Flo's is opening 'any day' on West Main Street in Patchogue

The second incarnation of Flo’s Patchogue is just days away from opening in the heart of the downtown.

Owners Connor Vigliotta and Jason Tepper have spent the last month transforming what used to be Flight into what can only be described as a modern luncheonette with a hipster vibe.

Flo’s is also bringing 91 years of history to Main Street.

The original Flo’s Luncheonette has been in neighboring Blue Point since 1926. The first Flo’s of Patchogue opened in 2014 in the Briarcliffe building but closed in December to make way for the new Blue Point Brewery.

There’s also a Flo’s food truck that makes the rounds at weddings and festivals.

“We went from a residential community in Blue Point, to a food truck, to being in Patchogue, but outside of the town a bit,” said Vigliotta. “And I am really excited to see what Flo’s can do right in the middle of Main Street. Now we can see what Flo’s is all about.”

For one, this Flo’s will be about staying open late on Friday and Saturday nights.

“You’ll finally be able to get pancakes here at 2 a.m.,” Tepper said.

The limited late night menu will feature breakfast items and lunch and dinner options such as street tacos, burgers and poutine.

The full menu is similar to the old Flo’s of Patchogue menu, and includes fan favorites such as the balsamic chicken sliders, the ahi tuna sandwich and California eggs Benedict. But there are new items, too.

Vigliotta’s favorites new selections is the 12-hour brisket with a choice of cheese, smothered in horseradish sauce and served in a locally baked ciabatta bun.

Then there’s a shrimp po’ boy similar to the one served from Tepper’s Farm to Truck.

The two Blue Point natives joined forces this summer to open Flo’s in Patchogue after the ownership at Flight, where Tepper was the head chef, decided to go in a different direction.

The deal closed on Sept. 22. The team at Flo’s is hoping to open by this Thursday, Oct. 26.

“It took us one month to flip this place,” said Connor. “I thought it would be a bit less work. It wasn’t an overly tremendous amount of work, but still more than we anticipated.”

To help, they recruited David Johnson, the owner of Harver Wood Company of Patchogue, who will also be staying on as bar manager.

Johnson did the carpentry and steel work in the new Flo’s.

Most prominently, he worked on the steel frames and wooden booths that line the eastern end of the building, toward the front.

The decorator insisted on the base framing to help open the room a bit.

“I taught my self how to weld in two days,” Johnson laughed.

The team at Fishbat, a Patchogue marketing company, also helped with design and branding inside, most notably along the vertical beam toward the back that includes the Flo’s mission statement, which Vigliotta says he wrote up when he was just a teenager (photo below).

The bar is lined with blue lights, power outlets, and boat cleats to hang a jacket or bag.

“I really like how we were able to incorporate Flo’s Blue Point with the wood, the ropes and the cleats,” said Vigliotta.

photos below by Michael White

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Flo’s will also be serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic milkshakes, so leave some room.

“They’re these 20-ounce milkshakes in these awesome large mugs and loaded with things like gummy worms and Sugar Daddies … It’s a spin off the shakes [in the city],” Tepper said.

The new Flo’s is located at 38 West Main Street.

Flo’s will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Breakfast will run from 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

The late night menu will be available on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.