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A new neighborhood brunch spot is coming to Main Street soon.
The Flour Shoppe Cafe of Rockville Centre, known for its brunch selection, locally roasted coffee, and artisan pastries, is set to launch its second location, this one on Bay Shore’s Main Street.
Co-owner Madison Kaer said she and her team are aiming to debut their restaurant at 19 W. Main Street in Bay Shore sometime around Sept. 30. It’s filling the void left behind by the departure of Pico Tequila Grill.
“We were looking to spread out a bit and Bay Shore looked like it would be a good fit for us,” Kaer said. “We want our customers to feel something when they walk through the door. We want them to have a great time, we want them to enjoy their food, and more than anything, we want them to feel like they are family.”
Kaer started out as a counter girl at the former Roe’s Casa Dolce Bakery at 486 Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre.
When the opportunity arose, she took over the business and reopened the same space as The Flour Shoppe Cafe in 2015.
Ali Anzalone, the Flour Shoppe Cafe’s general manager, hopped on board and has helped with the overall direction of the business, Kaer said. Over the past seven years, the fast-casual restaurant has attracted loyal “regulars” with its farm-to-table concept and scratch-baked goods.
“We want to make sure that we’re giving people things that we would want to eat,” Kaer said. “We have a really good team of chefs that are really passionate and talented, and they love to experiment. We give them free rein to do what they want to do.”
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The menu is split up into various breakfast and lunch categories: pancakes, omelets, egg sammies, burgers, mac n’ cheese bar, and other miscellaneous options.
Some Flour Shoppe favorites include their gourmet grilled cheese, chicken pot pie and the Flour Shoppe chicken salad sandwich. And soon the Bay Shore community will be able to try the ‘Bay Shore Bar-B,” which is the restaurant’s spin on a barbecue chicken sandwich.
Just like in their Rockville Centre shop, Kaer said the Bay Shore team plans to host night events, which will include tastings, cooking classes and birthday parties.
“They’re so fun, we give our chefs a cuisine and they come up with a whole, five-course tasting menu … and everyone gets to eat for three hours,” Kaer said. “We’re so excited about it because [Bay Shore] is such a great nightlife town.”
Kaer noted that many of the employees have been with The Flour Shoppe Cafe since its conception and they all treat the restaurant as if “it is their own.”
From working behind the counter to now running the show, the restauranteur said she can’t wait for this new chapter in Bay Shore, with Anzalone by her side.
“It’s what we love to do, we’ve had a lot of success doing it, so it’s working out pretty well,” Kaer said.
The Flour Shoppe Cafe is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Check back in with greaterbayshore.com for updates on its grand opening.
Top photo: Flour Shoppe Cafe’s croque madame. (Flour Shoppe Cafe/Facebook)
