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Rob Cutrone has never been content to stand still.
Eight years after opening the Bean of Patchogue as a trendy downtown coffee shop, the 33-year-old Smithtown resident is dramatically expanding the now-CoHo Coffee House’s footprint on Main Street.
Cutrone recently took ownership of the Main Street building CoHo calls home, gutting the former Island Kitchen and Bath space to the east and transforming it into what he said will become a new community anchor on the west side of downtown Patchogue.
The expansion, which Cutrone said he has largely general-contracted himself, will grow CoHo’s footprint to roughly 8,000 square feet and introduce a new event venue, full commercial kitchen, outdoor courtyard, conference room, and community gathering concept he’s branding as Patchogue Central Square.
“Built for you, by you,” Cutrone said, reciting the project’s tagline. “I think that really embodies what CoHo has been the last eight years, and everything that 3rd Space is going to be for this community.”
For Cutrone, the project represents more than a physical expansion.
“One of my biggest motivators is to avoid feeling like I’m leaving anything out on the table,” he said. “I need to know I exhausted myself for my family, for my legacy as a father. I would much rather try and fail than to not try at all.”
From coffee shop to community anchor
Cutrone, who is married with three children, ages 4, 2 and 1, purchased 60 West Main St. in January from his former landlord, who operated Island Kitchen and Bath out of the eastern side of the building CoHo already occupied.
The acquisition gave Cutrone control of the entire building and set the stage for the sweeping buildout now underway.
Though he lives in Smithtown, Cutrone said Patchogue has become a huge part of his identity.
“I tell this everywhere when I travel — I’m from Patchogue, New York,” he said.
The centerpiece of the expansion is 3rd Space, a roomy event venue named after the sociological concept describing a place that is neither home nor work.
The space is being designed to host everything from mommy-and-me classes and pottery workshops to comedy nights, networking events, speaker talks, bridal showers, and ticketed sports watch parties.
“The World Cup is the big one everyone’s talking about right now,” Cutrone said. “Watch parties would be a ticketed event — flat price, open bar.”
3rd Space will feature a 150-inch projector capable of splitting into four 75-inch screens, along with modular staging that can shift depending on the event format.
Cutrone also plans to host TED-style talks, wellness speakers, authors, and business-minded events that reflect his longtime interest in entrepreneurship and personal development.
“I’m very eager to bring to Patchogue a lot of the things that I feel make successful people tick,” he said.
A private conference and dining area called the Legacy Room will accommodate 10 to 12 guests and include Samsung Frame televisions for presentations and meetings. The space can also be converted into an intimate private dining room with a custom chef-curated menu.
“There’s nothing like that in town,” Cutrone said.
CoHo finally gets a full kitchen
Perhaps the most operationally significant addition is the installation of a full commercial catering kitchen connecting directly into CoHo’s existing kitchen space.
The shared cooking line will include a double-stack oven, six-burner stove, grill, griddle, fryer and dedicated baking area — infrastructure that will allow CoHo to serve expanded hot food offerings.
“Egg sandwiches are going to be crazy,” Cutrone said. “I believe that’s going to be a big weekend hit.”
He envisions CoHo becoming what he called “the sandwich shop of town,” with an eye toward eventually dominating catering orders for graduation parties and local events.
That vision recently received a major boost.
Cutrone said CoHo was notified last week that it will serve as one of the preferred sandwich catering vendors for this summer’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
“It’s incredible,” he said. “I feel like we’ve somewhat saturated Patchogue, Bayport, Bellport, Medford — but now to be getting recognized beyond that, whether it’s South Shore or all of Long Island, that’s a different level.”
Earlier this year, Cutrone expanded CoHo’s footprint into the Bayport-Blue Point Public Library, opening a satellite cafe location inside the building.
Patchogue Central Square
The entire property is also being reimagined under a new identity: Patchogue Central Square.
A Chicago theater-style marquee sign bearing the new name — along with the phrase “Established 2026” — will eventually front the building. The structure has already been painted midnight blue as work continues on the facade.
The concept traces back to a bachelor-party trip Cutrone took to Colorado, where he became fascinated by Denver Central Marketplace — a warehouse-style communal space housing multiple food and beverage concepts under one roof.
“It was such a cool place for young people, old people, young children, families,” he said. “I said to myself: if I ever have the chance, I want to create that same kind of magnet for Patchogue’s main street.”
Inside Patchogue Central Square, a double door will connect CoHo directly to 3rd Space, allowing the venue to double as overflow seating and extended dining whenever private events are not scheduled.
Outside, in the rear of the property, CoHo is also preparing to unveil a new 500-square-foot outdoor courtyard called the Retreat.
The space, expected to debut as soon as next weekend, will feature string lighting, seating areas, and space for acoustic performers and brunch entertainment.
“This is just a vibe in itself,” Cutrone said.
The full Patchogue Central Square buildout is expected to open in about six to eight weeks. Cutrone said he’s targeting a late June or early July opening.
“I think that’s going to reshape the west side of Main Street,” Cutrone said.
Socially Good Coffee and the rise of the run club
The expansion is only one piece of Cutrone’s growing business ecosystem.
He is also preparing to launch Socially Good Coffee, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce coffee brand roasted out of Port Chester upstate that will allow customers to select a charity to receive a donation with every bag purchased.
“It’s not rounding up at the register,” Cutrone said. “This is coming out of our end. No extra cost to the customer.”
Meanwhile, CoHo’s in-house run club — the CoHo Athletic Company — has quietly grown into a community of roughly 75 runners and cyclists who meet four mornings a week before gathering back at the coffee house.
“We have so many run clubs that are starting their 5Ks and 10Ks at the store and then coming back for coffee,” Cutrone said.
Eight years in
Cutrone opened the Bean of Patchogue in July 2018 with business partners he later bought out in April 2022. He rebranded the business as CoHo Coffee House in 2023, introducing cocktails and expanding the concept beyond coffee.
“I’ve understood this is not even about coffee,” Cutrone said. “This is about people.”
Before opening CoHo, Cutrone built a mobile DJ and entertainment company that eventually expanded into Press Play Events and Entertainment, with DJ residencies across Long Island, Fire Island, and Montauk.
He has drawn on his background in DJing and events as the emcee of Patchogue’s Midnight on Main and as chair of the Patchogue Chamber of Commerce’s 100th anniversary celebration.
In March 2020, Cutrone opened Greenhouse Cafe inside NYU Langone — Suffolk in Patchogue, just 11 days before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down hospital visitation. He later sold the business to his chef, who now operates it as Ash’s Greenhouse.
“I’m very happy this has all happened for me, not to me,” Cutrone said. “Everything has made me who I am today.”
Cutrone said the next phase of CoHo is ultimately about building something bigger than himself.
“The idea that you have to continue pursuing your highest self — to me, that’s incredibly important,” he said.
Top: CoHo owner Rob Cutrone
Prior coverage of CoHo
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