Ronkonkoma brunch spots estimates 3% dip in business since LIRR strike, manager says
Sonia Figueroa, manager of Toast Coffee + Kitchen in Ronkonkoma, says business has slowed since the strike. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa
Toast Coffee + Kitchen, a popular all-day brunch spot across from the Ronkonkoma LIRR station, saw a 3% drop in business due to the strike, manager Sonia Figueroa said.
“We usually get a lot of commuters,” Figueroa said. “I didn’t see any of that this weekend. We still had normal takeout business I would say either from the apartments or from the surrounding area and Uber. But those quick walk-ins that we could pinpoint, that they were the traingoers, I absolutely saw a dip in that.”
Picketers came in to buy drinks and support the business, but “I don’t think that evened out,” Figueroa said.
Despite the beautiful weather this weekend some customers were reluctant to use the outdoor seating.
“They didn’t really want to hear the yelling or the horns. I guess that made them uncomfortable for whatever reason,” she said, adding that half the customers left, but some did come back inside.
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
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