A couple of weeks ago, Burlington’s Church Street got a little less cheesy. That’s when owner Brian Stone closed Cheese ’n Crust Souperstar.
The 126-square-foot eatery, located in the old Klinger’s kiosk, served up grilled-cheese sandwiches in various flavors, along with bowls of soup. For every serving of chili or gazpacho he sold, Stone donated one to charity.”
According to Stone, who also owns the Garden of Eatin’ Café in Williston, getting people to wait outdoors for a hot meal on a frigid day was tougher than he’d expected. “In the winter season, when you’d actually count on selling more soup, it was sparse,” he recalls. During the summer, ice cream helped bolster sales, but it wasn’t enough.
Stone still holds the lease on the tiny spot and plans to turn it into something that will make use of the kiosk’s “greatest asset: its exposure to millions of people.” Until the Church Street Marketplace approves his new plan, though, he’s got to keep mum on the concept. One thing he can say? He won’t be serving food.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2010.
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