Famous Toastery opens in Commack

Dinner service? That’s so five minutes ago. With the opening of Famous Toastery in Commack, Long Island is experiencing a full-fledged breakfast-lunch trend.

Famous Toastery, a 32-location chain based in the Carolinas, follows on the heels of Hatch in Huntington, Rooster's in Bellport and Toast’s expansion to Bay Shore. “Breakfast, lunch, brunch. All at once.” is the company’s motto, and the menu draws from both Northern and Southern traditions.

The opening represents a homecoming for co-founders Robert Maynard and Brian Burchill, both of whom grew up in Centereach before opening the original Famous Toastery in Huntersville, North Carolina, in 2005. The Commack restaurant, the first in New York State, seats 125 customers and is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the evening, the space is available to host private parties.

Breakfast selections include eggs (with a choice of potatoes, grits or fruit), breakfast burritos, Benedicts, biscuits and gravy, and the build-your-own “blah blah blah omelet.” Pancakes, French toast and waffles come with real maple syrup. At lunch, there are sandwiches (the “left coast BLT” also features avocado, Brie and pesto mayonnaise), wraps, melts, salads and burgers, plus macaroni and cheese with Gruyere and Parmesan, a crab roll and meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy.  Egg dishes start at $5 and almost nothing on the menu costs more than $12. There is also a full bar.

It’s been a long road home to Long Island for Famous Toastery, which first announced the Commack location in 2016; permitting issues delayed the project. Maynard and Burchill plan to open a second location somewhere on the East End in 2019.

Famous Toastery is in the Mayfair Shopping Center at 10-2020 East Jericho Tpke., Commack, 631-403-2551, famoustoastery.com.