Restaurant Road Trip: The Scoop Cafe Wants to Cool Stamford Down this Summer

This article was posted by Fairfield Editor Caitlin Mazzola. It was reported and written by Stamford Editor DJ McAneny.

With warm weather moving in Old Man Winter moving out, now's the time to start looking for the best places to cool down. Charles Pia is hoping Stamford residents will help keep the momentum up at The Scoop Cafe, about to celebrate it's one-year anniversary. 

"We opened [late] last April," Pia said. "Last year we had a good first year. I'm hoping this year we'll see increased business now that everyone knows we're back and open."

The Scoop Cafe offers coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, hot dogs off the grill, pastries, desserts and grab-and-go sandwiches delivered fresh each morning by a catering company. But with ice cream being the focus and with 54 flavors to choose from between the yogurt, hard ice cream and gellato, Pia said turn out is pretty good for those looking for something special or just something different than the usual.

"With 54 flavors, I'd be shocked if we didn't have what you were looking for," he said.

Pia has been involved with the Stamford Girls Softball League for "longer than I can remember," and last year the team he coached went to the Little League World Series, finishing ninth. He said he loves being so involved with his community, and his store employees six to seven teens each summer.

"I love the kids and being able to interact with them." 

The Scoop Cafe—located at 810 East Main Street—has seen competition grow "five-fold" from simply Baskin Robbins and Dairy Queen eight years ago to niche shops and independent stores down town taking off, but Pia hopes the East side continues to see the growth it has in recent years.

"It's tough. There are so many places you could go while out on a drive," Pia said. "And we're competing not just with ice cream stores but dessert places as well. Being down in this area, it's an up-and-coming area, though. I hope the revitalization continues. In a couple of years, this is going to be a really happening place."

Open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the week and from 11 a.m. to whenever the lights go off during "Hangout Nights" on Friday and Saturday—which could be as late as midnight if a crowd is there having a good time—Pia said all the fun is family-oriented.

"We're all friends here," he said. "It's a gathering place and it's a lot of fun.Kids can get ice cream, parents can get coffee, and everyone just hangs out and has a good time talking, sitting outside. If the lights are on, we're open."