Anne's Lunch Building to be Refashioned Into Bakery

The building known as Anne's Lunch on High Street in Westwood will soon be transformed into a new establishment. 

In what could be as early as Thanksgiving, a new eatery known as BiBi's Cafe will reside on the High Street lot. The Westwood Planning Board has granted Environmental Impact & Design Review (EIDR) approval for the project, which includes the construction of the new, two-story building in place of Anne's Lunch. 

BiBi's will include 16 seats on the first floor, according to Westwood Town Planner Nora Loughnane. The second floor will house a bakery to produce fresh breads and baked goods for the restaurant, but will not be used to sell directly to the public. There will also not be a retail take-out counter, Loughnane said.  

A new seven-car parking lot will be constructed between the new building and , which is adjacent to Anne's Lunch. (Plans for the new project are attached to this article.)

The cafe portion of BiBi's will offer a variety of goods to customers, such as salads, soups and sandwiches. 

"If everything goes well, we can start construction by the end of September and will be finished before Thanksgiving," property owner Fataneh Dowlatshaki explained to the Westwood Board of Selectmen Monday night. Dowlatshaki plans to run the business along with two bakers and two additional helpers. 

It was during the Selectmen meeting that Dowlatshaki explained the nature of what BiBi's will offer, but also to request approval for NSTAR to install an additional utility pole near the new building. Currently, one pole is in place that provides power to Anne's Lunch and the adjacent plaza on High Street.

"The problem is the second floor," Dowlatshaki said. "The wires that are crossing the building, it's very close. And putting a second floor where we are building a new building, that second floor is completely in the way of those wires. All [NSTAR] is planning to do is move the wires away from the building."

The electricity to the new building is going to be under the ground, Dowlatshaki added, while the rest of the businesses in the adjacent plaza will receive power from the utility lines.

The new building will be moved back by 10 feet, Dowlatshaki said, which will provide substantial room in front of the building and allow it to be in line with the others in the adjacent plaza on High Street. 

"Because of that 10 feet going back, it's going to be very small, and we're going to have the bakery upstairs on the second floor," she said. 

The Selectmen expressed some concern over what could happen during winter weather conditions and how the Westwood Department of Public Works would approach plowing the new lot, but DPW crews will be able to take care of that issue.

"There's enough room for us to clear the sidewalk and then for the property where the cleaners exist," Westwood DPW Deputy Director Chris Gallagher said Monday.