After initially reopening as a dinner-only destination, Vivienne Coastal Mediterranean has added lunch service on Thursdays only, in order to build a following where the downtown Worcester restaurant can eventually be open daily for lunch and dinner.
“We want to see if we can build a culture around an elevated business lunch,” said Michael Covino, president of Worcester-based Niche Hospitality Group, which owns and operates Vivienne. “If we want to be a destination downtown, we need to be open every day. We are working toward that.”
Vivienne initially opened in the first floor of the skyscraper at 446 Main St. in September but was forced to close after less than a week when an overnight fire in a wine fridge caused extensive damage. It reopened in March with dinner-only service Wednesdays through Sundays.
The restaurant added the Thursdays-only lunch in mid-May, at the same time its sister location Vue Cocktail Lounge on the 24th floor of 446 Main started opening on Thursdays. The goal is to create companion destinations out of the two locations, Covino said.
Business has been good for Vivienne’s Thursday’s lunch service, although it’s not going gangbusters yet, Covino said. The restaurant economy is not great right now, as fewer people are dining out.
“That’s the reality,” he said.
After Labor Day, Vivienne might add lunch service on Fridays and possibly the weekend, based on how much of a following it builds.
“It is a test pilot we are going to run for May, June, July, and August,” he said.
Covino is looking to model the business lunch success of Worcester eateries The Sole Proprietor on Highland Street and VIA Italian Table on Shrewsbury Street, which are typically busy on weekdays. He wants Vivienne to be that destination for downtown, with its many offices and professional services firms in and around the high-rises at 446 Main and the Mercantile Center.
Unlike express business lunches where the goal is to get customers fed and out the door in less than an hour, Vivienne’s lunch is designed to be more upscale, so businesses will want to entertain clients there or have large employee outings, Covino said.
The menu features a prix fixe option with two or three courses. The restaurant is trying to strike a balance between offering fresh, high-quality food at the right price, he said.
Thursdays are the perfect day to run the business lunch experiment, as it’s near the weekend but most professionals are still in the office, Covino said.
“For a lot of the offices downtown, they aren’t there on Fridays,” he said. “Thursday is the new Friday for people in the office.”
Brad Kane is editor of the Worcester Business Journal.
