New Coffee Shop Opens In Fairfield, Despite Coronavirus

FAIRFIELD, CT — In a week filled with change and uncertainty for Connecticut businesses, a new coffee shop is opening in Fairfield.

Wake-Cup-Coffee, the long-awaited café at the Fairfield Metro Station, starts serving customers Friday, two days after retailers and restaurants were allowed to reopen under strict safety protocols after about two months of closures due to the coronavirus outbreak. Co-owner Stoyan Gueorguiev said he decided to open because, despite the pandemic, neighbors have been asking when they can begin patronizing his shop.

“There’s a huge amount of interest,” said Gueorguiev, who is opening the business with his wife, Nadia Gueorguiev.

The shop will offer coffee, roasted on-site, plus drink options like a Greek frappé or a “Wake-Cup-shot” – a 50-50 mix of hot Nutella and espresso. Food options will include standards such as croissants and Danishes, but also Bavarian pretzels, as well as sandwiches, soups and salads. All cups and utensils will be compostable, and Stoyan said the business hopes to turn the coffee grounds into fertilizer.

The shop at 71 Constant Comment Way offers a comfortable but sleek atmosphere, with details like subway tile accents, exposed light bulbs and a communal wood table that Stoyan made himself.

“I honestly believe that this is one of the best coffee shops in the state,” he said.

Due to a state requirement that restaurants only offer outside dining amid the virus outbreak, customers who want to enjoy a cup of coffee or a pastry at the shop can do so at one of five outdoor tables. A former emergency room nurse at Bridgeport Hospital, Stoyan said he will follow all virus-related government mandates for eateries.

When the business does eventually open its indoor seating area, the shop will accommodate about 45 customers in its 2,700-square-foot space, a former warehouse and meat distribution facility. The business will also have two bathrooms.

Wake-Cup-Coffee will be open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. initially, but as the virus recedes and more commuters return to the train station, Stoyan intends to change the hours to 4:30 a.m. to midnight.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/wakecupcoffeefairfield.