Higgies to Open June 29, 2020

By Kathy Brown.

On June 9, 2020, Higgies’ Facebook page announced, “After 3 LONG years, the MUCH anticipated RE-OPENING of a Connecticut staple has FINALLY come!! We’re excited to get Higgies up and running again and we hope you’re just as thrilled as we are!! We’re aiming for a tentative opening date of Monday, June 29th so spread the word, come hungry and bring your family and friends!!”

Since it was shared 188 times on Facebook, it sounds like people are definitely excited to have Higgies back open. Higgies, which is located at 236 Saybrook Road, Higganum, has been a food/ice cream stand since the late 1940’s. Higgie’s was opened around 1947 by the Smigel brothers, according to Elizabeth Malloy, Executive Director of the Haddam Historical Society. “The eatery catered to travelers along Route 9 (Saybrook Road) which was the main road between Hartford and the shoreline. Higganum resident, Dan Clifford remembers summer traffic backed up from the YMCA light in Middletown all the way to Higganum,” she explained. “The Clifford family operated Higgies in the late 1950s through the 1960s. In the summer they served hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, milk shakes (with real ice cream), Undina soda, and ice cream. They were known for their secret BBQ sauce. The restaurant has passed through several owners since then including local resident, Bill Distefano, who operated it in the late 1980s and early 1990s.”

Rebecca Rossitto, who is from Portland, and her husband Michael Otlowski, who is from Middletown, are “concessionaires” in the carnival business. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, many events in their industry were canceled for this year, so they needed to make alternate plans. They started looking for a location in Middlesex County to set up one of their concession stands. They weren’t having much luck, but were reminded that Higgies was closed and had a great location.

They called the town for information, then got in touch with Dan Still, the current owner. “We talked for a few minutes about the possibility of us setting up our stand in his parking lot,” said Rebecca, “and he had the AMAZING idea of us re-opening the building instead.”

They have come up with a tentative menu: hand-pressed burgers, foot-long Hummel hot dogs, clam strips and whole belly clam baskets, hot and cold lobster rolls, fries, onions rings, fish and chips, and Philly cheese steak sandwiches. YUM! They’ll also be serving soft serve ice cream, as well as Giffords hard ice cream. And with those, sundaes, floats, malts, shakes, and ice cream sodas. And that’s not all. How does a funnel cake sundae sound with ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry?

The plan is to be open through October. Business hours will be Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

They are currently looking for staff. If you’re interested in a job, contact Rebecca at 860-716-9250 or Michael at 860-575-7264, or email them at prime.concessions@yahoo.com.

They are in the process of creating a plan with the health department, as well as local and state officials to follow all the regulations for the pandemic. They would like to make the ordering and pick up process as easy as possible for patrons.

“My husband, Michael, and I are really excited about opening Higgies back up,” said Rebecca. “We’ve been looking for a location like this for a really long time but never really took it seriously because of our other profession in the carnival business. The opportunity to open something that is held so dear to everyone in the surrounding towns is coming at the perfect time for us and we can’t wait for you all to enjoy Higgies once again. We are most looking forward to meeting the families and regulars who frequented this special place in years prior and we can’t wait to hear stories about previous experiences customers have had over the years.”

Photos by K. Brown.