Office of the Mayor

WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND

City Hall P.O. Box B Woonsocket, RI 02895

Telephone (401) 767-9205 Fax (401) 765-4569 E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 29, 2018

Contact: Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 401-767-9205

City Welcomes New Business

Swagat Indian Food & Grocery

WOONSOCKET, RI: The word Swagat translates to "welcome" in several of the languages commonly spoken in India.

Here in Woonsocket, Swagat is the name business owners Nagendra and his wife Lalitha Thatavarthy have selected for their new combination eatery and grocery store located at 476-480 Diamond Hill Road.

Fifteen months in the making, Swagat's doors will officially open to the public on Wednesday, August 29, 2018 following a 3 p.m. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony that Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt is scheduled to lead.

"The diversity of food choice that Swagat adds to our City is truly great for our community," said Mayor Baldelli-Hunt. "I am hopeful it will be successful not only among the ethnic community but everyone as it becomes a popular and delicious choice for expanding their culinary palette."

Housed within a commercial building set amid a series of tidy houses and other businesses, Swagat Indian Food & Grocery intends to offer authentic cuisine for customers to enjoy either as takeout or while dining inside in one of its fourteen seats. The grocery store features a wide range of Indian spices, foods and beverages along with fresh produce and staple items. Dedicated driveways for entering and exiting the property connect to a newly installed parking area with visitor spots located behind the building.

Mr. Thatavarthy's lifelong affinity for Indian cuisine and its ingredients paired with a strong desire to encourage others to experience its taste are the impetus that has driven City Hall P.O. Box B Woonsocket , RI 02895 Telephone (401) 767-9205 Fax (401) 765-4569 E-Mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

him and his wife to open the brick and mortar shop whose interior design and layout emerged from a blank canvas.

"Throughout the renovation process, the City's team of inspectors, planning and zoning officials collaborated with us and our contractors to ensure all requirements were fully met so we could move forward in a timely fashion," explained Mr. Thatavarthy.

He added, "The Mayor's office always supported me and was helpful in getting things done. The Mayor and her team did a great job asking me about what I needed to do and the Mayor sent me the people from the City who could give me the answers I needed and worked with me to accomplish them."

Business operating hours are Tuesday through Friday 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Prepared foods will be available weekdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends all day.

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