Hudson's Rail Trail Flatbread Co. still plans second location in Milford

HUDSON — Plans remain in the works for Rail Trail Flatbread Co. to open a second location in Milford, but the project has been delayed due to issues caused by the pandemic, according to one of the restaurant's owners.

"We are still working on opening up in Milford — COVID-19 obviously put a lot of things on the back burner," said Michael Kasseris, co-owner of the popular flatbread pizza place in downtown Hudson. "For a while, like a lot of businesses, the focus was on marking sure that we were doing everything we could to keep our current business healthy. That was our main focus."

Kasseris said disruptions in the construction world played a major factor in slowing up the process of opening up the second location in Milford, which has been in the works since 2020.

"The pandemic caused disruptions across the board in the construction world," he said. "From issues with the supply chain to the labor shortage hurting our ability to find people to work on the restaurant. Some of that has been improved recently, so we are eager to move forward."

In Milford, Rail Trail Flatbread will be downtown in the former Rockland Trust Building at 221 Main St. (Route 16). The building, which was used as a bank for more than a century, requires a particular amount of care and attention during the renovation process, Kasseris said.

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"These are the challenges that come with an old building, it has needed quite a bit of updates and upgrades," he said. "We were patient and wanted to do a great job with the property and wanted to put our best foot forward, so we have been taking our time."

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An employee at the Milford Planning Department confirmed the restaurant had the licenses necessary to proceed. Kasseris said the town has been easy to work with.

"The town has been great, very accommodating to what we have needed," he said.

Rail Trail Flatbread opened in Hudson in 2012, and is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration on Dec. 12. The group that operates the restaurant also owns New City Microcreamery across the street in Hudson, as well as in Sudbury and Cambridge, and the speakeasy cocktail bar Less Than Greater Than in Hudson.

Kasseris said that while the process has been slow, he believes Rail Trail Flatbread will open in Milford sometime in 2023.

"I think in late winter or early spring, we will have a good idea on when we want to open," he said. "We have had our challenges, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Rail Trail Flatbread in Hudson still plans second location in Milford