"Sandy's is here to stay," Danielle Turrell told the South County Star the day before she and her husband, William, took over Sandy's Fine Food Emporium on Post Road on Oct. 1. Most of this year's food news in Westerly could carry the same line.
Look at what actually changed between July and October and a pattern shows up. Taco Bell is returning to Granite Street after a 17-year gap. Dunkin' moved across the road in Dunn's Corners. A Westerly distillery is moving downtown from Tom Harvey Road. A Pawcatuck bagel shop is moving a few blocks. A market nearing its 75th anniversary passed to the next generation of the same family. Only two of this year's openings are names Westerly has never had, and both sit side by side at Westerly Crossings.
Granite Street Is Getting Its Old Names Back
The Taco Bell at 139 Granite St. is the clearest example. According to The Westerly Sun, the building replaces a Dunkin' Donuts that closed a few years ago. The franchisee, Desert de Oro Foods, has put up a 44-seat restaurant with a drive-through on that footprint. Westerly's earlier Taco Bell closed in 2009. It stood in the plaza now anchored mainly by Ocean State Job Lot, and its building was replaced by what is now a Beacon Bank branch.
This has happened on this road before. In September 2024, KFC reopened at 160 Granite St. after more than 10 years away, back in its old location after extensive renovations. Gansett Wraps, which had been in that space for years, moved to 55 Beach St.
Dunkin' made a shorter move. The Sun reported it left Crossings Plaza for a Post Road site across the street in Dunn's Corners. The new building has a long history. It was most recently a seafood restaurant, before that a Tim Hortons, and before that a Bess Eaton.
| Address | What's there in 2026 | Earlier tenants |
|---|---|---|
| 139 Granite St. | Taco Bell, pending | Dunkin' Donuts |
| 160 Granite St. | KFC, reopened Sept. 2024 | KFC, then Gansett Wraps |
| Post Road, Dunn's Corners | Dunkin', reopened | Seafood restaurant, Tim Hortons, Bess Eaton |
| Former Taco Bell site off Granite St. | Beacon Bank branch | Taco Bell, closed 2009 |
As of the latest reports, the Taco Bell has not opened. On Sept. 28, the South County Star reported that the town had not yet issued a certificate of occupancy. Power and final inspections were still outstanding, and the earlier plan to open by Oct. 1 had slipped to "early October." The company had said the building was waiting on the utility to install a new light pole and turn on the electricity. Once it opens, the hours will be the most unusual in town. On Sept. 15, the Westerly Licensing Board approved staying open until 3 a.m. daily, and the company told the board it plans to open for breakfast at 7 a.m.
The Only New Names Sit Next Door to Each Other
The genuinely new arrivals are both at Westerly Crossings. Five Guys opened in July, and Chipotle opened right next door in August. Five Guys' own locator lists the address as 143 Franklin St. The Sun called the Chipotle the chain's first Westerly location and gave Thursday, Aug. 20 as its announced opening date.
Put the two lists together and it's clear where Westerly's growth in fast, familiar food happened this year. It all happened along the Franklin and Granite Street corridor and out on Post Road, and most of it reused buildings with a history.
Downtown Lost a Doughnut Shop and Is Waiting on a Distillery
Downtown's changes ran the other way. Knead Doughnuts closed its shop at 16 Broad St. after nearly five years. Its last day was Sunday, Aug. 30. Co-owner Adam Lastrina said the lease was up and the Providence-based company had decided "to focus our efforts on other facets of our business." He spoke warmly of the town: "We loved our space. Loved the location. Summers were amazing." Owl & Dove in Pawcatuck said goodbye on Instagram with "Goodbye, sweet neighbors!" We haven't seen a new tenant announced for the Broad Street space.
The coming addition is a relocation, too. 13th Hour Distilling is moving from the Hauser Chocolates facility on Tom Harvey Road to 40 High St. Founder Ruedi Hauser III started the business in 2021 and began selling to the public in 2023. His grandparents founded Hauser Chocolates, and his father, Rudi, and brother, Ravi, are partners in the distillery. Here's what the South County Star reported about the plans in August:
- The distillery will be in the back of the building, with a tasting room in front.
- Cocktails will use rum, vodka and gin distilled on site, from a rotating menu, and private distilling classes will be offered.
- The main product is rum made with cane syrup from Louisiana.
- The coffee liqueur uses coffee from Junk and Java and chocolate from Hauser Chocolates.
- Local artist Lana Gunn painted the logo behind the bar, and Shoreline Painting and Mystic Paints helped finish the bar itself.
Hauser was hoping to open "by the end of the summer." The hold-up was moving his state and federal licenses to the new address. "We have everything," he said. "We're ready to roll. It's just buttoning up the admin side of things." That report ran on Aug. 6. We haven't found anything newer confirming an opening, and the distillery's website still lists the Tom Harvey Road address. Until a date is announced, treat the High Street tasting room as coming soon.
A block away, Windie's at 80 High St. shows how a small shop can become a downtown gathering place. Emma Sills opened it in November 2024. It sits across from Wilcox Park, around the corner from The United and down the street from the Ocean Community YMCA. Along with gifts, it stocks local milk, eggs and yogurt, plus treats from Nana's bakery. Sills told the South County Star that her monthly Cookbook Club has become far more popular than she expected. In September it hosted a sold-out dinner with cookbook author Brad Leone, and guests each brought a dish from his book.
On Post Road, a Handoff Two Decades in the Making
Sandy's at 15 Post Road is the quietest change on the list and probably the one that matters most to its regulars. EmmaLee and Jim Goddiess bought the market from Bob and Elly Hoffman 20 years ago. On Oct. 1, they handed it to EmmaLee's nephew, William Turrell, and his wife, Danielle. William worked at Sandy's during summers as a Johnson & Wales student. He later spent 12 years in store development with ALDI, and buying Sandy's was a goal he set for himself years ago. Sandy's was founded in 1952 as a small fruit and vegetable stand on West Broad Street in Pawcatuck, and it marks 75 years in business in 2027.
Out on Industrial Drive, there's another return. Steven Sansone has reopened IDK. at 8 Industrial Drive, serving burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and potatoes.
Across the River, Plan for a Bagel Gap
The relocation with the most direct effect on weekday mornings is in Pawcatuck. Flour Shop Bagels, owned by Jon and Hannah Young, is moving from Mechanic Street to a bigger space at 15 Palmer St. Jon Young said he will probably close the current shop after Columbus Day and reopen about two weeks later. Columbus Day is Monday, Oct. 12, so expect a closure starting sometime after that and a reopening around late October, though that date is our estimate, not one the owners announced. The business started during the pandemic, when Jon's gigs with his band Straight to VHS stopped and the couple began selling bagels from a pay-what-you-want stand at the end of their driveway in Ledyard.
Where Things Stand in Early October
- Open now: Five Guys and Chipotle at Westerly Crossings, Dunkin' on Post Road in Dunn's Corners, IDK. on Industrial Drive, Windie's on High Street.
- Changed hands Oct. 1: Sandy's Fine Food Emporium, 15 Post Road, still family-owned.
- Expected in early October: Taco Bell, 139 Granite St., once it has power and a certificate of occupancy.
- Short closure after Columbus Day: Flour Shop Bagels, reopening about two weeks later at 15 Palmer St., Pawcatuck.
- Opening date not yet announced: 13th Hour Distilling's tasting room, 40 High St.
- Vacant: the former Knead Doughnuts space, 16 Broad St.
Before you drive over for any of the pending openings, check the business's own announcement. Taco Bell and 13th Hour have both already missed one target date this year.
We follow these openings and handoffs because they're part of daily life in the town where we work. If you'd like to know what's moving into a storefront near you, or how a change on your street might affect your home's value, reach out to Town & Shore Realty. Schedule a free consultation and we'll tell you what we're seeing locally.
