Green & Tonic Expanding to Downtown Greenwich

The owners of the popular vegan-based food shop Green & Tonic are putting the finishing touches of what will be their third storefront, which is scheduled to open next month in downtown Greenwich.

Jeff Pandolfino, who owns Green & Tonic with his wife Cai, said a downtown outpost of their shop will open at 85 Railroad Ave. on April 15.

"We really looked at a lot of factors … we wanted to have a Greenwich Avenue presence," Pandolfino said. "It is very important for our brand’s position and growth strategy…taking the position as the leader in cold-pressed juicing in Fairfield County. We’re really the only player in Greenwich."

The Railroad Avenue storefront, just around the corner from Greenwich Avenue, was the home to the former Harrington's of Vermont and most recently, Tomatillo Mexican restaurant.

"Greenwich Avenue allowed us to do that without cannibalizing our existing Cos Cob business to really have a second presence in Greenwich like Aux Delices with its store in Riverside and on Greenwich Avenue," Pandolfino said.

The Cos Cob Green & Tonic at 7 Strickland Rd. in the "hub" of Cos Cob, opened in June 2012—three months after the first shop was opened a Darien store at 1098 Boston Post Rd.

Opening a second Greenwich location, which will have visibility to the heavily trafficked Railroad Avenue with the Greenwich train station, Pandolfino said, "This raises awareness of what we’re doing and hopefully helps the brand."

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The Railroad Avenue location allows for capitalization of the growth of business in the area, Pandolfino said. "This will go well with the new Soul Cycle bike shop and with Equinox and Pure Barre studio. There's a lot of things happening with the new construction project on lower of Greenwich Avenue. It's a rebirth of Greenwich Avenue."

The new store will feature an expanded menu that is to include a fresh tossed salad bar and four hot soups a day, in addition to the cold-pressed juices, tonics, and prepared salads, soups and wraps already offered on the menu, according to Pandolfino.

"This allows us to develop our offering a little bit further and make a more compelling concept," he added.

Pandolfino and his wife aren't newcomers to the food business. They previously owned the Plum Pure Foods store in Cos Cob. Cai Pandolfino recently left her corporate branding position with le Pain Quotidien in New York City to join her husband full-time as Green & Tonic's CEO.

"We are actively pursuing other spots. We're looking at some locations in New Haven, Fairfield and New Canaan," Pandolfino said. "We’re looking to expand to Westchester and Fairfield County."

He added, "We are very fortunate to have a couple wonderful investors with a shared vision with us to achieve developing the first sustainable first health causal business."

The Railroad Avenue store will employ six to eight people and will be open 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.