Fall River's waterfront dining scene will soon feature a new Italian-American restaurant
Ashley Schuler, The Herald News
Updated 7 min read
FALL RIVER — A popular former dining destination is set to come alive once again.
The signs are up and anticipation builds for the opening of Primo on Water Street, which aims to kick off an exciting 2024 on the Fall River waterfront.
Owners Shannon Raposo and her partner James Primo III have big plans for the unique 36 Water St. location, which include a new Italian-American eatery and event venue.
"It's in the perfect area, it's the perfect size so we're super excited about it," said Shannon Raposo.
The pair hope to unveil the new and improved bartending school and restaurant by the beginning of the new year.
Owning their own eatery has been a long-time dream of Raposo's and Primo's, who both have 20 years experience in the industry, having tended bar and managed many area restaurants.
The couple started with the bartending school in 2017, before expanding into catering. Party With Primo does full food and alcohol catering in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
"We started doing really well, we hire mostly all of our graduates, so we wanted to expand and give more job opportunities for our graduates," Raposo said.
It's all about synergy at Primo on Water Street. Expanding the Primo brand and bringing businesses under the same roof will hopefully be beneficial for all, the owners said.
Glass doors separate the event venue and the bartending school, so they'll be able to open that to guests when selling tickets for workshops. They've also opened up three big windows on the restaurant side so when you are dining you can watch bartending classes in progress.
"You'll be fully immersed as a guest inside of that teaching facility," Raposo said.
The crossover continues as folks who come from all over to attend their bartending school — Providence to Springfield to Connecticut — will have a place to hang out for a late night bite or cocktail when night classes get out at 10 p.m.
"I think once it gets cooking it's going to be amazing," Primo said. "Once it really starts working together, and the venue's going on as the school is happening and people are seeing all of this from the restaurant side and the restaurant is busy it's going to create a whole new environment."
Shannon Raposo and James A. Primo III, seen here in this Nov. 17, 2023 photo, are owners of the new Primo on Water Street, set to open on the Fall River waterfront by early 2024.
Vision for Primo on Water Street
According to the couple, their vision for the Primo on Water Street restaurant is quick bites by day, and traditional dinner, drinks and entertainment by night.
Plans include "a New York type of deli," and in the earlier hours folks can come in and get a seat but there won't be any servers on, just walk-up counter service and bar service.
"We really want people to utilize the waterfront so we want it to have that quick-serve type of feel to get people up walking around and seeing what Fall River has to offer," Raposo said.
In the evening, from 4 until about 10 p.m., guests can come in for a more conventional sit-down dinner with servers and a hostess. For those who stay through close at 2 a.m., there will also be a late-night menu and live entertainment. The goal is to host live music seven days a week, Raposo said.
The dining room will accommodate roughly 90 people, and at its new home the bartending school can hold 20 people in their classroom, a jump from 12 at its former spot on Granite Street. The event venue can hold up to 100.
Changes coming to Water Street site
Since officially acquiring the building in March, for $1.2 million, Raposo said the interior has undergone quite a transformation.
In between their jam-packed catering schedule, the couple have been hard at work getting the place cleaned out and fully renovated.
Aided by a $125,000 grant from Mass Development, building upgrades ranged from essential — new HVAC and kitchen — to aesthetic. Signage went up last week, and they'll be installing new windows, as well as double doors on each side of the building for better access to the patio.
As for the interior makeover, changes will be evident as soon as guests walk in.
One exciting part of their design overhaul, Raposo pointed out, is that they've exposed the building's original brick walls and removed black ceiling tiles in the function space to expose beautiful industrial beams above, drawing on the history of the building.
"People are going to be wowed when they walk in," she said. "It's absolutely beautiful now, you could have a wedding there. It's gorgeous inside with everything exposed ... and it's not even done yet."
They gutted the whole kitchen and built it brand new. Raposo hopes to start utilizing it as the commissary kitchen for their Party with Primo catering business soon, pending final certification in the next couple of weeks.
What's on the menu
There will be a small area of the menu where you can find unique Portuguese/Italian fusion offerings, but the restaurant will primarily focus on authentic Italian cuisine.
Their culinary lineup is still a work in progress, but Raposo anticipates their pizza — made with from-scratch dough — will be a big hit, as well as their traditional Italian fare — staples like chicken alfredo and lasagna with bechamel sauce — (featuring some old-school recipes from Primo's Sicilian family) and classic dishes "with a Primo twist."
They place an emphasis on fresh items made in house — from pasta to bread — and locally sourced ingredients.
Raposo said the menu won't be huge and elaborate, but "very approachable."
"People can walk in whether they just finished work or they are getting ready to go out for the night. It will be that type of vibe," she said.
While Primo on Water Street is still taking shape, the excitement from the community continues to build. Feedback from locals has been amazing, Raposo said, noting their concept is something the area needed.
"Everybody is ready for Italian I think. ... Now you don't have to drive over the bridge and head to Providence," she said. "You can stay local, enjoy Fall River and have some good eats."
Long-term plans include Alumni Nights, revamped patio
Once Primo on Water Street gets going, among their plans is to offer Alumni Nights, giving their recent bartending school graduates the opportunity to showcase the skills they've learned. It will be promoted on social media, and on set days of the week the venue side of the business will be open for the public to come in, order drinks from Primo alum, and enjoy a special menu offered that day.
They will also be offering various workshops such as cocktail making and pasta making, and hosting culinary artists throughout the year.
And to take full advantage of their waterfront location, plans are underway for a revamped outdoor patio area. Construction on that will likely start in March, Raposo said.
Purchase of the Water Street building also included two now-vacant rental units, one a former barber shop and the other office space. Raposo said they are currently brainstorming ways to utilize that space themselves once the restaurant gets up and running.
More jobs and opportunities to grow
Though the road to opening their new venture has been long, Raposo and Primo are slowly seeing the finish line and both are eager to share their unique space with the public.
"You put your heart and your soul into something and now I hope everyone likes it," Raposo said.
According to Primo, their hope is to "satisfy a lot of customers, create a lot of jobs for the community, and see our students grow and prosper in the hospitality field."
