A boutique coffee shop opens in a second location
A place to get coffee by day and cocktails by night if all goes according to Keith and Debra Viveiros’ plan.
Hot on the heels of the success of their Taunton shop, the Westport husband and wife team are bringing their love of lattes and craft coffee to Somerset with the opening of a second Society Coffee Bar.
The former St. Michael’s Credit Union building will soon have a much different atmosphere as it is transformed into a boutique cafe and lounge.
According to Keith Viveiros, their goal is to provide high-quality java, delicious quick-service breakfast and lunch fare and baked goods, as well as become a hub for locals looking to unwind at the end of a long day.
“I want it to be a place where everybody feels comfortable going and feeling part of something, and they feel like they’re getting something really good,” Viveiros said.
Espresso to impress lovers.Society Coffee Bar brings premium caffeine to Taunton
How Society Coffee Bar started
So how did two real estate brokers, both born and raised in Fall River, end up owning a coffee shop in Taunton? It was a marriage made in heaven for the Viveiros.
The owners of Milestone Realty bought the 260 Broadway building in Taunton to open a third real estate office, but saw more potential. Viveiros said he always wanted to open a coffee shop, so they combined their two businesses into one.
“We said that I would combine the real estate brokerage with the cafe so that it would serve a dual purpose. it allows our agents to meet the public, it allows the public to meet the agents, and we can also create really great. atmosphere for really good coffee,” said Viveiros.
Being “brand new to coffee” when he decided to open Society Coffee Bar, Viveiros said it was important to surround himself with people who know what they’re doing because they have years of experience in food service.
He hired a coffee consultant the first year they were open to hold him and the staff accountable and make sure quality was always the #1 priority.
“It was really important to me that quality is super craft,” he said. “I want it to be high-quality, bean-to-cup, traditional, old-school style, where you actually weigh the beans and grind your beans… the way real artisanal coffee is supposed to be made. ”
The Taunton store, located at the front of the Milestone Realty building, opened in January 2022 and has since generated quite a buzz, encouraging the Viveiroses to expand the brand.
“I had no idea that a coffee brand would take off as far as it did,” he said.
Coffee by day, cocktails by night
In a region where there’s a Dunkin’ or Starbucks on every corner, it’s important to stand out from the crowd.
Society Coffee Bar’s unique weekend cocktail lounge addition does just that.
In Taunton, they have a liquor license and turn the shop into a martini lounge on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 6pm to 11pm. He noted that afternoon coffee options are available all day and are often included in their leisure offerings.
The original concept for Society Coffee Bar was to have an all-day liquor license, Viveiros said, and they’re trying to get one for Somerset.
Viveiros expects coffee hours to be 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., if they are granted a liquor license, they hope to extend those hours to midnight or 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
What’s on the menu?
Society Coffee Bar will be “before coffee” and “for drinking” with a variety of breakfast offerings. They recently opened a small lunch menu in Taunton, which Viveiros hopes to build on in Somerset.
Lunch options so far have included Gourmet Grilled Cheese (white cheddar, flask jack on brioche), roasted red pepper and gouda bisque, and Bougie Grilled Cheese (white cheddar, flask jack, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula and bacon jam on brioche). )
Society Coffee Bar’s No. 1 seller is The Quinny, described on the menu as “elevated iced coffee milk with a shake,” which the Viveiros say is their own twist on caffeinated coffee milk, similar to Mirasol’s Chippi.
“The community here has really fallen in love with it,” Viveiros said, noting that the Kentucky Straight Latte is also a big hit for the drink.
As for the food, Viveiros said their breakfast sandwich, hot honey-glazed bacon, white cheddar, egg and spinach tossed in a bourbon vinaigrette, on a grilled asiago bagel, bolo, croissant; Another highlight is their linguica and cheese roll.
And if you are looking for something sweet rather than savory.
Pasteis de nata, Portuguese custard cups from Barcelos Bakery in Fall River, are a popular choice, as is their Churro Donut, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and nut-free.
The shop gets all of their cupcakes from From Scratch Cakes, as well as many of their baked goods and cookies from Blondie’s Bakery in Warren, Rhode Island.
According to the Viveiros, their focus in creating the menu is the quality products and food they’ve come to enjoy, rounded up in one place.
Benefits of the new Somerset site
With the new location comes some additional benefits.
The Taunton space is smaller, with indoor seating for 20 people. Somerset will be “a different ball game,” Viveiros said, with 46 seats, a better layout, and another key benefit not offered at Taunton:
“60% of the business at quick service places is on the road, so that’s a big plus,” Viveiros said, noting the convenience of not having to leave the car to get your caffeine fix.
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For a boutique coffee shop, “location is money,” Viveiros said. And this County Street location is “just where you want to be. You are at the heart of everything.”
The property is next to a high school, local businesses and is close to a main road entrance. It’s also closer to home for the Westport couple.
What’s next for Society Coffee Bar?
The couple closed on the sale of their Somerset property on January 31, received the keys on March 1, and just last week a temporary sign went up letting residents know of the exciting news.
He said they “optimistically” hope to be up and running by mid-summer. But first, the space is undergoing some renovations, including a complete interior makeover and an aesthetic revamp of the former bank’s exterior.
“I think people are going to be really pleasantly surprised when they see what this looks like when it’s finished,” Viveiros said.
The County Street site will house a coffee shop on the main floor and a Milestone Realty office in the end basement.
Renovations to the 1,900-square-foot space are already underway, and Viveiros, who also owns a digital marketing company, plans to document the Somerset project’s progress on Facebook and Instagram.
When the Viveiros first walked into the Taunton shop, they had no idea how far their coffee experience would take them. Now that it has taken off, they hope to expand to five Society Coffee Bar locations within five years.
For now, the Westport couple is looking forward to starting this new chapter in Somerset.
“I’m excited to be here and I’m excited to make a mark in a place that I’m more familiar with … it always feels good when you know you’re doing something good for the community,” Viveiros said. .
This article originally appeared in The Herald News. The Somerset Bank site will be transformed into a high-end coffee shop