Tatte Renovates Harvard Square Location to Expand Seating, Coffee Bar

Tatte Bakery and Cafe, a popular Mediterranean bakery in Harvard Square, is undergoing renovations to relocate the espresso bar and expand seating on the first and second floors since late August.

The renovations, which are expected to finish before Christmas, will allow the bakery to meet consistently high demand, according to Assistant General Manager Hillary K. Shamis, who added that Tatte’s Harvard Square location is among the highest-grossing branches.

“We noticed that we have a lot more guests than we’re able to serve in a timely fashion, and we just want to get our guests great service,” Shamis said.

In particular, Shamis said the new espresso bar, which will feature an additional machine, will allow Tatte to improve the customer experience.

“We’re going to have two espresso machines, so we’re able to double our output for coffees and beverages, which has been a big strain on our guests currently,” Shamis said. “We’re just hoping to expedite that process and really get our guests the fastest service we can get while still being quality.”

Currently, half of the first floor and the entirety of the second floor is blocked off with a white plastic drape. Still, Shamis said the impacts of the renovations on Tatte’s sales have been smaller than anticipated.

“We thought with the very decreased seating, that we were going to have to turn a lot of people away, but I think our guests have accommodated along with us,” Shamis said. “We’ve seen an increase in online orders and delivery orders, so our sales have not dipped as much as we thought they were going to.”

But she added that customers “definitely can tell” that renovations are going on.

“They do say that it’s loud. There are power tools going on very early in the morning sometimes, and our space is very limited,” Shamis said.

Representatives for Tatte’s central office did not respond to a request for comment.

The large walled-off portion of the bakery confused some customers, including Angelo Gomez, a student at the University of Miami School of Law

“This white plaster here made us originally think this place was closed,” Gomez said.“ We were confused at first.”

Regardless, Shamis said she remains excited about the final product.

“We have some regular customers that come in, and they’re super excited for what the upstairs dining room is going to look like,” she said. “We’re super excited to roll it out because it’s going to be a lot more space, and we’re going to be able to accommodate a lot more people.”

Tatte patrons agreed that the consistently busy bakery would benefit from more space.

Expanded seating would “improve the experience, and make it less congested,” Gomez said.

Kary M. Anderson, who was visiting from California, added that the space “should be bigger or someone should open another coffee shop near here because of the crowd.”

But some customers said they would come to Tatte regardless of its physical condition.

“I just love Tatte so much that, even though it’s causing disruption for now, look how many people are here. It’s clearly a beloved place,” Bruno O. Quiroga said.

“I come here for the food, not for the place,” added Harvard Graduate School of Design student Horacio Cherniavsky.