Published: 6/1/2022 4:42:39 PM
Concord’s most colorful (quite literally) new eatery Teatotaller will have a soft opening Wednesday, as the self-described “queer hipster oasis” celebrates the start of Pride Month.
“We’ll have a full menu and staff but nothing is permanent. We’re testing things out – figuring out details, hours, staffing,” said owner Emmett Soldati. “We’ll have a bigger grand opening later on, with events and programming.”
The LGBTQ-friendly cafe has been in Somersworth since 2016. Its Concord presence, delayed by the pandemic, is at 2 Capital Plaza and has draw attention ever since the exterior was painted bright pink in April.
The opening comes as Pride Month kicks off – which is not a coincidence, Soldati said. Pride Month, an informal celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer culture, will be celebrated with a variety of events throughout the state.
The name of the business comes from its mothership location in Somersworth, where Soldati was born and raised. After getting sober in 2010 and moving back home from London, he wanted to create a business that was a welcoming hangout and came up with the name Teatotaller, a riff on the British word for someone who doesn’t drink alcohol.
“I had no clue what I was doing. I had no business experience other than a lemonade stand from my childhood, which was actually a block away,” Soldati said. “But ultimately, the community really responded like there just were people in Somersworth and in Berwick, Maine that were like ‘Oh, finally we don’t have to go to Portsmouth or Portland or Boston.”
Soldati continued to hone his business acumen and the cafe began to make a name for itself, hosting drag queen nights and offering an eclectic menu of signature sandwiches and drinks.
“You’ve got to have good coffee, you’ve got to have espresso, you’ve got to have food, you’ve got to have music, you’ve got to have shows,” Soldati said. “Our brand really evolved in the first few years. Sort of a gestational period for us. Another aspect that I had always been interested in is having a business that’s a little bit campy and a little bit queer in a way that is still accessible for a lot of people.”
Soldati set his sights on Concord for his second location – a plan that was stalled by the pandemic but has finally come to fruition.
Teatotaller will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. As in Somersworth, its specialty is boba, or bubble tea, and it serves an array of breakfast items, drinks and salads.
“This is an opportunity to come and check out what we’re up to,” said Soldati.