Cafe reopens after brief closure

Mon Vert Cafe in Woodstock, Vermont, on Saturday morning. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

For over a decade, Mon Vert Cafe has been a popular spot in downtown Woodstock, Vermont, for a coffee, or a meal, or both. As with many businesses, customers have been loyal through even the toughest parts of the past year. 

On Saturday, the cafe reopened after a week-long closure, and even after just a week, Facebook posts made it clear the day before people were highly anticipating the reopening. 

“It’s very nice how many positive things we’ve heard from the community,” said owner Sam DiNatale.

The closure came when an employee was exposed to COVID-19 and then, the business took the precaution of closing, according to DiNatale. She said all state requirements were followed, and one week after exposure all who worked with that employee were tested. All the tests came back negative. 

DiNatale was grateful to customers for all the supportive comments in recent days, and she felt the community appreciated the business being proactive and abundantly cautious. 

“If anything, it just cements people’s trust in us,” she said on a frigid Saturday morning, which saw more customers than usual in the day’s early hours.

The business will continue to be take-out only until the spring, DiNatale said, when they plan to have outdoor seating. Even at that point, there still may not be any indoor dining at the cafe, she added. 

“An abundance of caution is always important,” she said. 

— Gareth Henderson 

Mon Vert Cafe’s hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., every day except Thursday. For more information, go to monvertcafe.com, call 802-457-7143 or email monvertcafe@gmail.com .

Above, Mon Vert Cafe owner Sam DiNatale is shown at her business on Saturday morning. (Gareth Henderson Photo)