Lt. John Rene Quilter, 49, died Saturday surrounded by his family, according to his department.

“Lt. John Quilter was one of the best cops and one of the best people that I have ever known,” said Police Chief Christopher M. Vanghele of the Plainville Police Department. “I considered him a friend. He was supremely dedicated to his wife, kids, family, country, friends, police department and the community of Plainville. A good man was taken from us way too early. He will be missed every day.”

Quilter was transported to the Plainville Funeral Home by police “showing him the love, respect and honor that he always gave us,” the department said on a social media post on Saturday.

According to Vanghele, Quilter was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and formally retired this past New Year’s Eve after 25 years and three months on the Plainville police force.

“He was still working through his cancer treatments. That’s the kind of person he was,” Vanghele said. “This is the last person that this should have ever happened to. It shouldn’t have been him.

“When I tell you he was the best person, it’s no hyperbole. He was everything to everyone,” Vanghele added. “He was a true professional and had honorable integrity. … He was my right-hand man. He knew everything about everything in town.”

According to Quilter’s obituary, Quilter met his high school sweetheart Melissa when he was 16 years old at Bristol Central High School. The couple was married for 28 years and have three children, Austin, Brendan and Caitlyn, and one grandchild, Maverick John.

Quilter was actively involved in the Plainville community. He was a member of the Plainville Rotary Club and coached youth football, baseball and soccer as well as running the PAL basketball league for the Plainville Police Association, according to the obituary.

“His actions reflected his deep commitment to the development and well-being of young people,” the obituary says.

Quilter was also a U.S. Army veteran.

“John was just a great individual,” Plainville Town Manager Michael Paulhus said. “A great human being. Our hearts are heavy with the sad news of his passing. He was a wonderful person and a dedicated police officer. He loved his family and his community. He cared deeply for the people of Plainville. He will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and members of the department as well.

“He was a very friendly, kind and dedicated professional that you would come to expect in Plainville. That’s what John embodied,” Paulhus added.

Quilter was a licensed realtor, and the family had a vacation home in Myrtle Beach. He enjoyed the guitar and outdoor adventures, according to the obituary.

A wake is on Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Plainville Funeral Home. A celebration of Quilter’s life, led by Life Celebrant Jesse Gnazzo, will be held on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Plainville High School auditorium. Committal with military honors will follow at Forestville Cemetery, according to the obituary.

In lieu of flowers, the family asked that Quilter be remembered with contributions to the Plainville Colts Youth Football and Cheer, PARC or the Plainville Activity League.

But according to experts, those Airbnb properties are contributing to the declining supply of long-term rentals.

A consumer affairs study from last year marked Connecticut as the worst state for renters. The report said the median gross rental on a two-bedroom apartment is $1,441, and the vacancy rate is 3.5%. It appears many potential sellers and landlords are content with the short-term benefits of Airbnb, and that has put a further squeeze on any person or family seeking long-term rentals.

“If someone takes a piece of property and converts it into an Airbnb, there’s one less house for sale, it’s one less apartment to be rented, ” said David Sacco, a University of New Haven lecturer in the finance, economics, management and entrepreneurship program. “The demand for rentals and the demand for housing in this area hasn’t changed. In fact, it’s probably gone up in the last four years as people have pushed out of New York City to places like Connecticut to work at home. There’s probably more demand for housing (in Connecticut) than there was four years ago.”

Sacco said the increase in Airbnbs has not only decreased apartment and housing availability but are also competition for hotels. He said real estate is all about supply and demand, and Airbnb properties are taking away supply from the long-term rental markets.

“There is also less housing for sale because people are essentially converting their property to short-term rentals. I think that’s an area where you have a finite supply issue and that exasperates it a little bit because there is this new opportunity for people to monetize property they own that just didn’t exist five or 10 years ago,” Sacco said.

He said because of the demand, prices have gone up.

“The national real estate market is really scattered. There are a lot of different regions and different regions have different issues. In the Northeast, we have a dense pack of real estate and housing that you are going to have anywhere in the country. There are basically no places to build new housing except where housing already exists,” Sacco said. “In other parts of the country there is plenty of room to expand. Places like Connecticut and most of the Northeast don’t have the ability to sprawl out like other areas.

Sacha Armstrong-Crockett, luxury real estate advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International, said she is seeing a rise in small investors in Hartford County.

“There’s an increased demand for rentals as buying a home becomes more challenging. Some markets are highly competitive, where, unfortunately, many people are either being priced out or repeatedly overlooked. A reliable and stable rental market is essential to meet the needs of those unable to buy,” Armstrong-Crockett said.

Any quick search on the Airbnb platform turns up dozens of listings for Hartford sites, from one room to entire homes. The prices also vary widely, with some rooms list for less than $50 per night, while homes can be hundreds of dollars a night. Others are listed by the week at higher prices. There also are many listings in surrounding towns.

Armstrong-Crockett said the rise of Airbnb presents both benefits and challenges in Hartford County.

“When it’s a small business or a source of supplemental income for families, it can positively contribute to a community,” she said.

“However, if it reaches the point when it reduces long-term rental options, it could affect local housing availability. As someone who works with investors and offers fair housing and first-time buyer workshops to renters, I understand both perspectives,” Armstrong-Crockett said. “Real estate is a financial product for property owners, but housing is also fundamentally a human right. Property owners who provide long-term, healthy and stable housing are important to any community.”

She said she is monitoring the historic Linus B. Plimpton House located at 847 Asylum St. in Hartford, which is being handled by Armstrong-Crockett’s colleague Ellen Sebastian. The house dates back to 1862.

“It’s a NINA property, meaning it must be owner-occupied. The home also features two stunning apartments. It’ll be fascinating to see how things unfold. My hope is that it becomes a space for multigenerational living or that someone creates a truly unique, high-end rental opportunities for the Hartford community,” Armstrong-Crockett said.

NINA is Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance, Inc. which is a Hartford non-profit that “rehabilitates blighted historic houses as owner-occupied opportunities for low-to-moderate-income households,” according to its website.

‘No place to build’

One solution is that the government gets involved, but Sacco said rent control may not be the answer and that there is “very little the government can do to alleviate the supply and demand issue.”

“They can do what the government in New York City has done for years and pose some form of rent price control,” Sacco said. “The problem with price control, which we see in New York City in spades, is that price control, all that they do is exacerbate the shortage because there is not going to be more supply that is created. In fact, there is going to be less supply as the prices are artificially held low and people have less incentive to rent their existing property and people have even less incentive to improve their existing properties to make them more attractive to people.

“Any time you put in price controls you end up with bigger shortages than you had before which doesn’t help the problem. It’s great for some and then everyone else gets priced out,” Sacco said. “You still have the same shortage, and it just gets exasperated, meaning ultimately the market has to come to an equilibrium which is tough in this area because there is no place to build. It’s hard to see where the growth is coming from. Unfortunately, more people, including young people, may consider moving away from this area.”

“I know we tend to think of it as bad with an exodus of people leaving the region that we are living in for real estate prices, but in reality, a lot economic value is being created as well for those people who can move and have more affordable housing and to those areas where real estate values start going up as well,” Sacco said.

Changing markets

David Haberfeld, a Bristol-based real estate investor and entrepreneur, runs Haberfeld Enterprises and said Airbnb is one of the contributing factors, but not a main reason, some buyers and renters are struggling to find housing or rent in the state.

“People think that there is this crazy housing shortage because there is no supply, but the supply is just not on the market,” Haberfeld said. “It’s not listed, so there is a shortage, but not a real shortage of units. People think that greedy landlords are the reason the prices are so high and think that Airbnb is taking away all of the apartments, but it’s just not true. They are contributing factors but not the main drivers.”

Other reasons Haberfeld mentioned sellers aren’t putting their houses on the market are higher interest rates and higher bank fees.

“Airbnbs are also necessary,” Haberfeld said. “I’m a fan and I’m an operator. People that have had a fire in their house and need a place to go and have a family that can’t fit into the hotel room, Airbnb is the right answer for them. Who wants to be the one to say you can’t have Airbnbs here so you have to leave our community, and you can’t stay here.

“Traveling nurses are another group,” he said. “Who wants to say traveling nurses cannot come to our area because we don’t allow Airbnb and hotels are too expensive for them. There is definitely a valid use for Airbnb in every community to have some.”

Haberfeld said tenant/landlord laws have pushed landlords toward renting Airbnbs. He switched to renting Airbnbs in Bristol during the eviction moratorium during the pandemic. He stopped renting his properties because he didn’t want to take the financial risk.

“The reason is you can’t make money in a long-term rental anymore and the tenant/landlord laws are so skewed and are so tenant friendly that landlords are shifting toward Airbnb because the government is abusing the landlords,” Haberfeld said. “Saying that you have to let them live here for free during the eviction moratorium. The Fair Rent Commissions are killing landlords.

“If the tide was to change and the government was to stop abusing landlords and if someone is not paying you can evict them in a timely manner,” he added. “The Fair Rent Commissions are almost unnecessary in my opinion. Some of these short-term rentals will come back to the market. Short-term rentals are about four times as much work as long-term rentals and not everyone wants to do it. But people are kind of forced to do it.”

Jacek Mikolajczyk, a realtor at Berkshire Hathaway, suggests that many potential sellers are also using Airbnb while waiting for a better environment to sell.

“We are seeing a little bit of a slowdown,” Mikolajczyk said. “Some of the homeowners are trying to survive and are trying to rent until the mortgage rates go back down and they can list their house again and get the most income they can for them.

“In this market, there are not too many homes listed,” he added. “People are thinking they are going to get the prices they were getting during COVID, but that’s not the case anymore and it’s hard to let them go for less, so they try an Airbnb. As soon as the mortgage rates go down and more buyers will come back and will start bidding again. … My team sells more than 100 homes per year. We see what is going on.”

The Watertown Fire Department responded to the fire at 7:17 p.m. and arrived to fire outside the building, according to the Watertown Fire Department.

The blaze was upgraded to a second alarm and the fire was extinguished with the help of mutual companies from surrounding towns, according to the Watertown Fire Department.

No injuries were reported, and the fire is under investigation by the local fire marshal.

Koster Keunen has been in business since 1852 and “is the world’s leader in natural waxes and wax technology” and specializes “in the development, processing, and manufacturing of quality ingredients at each of our production sites,” according to its website.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct that this building was not destroyed and the spelling of the company name.

The Connecticut Green Bank recently announced the closing financing of the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy for the system at the 21,000-square-foot facility. The business provides printing creative design, finishing and mailing services. Hitchcock Printing was founded in 1904 and is located at 191 John Downey Drive.

“The addition of our solar system is a key to staying competitive now and in the future,” said Anthony Bracco, president of Hitchcock Printing in a press release. “State-of-the-art equipment and a highly trained youthful workforce accompanied with a plan to manage our energy costs will ensure that we have an edge in the years to come.”

Monroe-based Smart Roofs Solar Inc developed and installed the 227- kilowatt system.

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy has helped in more than 400 projects with expected savings of nearly $420 million. Commercial owners are able to install the green energy upgrades and can pay for them over time at low-interest rates.

“We are seeing continued interest in C-PACE from energy-intensive businesses seeking ways to reduce their energy-cost burdens, especially through the addition of solar systems,” said Mackey Dykes, vice president of financing programs at the Connecticut Green Bank. “It’s exciting when companies with long histories in their community, like Hitchcock Printing, take advantage of green technologies to enhance their bottom line.”

The Connecticut Green Bank was established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2011. It was the nation’s first state-level green bank, and the organization boasts more than 30,000 green jobs in the state and reduced energy costs to 77,000 families, businesses and nonprofits.

Cinnabon, Zumiez, FYE and Torrid all have closed or are in the process of closing sometime this month.

Burlington Stores, formerly Burlington Coat Factory, will be leaving the mall and moving to the nearby Brass Mill Commons and will take the space that was previously occupied by TJ Maxx, which moved to Wolcott Street last fall.

Michaels craft store closed in the Brass Mill Commons this month and the area has a vacancy where TGI Friday’s was previously located.

“The Commons is pretty successful with some setbacks,” said Waterbury Economic Development Director Joe McGrath. “I think the mall is experiencing what most malls are experiencing; that is a future of uncertainty of what is going to happen.”

Despite the mall departures, Waterbury officials see growth in other areas and believe that people are looking at Waterbury as a great investment opportunity.

“The retail landscape has changed, and the mall is a little less than half full,” Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski said. “I think eventually, you will see it repurposed into something else. The model of indoor stores doesn’t seem to be viable at this point.

“Having said that, the owners have kept the facility up and it doesn’t look like it’s falling into disrepair, and it doesn’t look abandoned like some other malls,” Pernerewski added.

McGrath pointed to the additions of Ashley Furniture and forthcoming Altitude Trampoline Park which will share the former Macy’s location in the Brass Mill Center as positives. The former Sears on the opposite side of the building has received some inquiries, but McGrath said nothing has been finalized at this time.

“I think the mall is such a valuable piece of property. It’s right off the highway with 140,000 cars going by every day,” McGrath said. “This area is visible to Interstate 84, and we just have to figure how to transform the property and redevelop it. How and who will do it I’m not 100 percent sure.

“I feel as though there is a lot of potential if you look at stores or businesses with separate entrances,” he said. “It could be used for medical or mixed use. It has to be redesigned. It’s probably going to take a lot of capital to change the brick and mortar.”

When it comes to Brass Mill Commons, McGrath said he believes the vacancies will be filled sooner than later.

“They probably have to be remodeled a little bit,” McGrath said. “There are always cars near Chili’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and the other businesses there, too.”

The Brass Mill Commons also has McDonald’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Five Below, Ulta Beauty, Save A Lot, Petco and Barnes & Noble.

“Plazas have made a comeback”

Meanwhile, two other plazas in the city are experiencing a resurgence. One of the success stories is Waterbury Plaza on Chase Avenue, which is anchored by Stop & Shop and Target, It is nearly at capacity with recent additions of Bath & Body Works, Five Below, Wingstop and Rooster’s Chicken & Waffles, all moving in 2024, and PhoneZone opened this month.

“Trends change in how people want to shop. People seemed committed to going in and out of single stores now. Plazas have made a comeback,” McGrath said.

Elsewhere in the city, the Naugatuck Valley Shopping Center at 950 Wolcott St. has dealt with multiple departures on one wing of the plaza including Stop & Shop, Staples and Bob’s Stores shuttered in 2024, and Party City is in its final days.

Two other wings of the property, one anchored by Walmart and the other by Panera Bread, are both at or near capacity.

“That area where the Stop & Shop was is going under a transformation now, but it’s going to rebound. It has to have a facelift and some changes,” McGrath said.

Across the street at 943 Wolcott St., another retail plaza that has felt a boost with the Stop & Shop moving in as well as the TJ Maxx from the Brass Mill Commons and Petsmart, which moved last fall from 475 Bank St.

Next door, the Price Rite grocery store is slated to move into the former Ollie’s Bargain Outlet at 881 Wolcott St. in May.

“There’s a lot of interest and If you go out to Wolcott Street, that whole area is coming back,” Pernerewski said. “If you have some success then you can build on it. I think a lot of people are looking at Waterbury as a great investment opportunity. We are seeing those plazas do well. The other place you are seeing it is downtown.”

Pernerewski said more than 400 apartments are currently being constructed downtown and many others are in various stages of planning for more in different parts of the immediate area.

“In the very near future, we are on track to have 416 brand new apartment units coming online downtown which is going to help drive that retail space as well. I think a lot of people are seeing Waterbury as a really good investment, and the city coming back. We are making a lot of progress. People are looking to get in now while it’s a good time to get in,” Pernerewski said.

Pernerewski said the construction of the 400-plus apartments are in progress and scheduled to be completed in the next year or so. He added that the city is also in the final stages for choosing a developer for 45-60 units at the site of the former Saint Mary’s Grammar School at 1389 West Main St., which closed in 2018. Those units will be geared toward affordable housing for medical workforce for Saint Mary’s Hospital across the street.

Pernerewski also said the city is also looking at the Republican-American building, the site of the city’s iconic Union Station clock tower, on Meadow Street.

“We are in discussions with a developer to put housing on the top floor there,” Pernerewski said. “We are talking about 40 units we can get in there. Also, in the end of 2023, the city purchased a property on the green called exchanged place which was a large six-story office building with an ancillary building that’s a part of it. There is a vacant retail space down there. At the next Board of Alderman meeting, we are going to be talking about potentially putting about 19 units up there and a restaurant and some retail on the first floor.”

Pernerewski said UConn is looking at the Brown Building downtown which has dorm rooms which are privately owned not associated with the university. He said UConn is looking into buying the property and turning it into their own model of dorms and increasing the number of students living in the building for the UConn-Waterbury campus, which is neighbors with the Palace Theater.

“I think in the next couple of years you are going to see a real resurgence in downtown with a lot more feet on the ground  and that is going to drive the retail and restaurants,” Pernerewski said.

McGrath said throughout the city workers have been replacing infrastructure and piping that is more than 100 years old downtown and in other parts of the city. He added that downtown will have all new infrastructure and sidewalks at the end of the project.

McGrath said work is being done at the at the intersection of Reidville Drive and Harpers Ferry Road for the opening of PAM Health and Catalyst, which is planned to be open by 2026.

McGrath said PAM is an acute care facility inpatient rehabilitation hospital is 55,000 square feet with 42 beds and will treat a variety of ailments and offers physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. He added that about 150 jobs will be coming to the city when it opens.

McGrath also said the Amazon warehouse project in the industrial park on the Naugatuck-Waterbury border is still in the works. The project first was discussed in 2022 and has experienced some delays.

“We are finalizing some details, and we are hoping for the final closure on everything by mid-summer,” McGrath said.

Pernerewski said all of the zoning approvals have been sent in from Naugatuck and Waterbury is in the final stages working with their planning departments for the approvals needed from Waterbury. He said they are in the final stages and said he expects a groundbreaking sometime this year.

Pernerewski said the warehouse would bring a minimum of 1,000 jobs, to Greater Waterbury.

McGrath also mentioned the city has been cleaning up the Brownfields, including a 22-acre property on Freight Street, the former site of the former American Brass Company site, that is being cleaned. In 2022, the city received a $10 million grant for the project.

The property is third of a mile from the city’s train station.

“It’s probably 12 to 18 months before we finish cleaning it and put it on the market,” McGrath said. “We envision a mixed-use development. A city within a city with storefronts, apartments, restaurants. A little of everything can go there.”

McGrath said despite the recent challenges at the Brass Mill Center, the economic development has been “very good” in recent years in Waterbury.

“We’ve been following a plan for the last eight to 10 years in terms of where we want to be,” McGrath said. “I think we are on track to what we want to accomplish over time.”

Mulla, 33, and her husband Florjan Dragolli, opened up their first restaurant, M.I.A. Cafe Lounge, in December. It is located at 326 Meriden Road. Mulla said they named it M.I.A. for Made in America, Made in Albania and also named after the couples’ 3-month old daughter Mia.

“We’ve been working on this for three years, and we are happy to bring this Mediterranean style of food to Waterbury,” Mulla said. “It all started when we would go to New York for Albanian food, but it got to be a little too far to go. The idea was to bring something of our own back here to Connecticut. We wanted to bring our own European style. We came up with different dishes from Europe.”

Mulla said the restaurant serves Albanian, Greek, Italian and other European and Mediterranean foods.

“We are trying to make a melting pot of food,” Mulla said.

Petulla Te Fshira ($14) is a traditional Albanian dish that is prepared by Mulla’s mother-in-law from her own recipe. The M.I.A. menu describes the dish as “light and savory Albanian-style crepes, drizzled with garlic olive oil and finished with crumbled feta cheese.”

“Everyone that has tried it has loved it,” Mulla said. “Everything in our restaurant is made from scratch.”

Another starter Mulla pointed out was the traditional Albanian House Qofte ($14). The dish is a smoky grilled veal meatball.

Among the entrees on the menu are Chicken Airline ($28), M.I.A. Seafood Pasta ($32), Pan-Seared Salmon ($30), Single Cut Lamb Chops ($30) and M.I.A. Burger ($19)

Molla said the Baklava ($10), an Albanian traditional dessert, is a must.

“Albanian food is all about the spices you use,” Mulla said. “We don’t mix a lot of sweet and sour together. But again, everything is made from scratch. It’s not processed food. We make the dough for the baklava.”

The marquee drinks include Hurricane M.I.A. ($14) and Garden of Gilmets ($14). The latter is described on the menu as “a refreshing blend of smooth vodka, aromatic basil, and a touch of simple syrup for a garden-fresh twist.” Hurricane M.I.A. is described by the menu as “tropical dark rum meets the bright, fruity essence of passion fruit in this vibrant, rum-forward classic.

Mulla said she hasn’t seen many Albanians come into the restaurant but all different ethnicities.

“People want to come in and try,” Mulla said. “There aren’t many other Albanian restaurants around, so we are different. Our atmosphere is what people love the most. Our staff is friendly, and we do everything we can to make the customers very happy.”

M.I.A. is open Tuesdays through Sundays. Tuesday-Thursday hours are 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. There are extended hours on the weekends: Fridays are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturdays are 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sundays are 4 p.m. to midnight.

On the weekends, the kitchen closes at 10 p.m. and stays open as more of a lounge. There is music and DJs in the restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, and a weekend brunch menu is expected to start shortly.

The restaurant, located at 470 Lewis Ave, posted signs last Wednesday that the location was closing after more than 25 years as a stalwart at the mall.

“We are still waiting for them to turn in their keys,” said Meriden Mall general manager Dave Roy. “I know they have a lot of their equipment out. I think it’s just minor things they are waiting on like removing the sign. They are pretty much done, and I haven’t anyone down there in a few days.

“It’s definitely unfortunate to see them go or any store go for that matter,” Roy added. “Ruby’s was here for a very long time so it is very unfortunate to see them go.”

Roy said Ruby Tuesday moved into Meriden the late 1990s. That was when the restaurant was at its peak and boosted more than 900 locations.

Ruby Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2020 and closed 185 locations at the time. According to a count on the Ruby Tuesday catering website, there are currently 197 locations.

Ruby Tuesday was founded in 1972 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Only two Ruby Tuesday locations remain in the state in Windsor Locks and Lisbon.

Other closures in the mall include Rainbow, a women’s clothing store, that closed earlier this month and FYE, which will be shuttered in the mall by the end of the month.

Roy said three food court tenants will be moving in within the next year but didn’t disclose any business names or a more specific timeframe because it was “too early in the process.”

Roy added that an unnamed children’s play and family entertainment center will take over the space that once occupied Best Buy.

“That’s a big one for us because that is a pretty big space,” Roy said. “The business will have playscapes and a party room and hope to be on board by the end of the summer or sooner.”

Roy added that a coffee shop, Abuelo’s Exclusive Coffee, will be moving into the lower level near Center Court in April or May.

Madelyn Dignam, the director of marketing for The Friendly Toast, said the company has already received “great buzz coming from the West Hartford community and beyond.”

“We cannot wait to expand into Connecticut for our 14th Friendly Toast location,” Dignam said. “We are a small but mighty independent restaurant group, and I think the West Hartford community is the perfect fit for us. We offer something for everyone, from classic breakfasts to brunch appetizers, signature mimosa flights to rotating mocktail specials. We can’t wait to open our doors and for Connecticut to get to know us.”

Dignam said all meals are made from scratch and offer innovative twists on classic breakfast items.

“We’re not a typical breakfast restaurant. We get creative. We offer comfort food as well as healthy options. We offer vegan options as well as gluten-free and allergy-safe food. We offer breakfast cocktails and mimosa flights. We have our signature Bloody Mary. We really try to hit all of the bases of everything of what someone could want,” Dignam said.

Dignam said The Friendly Toast’s breakfast appetizers are unique and include Churro French Toast Sticks ($11) and Some Like it Tot ($14).

Some Like it Tot is described on the menu as “golden fried stuff jumbo tots with Vermont cheddar cheese sauce, sauteed onions, bacon crumbles and sriracha glaze.”

The Churro French Toast Sticks are “Rice Krispies-coated French toast sticks fried to perfection, tossed with cinnamon sugar and topped with creamy cheesecake glaze, chocolate drizzle and powdered sugar. It’s served with strawberry habanero drizzle.”

“Those are two of our most popular appetizers,” Dignam said.

The menu is vast, including dishes like Chicken and Waffles ($19), Hash Quiche ($16.50), Breakfast Tacos ($13), Sally’s Avocado Toast ($9), Spicy Salmon Roll Toast ($12) and Build Your Own Breakfast Sandwich with Home Fries ($13.50). There are also two ‘Monster Breakfasts’ with a choice of French toast or pancakes, priced at $19.50, respectively.

There are also nine varieties of eggs Benedict dishes that range in price from $15 to $20, as well as 11 types of handheld sandwiches in the same price range. There are also six choices of bowls/salads that range from $16-19 and a selection of omelets.

The restaurant was opened in 1994, and current co-owners Eric Goodwin and Scott Pulver purchased the company in 2013. The first locations were in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The company has opened two new restaurants on average over the past few years. This is the 14th location throughout New England. The 15th location will be in Concord, New Hampshire sometime later this year after the West Hartford opening.

“West Hartford seemed like a really good fit for us. It’s becoming a ‘foodie town’ and it seemed comparable to some of our other locations that we are in and enjoy being in. It reminded us of an up-and-coming Portsmouth or Cambridge,” Dignam said.

The West Hartford location is expected to seat 150 people, which includes the bar area and hiring will start a few months before opening.

“You have to come and see for yourself. We offer something for every tastebud. There’s bound to be something for everyone on our menu. So come on in and give us a try. We’re a fun environment. They will definitely be entertained when they are dining with us. If someone has never been to a Friendly Toast before I think they would be intrigued by our wall decor and our music and our venue for sure,” Digram said.

Farmington-based Construx Company LLC is heading the building project.

“We are thrilled to be the trusted, Connecticut-based commercial contractor helping to bring The Friendly Toast to West Hartford,” said Construx president Larry Mason. “The creativity behind the design of the space is sure to captivate visitors from near and far, and we are confident that it will serve as a vibrant addition to the community. We are proud to contribute to a project that will bring lasting value to West Hartford and enhance the local dining scene.”

The popular radio co-host is undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma, a cancer that affects the plasma cells in bone marrow.

“It is not terrible, but it is concerning,” AJ said on the Jan. 6 show. “It was diagnosed that I have multiple myeloma which is kind of like a blood disease, a blood cancer and what happens is the white blood cells beating the crap out of the healthy red cells.”

AJ said the cancer was discovered during an anemia test. He said he also received multiple spinal taps, and the diagnosis was confirmed before starting treatment. AJ said doctors are optimistic about his recovery.

“They caught it early so I started my treatment already and I start a different kind of treatment coming up this week — a more aggressive one. And given my age and history and being a little stronger, they have a good feeling they can bring me back either exactly how I was or very close to how I was before,” AJ said.

His radio partner Chaz said he knew AJ was fasting and initially thought he was just losing weight from a diet.

“I went from 188 to 134 and that’s how far I went down in a span from June to two weeks ago,” AJ said. “I’ve rebounded and gained some weight, and I’m back up to 146.”

In addition to this diagnosis, AJ said has also been dealing with two external hernias, one on each side, as well as a diaphragm hernia.

“The diaphragm hernia is concerning,” AJ said. “About 25% of my intestines were in my right chest, crushing my lung. That’s the reason I was breathing the way I was. … Basically, I was being suffocated.”

“I was going to get my cancer treatments, and I couldn’t go five feet without having to stop and gasp for air and the girl was looking at me that something was wrong with me, and she alerted the doctor and everyone said to get me out of there and get me across the street into the hospital.”

AJ said that was on Friday, Dec. 20. AJ was rushed to the Griffin Hospital emergency room and was transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital for surgery. AJ said the surgery was on Dec. 23 and he woke up on Christmas Eve.

“Basically, they had to take all of my intestines out of my chest, and I had to wait there for a couple of days for that lung to wake up again, which it did,” AJ said. “It was trampled the entire time. Picture you park your car on a bush and the bush has to die out and that’s what I was doing every single day. I was being trampled.”

AJ also said that in addition to the collapsed lung, the hernia also displaced his heart.

Chaz said he spoke with AJ shortly after the surgery and ‘I heard night and day with your voice and your lung wasn’t even back yet,” he said.

AJ said he felt more power and was able to breathe in deeply again after his collapsed lung was repaired.

“They had to put everything back and they had to sew the hole, and they had to put an extra heavy gauge over that hole to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” AJ said.

With the internal hernia taken care of, he still needs repairs of his two external hernias.

During his treatment, it was discovered that AJ also had three fractured vertebrae in his lower back, an effect due to the multiple myeloma.

“It all happened at once. I’m like a damaged car,” AJ said. “I have more to go. I have two hernias to fix, and I have to eradicate this myeloma thing and then they have to fix my lower back. Right now, that’s the one that hurts the most.”

“ICU and emergency nurses all work hard,” AJ said. “If you have a nurse in your life, give them a big hug because they work really hard.”

Since the announcement, there has been an outpouring of support on the Chaz & AJ Facebook page with thousands of comments of support.

The “Chaz and AJ Show” airs from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays on 99.1 WPLR and 95.9 The Fox. The duo has been on the air since 2003.

Margaret Kopacz has owned the restaurant for more than five years. In a recent social media post, Kopacz said she accepted a new position with the Department of Revenue Services has placed the restaurant and catering business for sale.

“You have been like family to us, and we are so grateful for your love and support since November 2019, when we first opened our doors,” Kopacz said. “While our restaurant is for sale, no offers have been made or accepted yet, and we are still fully open and operating as usual. We invite you to stop by, use your gift cards, and stock up on your favorite frozen pierogi while you can. Your support means the world to us during this transition.

The property is listed by Jacek Mikolajczyk, a realtor at Berkshire Hathaway. He said the location provides a ready-made restaurant in a desirable location on 1095 West St.

Mikolajczyk, originally from Poland, is not only the realtor for the restaurant but is also a customer. He said his favorite dish is Golumbki, a traditional Polish cabbage roll dish.

“It’s a very well operated business and is growing day by day, but for a variety of reasons the owner is looking to sell,” Mikolajczyk said. “It was a very hard decision, but they had to put their lives before their business.

“Someone could come in and build this business even more and make a ton of money,” Mikolajczyk added. “There are opportunities to grow. They also have a trailer that they bring to fairs. I know their pierogis are very popular. It’s very good food and the prices are good. I used to run restaurants in Poland, and I admire what they did with this business.”

Many regular customers expressed their feelings about the news on Monday.

“I am so sorry to hear this! It is so nice to have a restaurant that serves true Polish foods,” one Facebook comment read. “I hope that whoever buys it will still serve Polish food with variations on their menu. I can’t recall at the moment a restaurant serving just Polish variations of food that is not just for breakfast. Where you can walk into and have your order ready in a few minutes. That spot will always be the PolishPlate to me. I can’t imagine it not being there. Maybe expansion yes. But not to be there no!”

Kopacz expressed her joy of serving the community and promised to let customers know what will happen with the property.

“We promise to keep you updated with any decisions we make along the way,” she said. “Thank you again for all the love, laughter, and memories we’ve shared. Serving this community has been one of the greatest joys of our lives, and we will always treasure the time we’ve spent together.”

Mikolajczyk said he posted the property on Facebook on Monday and has received around a dozen calls.

“It’s a very good sign and the owner is also going to be selective to find someone who will be the perfect fit,” Mikolajczyk said. “The restaurant is set up for anything. Any ethnicity could come in. There is a beautiful kitchen. If it remains a Polish restaurant, the owner will teach that person how to operate the business like she did. She will tell them everything she knows and that’s nice of the seller to do that.”