New coffee shop kicks off eatery upgrades at Mystic Seaport
Mystic — A new coffee shop has opened at the Mystic Seaport Museum's north entrance in the Thompson Exhibition Building, the first in a series of changes coming from new food and beverage operator Lancer Hospitality.
Propeller Coffee Bar opened in mid-January, the same time Lancer took over as the museum's primary food and beverage operator.
The coffee shop serves up espresso beverages such as cappuccinos, chai lattes and Americanos, with coffee from Fuel America. Bakery and grab-and-go items available Friday included a Nutella banana nut muffin, banana sesame crunch bread, cheese bento box, sandwiches and salads.
It's open during museum hours, which are currently 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday, but will extend to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily March 31 to Oct. 30.
The space has housed different things over the years, most recently a location of Social Coffee Roastery. Christopher Watson, district manager for Lancer Hospitality, noted that Propeller Coffee Bar is open to anyone from the public, not just museum visitors.
Schaefer's Spouter Tavern and the Galley Restaurant, which are open to museum patrons only, are respectively being refreshed in March and April, Watson said. Spouter Tavern will get a new menu, and QR codes on the patio tables for people to order food from outside.
Lancer Hospitality is a subsidiary of culinary management group Elior North America, and Watson noted that Lancer specializes in museums, zoos and aquariums. Lancer started working with Mystic Aquarium in 2019.
Coastal Gourmet had been running the Galley Restaurant and catering operations but their contract was up, and they didn't participate in the request for proposals that resulted in the contract with Lancer, museum spokesperson Dan McFadden said. Coastal Gourmet continues to run Latitude 41, which is currently closed for the season.
"We were very impressed with Lancer in the process of interviewing different firms, and I know they do a great job with the aquarium," McFadden said. He added, "We were looking for someone to take food service to the next level."
Watson said Lancer also exclusively will be providing catering services on the property, and building up events. The company also will manage weddings at Mystic Seaport.
If you go
What: Propeller Coffee Bar
Where: Mystic Seaport Museum, Thompson Exhibition Building on Greenmanville Avenue, (860) 571-0711; the coffee shop is open to the public and does not require museum admission.
Hours: open during museum hours, currently 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday; will extend to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily March 31 to Oct. 30.
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