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The Greenery is putting down new roots.
After building a loyal following in downtown Sayville, the healthy bowl and salad spot has quietly opened a second Long Island location in downtown Islip, taking over the former Yankee Doodle Dandy’s chicken fingers space at 454 Main St.
The Islip opening, which happened on Dec. 10, flew mostly under the radar by design.
“We really wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly before we made a lot of noise,” said co-owner James Caporuscio, 44, of Sayville. “Now that we’re here and settled, it feels really good. And people are very excited.”
The Islip location marks the brand’s next step after The Greenery first opened in Sayville on Oct. 16, 2023, just a brisk walk from Joelle Barroom & Café — the popular restaurant also owned by Caporuscio and his partners Jake Byrne and Kyle Kenny.
The Greenery expansion comes with a new partner: Maria O’Keefe, who has officially joined the ownership team after serving as general manager of the Sayville location.
How it happened
From the beginning, Caporuscio said The Greenery was built around a simple idea: making healthy eating feel easy, accessible — and enjoyable.
“Our goal was to make healthy living effortless,” he said. “Even though it’s healthy food, everything is seasoned, flavored, cooked with care. We want it to be enjoyable, not just good for you.”
The menu centers on fully customizable salads, bowls and wraps, along with signature options like the Mediterranean Salad, Nourishing Bowl and the popular Hot Honey Bowl. Customers can order in-store, online or through third-party delivery platforms, making it easy to fit clean eating into a busy day.
That approach resonated quickly in Sayville — and helped pave the way for growth.
“The goal was always to grow,” Caporuscio said. “And one of the driving factors in wanting to grow all of our businesses, is to provide for our employees. These are opportunities for everyone to grow with us …”
That’s where O’Keefe comes in.
A Sayville native and a mom with a background in hospitality, O’Keefe said she was looking for a change when she connected with Caporuscio and the team.
“Healthy living and a healthy lifestyle are really important to me,” she said. “This aligned perfectly with where I was personally and professionally.”
Caporuscio credits O’Keefe as a driving force behind day-to-day operations, saying bringing her on as a partner was a natural next step.
“She’s really been the engine behind the business,” he said. “I’m incredibly happy to be able to offer her equity and bring her onto the ownership side.”
For O’Keefe, the transition felt seamless.
“It always felt like my own,” she said. “I always treated the business that way.”
The team said Islip felt like the right next move — a downtown with a similar feel to Sayville.
“Both are true Main Street communities,” Caporuscio said. “Walkable, local, tight-knit. It felt familiar.”
The Islip location also places The Greenery closer to nearby medical offices and South Shore University Hospital, an audience the team has increasingly connected with, especially through catering.
Healthy catering — including large-format salads, wrap platters and build-your-own salad bars — has become a growing part of the business.
“You don’t usually think of healthy food when you think catering,” Caporuscio said. “We wanted to change that.”
At its core, he added, the goal is about more than food.
“We really try to bring hospitality into fast casual,” he said. “We want to be that ‘third place’ — not home, not work — but somewhere people feel comfortable, welcomed and seen.”
And here’s a pro tip: order ahead and online and that salad, wrap or bowl will be ready and waiting for you.
Top: James Caporuscio and newly appointed Greenery partner Maria O’Keefe, who’s been helping manage the growing chain since the first location in Sayville opened in October 2023. The Islip Greenery is located at 454 Main St.
