (at 250 Main St.) and Blu (20 Water St.) continues. Blu owners say they will make their July 1 opening prediction. Owners of the Oyster Bar, however, have been harder to pin down. Work there is proceeding but no one has been available for an interview in several weeks.


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