Wonder, the growing take-out and delivery concept, has opened four new locations on Long Island in just the last six weeks.
The chain, which bills itself as “a new kind of food hall,” opened locations at 2495 Merrick Road in Bellmore; in the Woodbury Plaza shopping center at 445 S. Oyster Bay Road in Plainview; at 4802 Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station; and at 1605 Deer Park Ave. in Deer Park, all since Dec. 4.
Wonder now has eight Long Island stores, with another soon to open at 3170 Long Beach Road in Oceanside. Other future Wonder locations include Huntington, Commack, Medford and New Hyde Park.
The Wonder concept, combining cuisine made largely by well-known chefs and eateries offered in a fast and convenient format, has a menu that features fare from famous chefs like Bobby Flay, José Andrés, and Marcus Samuelsson, alongside award-winning restaurants like Tejas Barbecue, Di Fara Pizza, and several others.
Wonder started out in 2018 as a fleet of trucks delivering made-to-order meals has now become a growing chain of brick-and-mortar locations where customers can dine-in, pick-up food or have it delivered.
The chain currently operates more than 90 locations across New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
JP Pirraglia and Dillon Ross of RIPCO Real Estate represented Wonder in the area’s lease transactions.
Fast-growing chain Tony’s Tacos will be opening a new restaurant in Levittown.
The company leased a 4,000-square-foot space in a newly built pad-site building in the Levittown Mews shopping center at 3335 Hempstead Turnpike. The Levittown restaurant is expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year.
Tony’s Tacos has four existing locations, including Franklin Square, Huntington, Garden City and Floral Park, already open. Last November, the chain also leased a 4,400-square-foot pad site in the redeveloped Shops at SunVet shopping center in Holbrook.
Tony’s Tacos is an Italian-inspired taqueria with a menu of more than 40 tacos, as well as bowls, salads, quesadillas, sides and frozen margaritas. The restaurant’s unique taco options include Short Rib Peter Luger, Chicken Parm, Smoked Salmon, Mushroom Risotto and a Surf & Turf taco.
Tony’s Tacos joins the Levittown Mews tenant roster that includes Walmart Neighborhood Market, Lane Bryant, Tex’s Chicken and Burgers, Sexy Crab Cajun Seafood & Bar, European Wax Center, Ulta Beauty, Leslie’s Pool Supplies, Advance Auto Parts, Jovia Financial Credit Union, America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, H&R Block, and more.
Anthony Russo of the Breslin Organization represented Tony’s Tacos, as he is the exclusive broker for the restaurant chain.The landlord, Breslin Organization, was self-represented in the Levittown lease transaction.
A Sweetgreen eatery will be the first of the new tenants to open at a redeveloped Manhasset retail property.
The new 4,018-square-foot fast-casual restaurant at 1593 Northern Blvd. is slated to open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The Manhasset Sweetgreen will be the chain’s fourth on Long Island, following locations in Garden City, Woodbury and Huntington Station.
Courtesy of Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen is one of five new tenants at the newly redeveloped Manhasset Row. The project from Manhasset 1577 LLC, an affiliate of Jericho-based AJM Real Estate, began about five years ago aiming to reimagine a strip of stores between 1575 and 1595 Northern Blvd. The developer removed part of the building to add more parking and reposition the property for its new tenants.
Formerly occupied by Sleep Number, Investors Bank, Mayweather Boxing + Fitness, Mystique Boutique and Destination Maternity, only the bank, now Citizens Bank, remains. Besides Sweetgreen, the new Manhasset tenants will include a 1,765-square-foot T-Mobile, Visual Comfort, a 3,247-square-foot designer lighting showroom, a 2,249-square-foot Joe & The Juice and a 1,670-square-foot Laser Away studio.
Patrick Breslin of CBRE represented T-Mobile, Brian Schuster of RIPCO Real Estate represented Visual Comfort, RIPCO’s Jason Sobel represented Joe & The Juice, Michael Miller of The Shopping Center Group represented Laser Away and Schuster and his RIPCO colleague Tom Rettaliata represented Sweetgreen. Sobel and Schuster represented the landlord, Manhasset 1577 LLC, in all of the Manhasset Row lease transactions.
“We started working with the original owners in 2019 and almost seven years later, it is incredibly gratifying to finally see the finished product. Kudos to the developer for having the fortitude to see it through,” Schuster told LIBN. “Manhasset Row sits in the heart of the ‘Miracle Mile’ which is among the most desirable and sought after retail markets in the entire New York metropolitan area. Given the location and the high-end aesthetic, which is so difficult to find on Long Island, no doubt this project will be a tremendous success.”
The Sweetgreen in Manhasset, which offers salads, warm bowls, protein plates and sides, will celebrate its opening day by giving its first 150 guests seasonal chocolates from Lazar’s Chocolate, apple cider donuts from Jericho Cider Mill and mini-Thanksgiving bouquets from Hometown Flower Company. In addition, Sweetgreen will donate a meal to Island Harvest for every meal purchased on opening day.
Publicly traded Sweetgreen was founded in 2007 when it opened its first restaurant in Washington, D.C. and now has about 250 locations throughout 19 states and the District of Columbia. The company reported 2024 revenue of $677 million.
Global juice and coffee brand continues aggressive U.S. expansion
Locations to debut in 2026 at Woodbury Town Plaza and Manhasset Row
Menu includes popular juices, shakes, and signature Tunacado sandwich
Joe & The Juice, a global chain of juice bar cafés, is coming to Long Island.
The Denmark-based chain has leased locations in Woodbury and Manhasset, where it will debut the concept here.
Joe & The Juice, which primarily offers coffee, juice, shakes and sandwiches, is in the midst of an aggressive expansion. The first Long Island location will be the 2,769-square-foot store in Woodbury Town Plaza at 8025 Jericho Turnpike in Woodbury, formerly the long-time home of Gabby’s Bagels.
The company will also open a 2,249-square-foot eatery in the new Manhasset Row at 1579 Northern Blvd. in Manhasset. Both will open next year.
Courtesy of Joe & The Juice
“We’re so excited to bring Joe & The Juice to Long Island,” Jorrie Buffett, managing director at Joe & The Juice U.S. told LIBN. “It’s a community full of energy and personality, and we can’t wait to share our fresh juices, smoothies, and famous sandwiches while creating a space where people love to come together.”
Founded in 2002 by Kaspar Basse, Joe & The Juice started with a single café & juice bar in Copenhagen. After expanding into other Scandinavian locales with the help of Swedish private equity firm Valedo, the company had more than 200 locations by 2017, including its first U.S. store on Spring Street in Manhattan.
Another private equity firm, General Atlantic, invested $641 million to acquire a majority stake in Joe & The Juice in 2023, according to published reports.
By the end of 2024, Joe & The Juice had more than 382 locations throughout Europe and Asia, including 65 stores in North America.
The first one to open here will likely be Woodbury.
Joe & The Juice will take over the former Gabby’s Gourmet space in Woodbury. / Courtesy of MGD Investments
“The synergy between fresh juices and here Hot Yoga and Strength next door was the reason we went with Joe & the Juice to replace the iconic Gabby’s,” said Larry Weinberger of MGD Investments, which owns the Woodbury center. “We had offers from a few wonderful brands but this was a natural marriage. I think it elevates the entire Woodbury community.”
Joe & The Juice features an eclectic menu of flatbread sandwiches, including the popular Tunacado, with avocado, tuna mousse, tomato and vegan pesto; the Phat Joe, with chicken, turkey, grana padano, avocado, tomato and honey mustard dressing; and several more.
The drinks at Joe & The Juice include shakes like Trust Your Gut, a blend of kefir, strawberries, fibre booster, banana, date puree, beetroot powder and Sproud milk (plant-based milk); Chocolate Flex, with raw cacao, banana, date puree, collagen and whey protein, Sproud and ice; and more.
The juice blends at Joe & The Juice feature Green Tonic, with kale, celery, cucumber, olive oil and ice; Iron Man, with apples, strawberries, kiwi, olive oil and ice; and many more. Other offerings include breakfast bowls, pastries, and snacks.
Jason Sobel of RIPCO Real Estate represented Joe & The Juice in the Woodbury and Manhasset leases. Derek Weinberger served as in-house representative for the landlord, MGD Investments, in the Woodbury lease, while Sobel and his RIPCO Real Estate colleague Brian Schuster represented the landlord, Manhasset 1577 LLC, in the Manhasset lease transaction.
After these first two locations, Joe & The Juice will be expanding further on Long Island.
“Both sites were strategically selected to serve active, health-forward communities, with strong synergies among co-tenants that promote wellness, balance, and convenience,” Sobel said. “We are seeking additional Long Island locations.”
Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant chain Naya will open a new location in Oceanside this week.
The 2,200-square-foot eatery, located in the Oceanside Plaza shopping center at 3199 Long Beach Road, opens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25. The new Oceanside restaurant is Naya’s second on Long Island and its first non-mall restaurant, following its initial spot in the Dining District at Roosevelt Field in Garden City.
The Naya chain, which is in the midst of an expansion here, has two more Long Island locations on tap. Next year, the company will be opening a new 2,300-square-foot restaurant in the Shops at SunVet retail complex in Holbrook and a 3,000-square-foot restaurant at 1624 Marcus Ave. in New Hyde Park, in a space formerly occupied by Dos Toros Taqueria.
Courtesy of RIPCO Real Estate
To celebrate Naya’s grand opening in Oceanside the restaurant will offer $5 bowls and rolls on Thursday, Sept. 25, when it will donate 20 percent of proceeds to Island Harvest. The eatery will host a Family Day on Saturday, Sept. 27, when kids can eat free. The event will also feature games, giveaways, face painting, tasting station, $5 bowls and rolls and more.
Founded by Hady Kfoury as Naya Mezze & Grill in 2008, the company’s first
restaurant was opened at 56th Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. Kfoury pivoted a few years later to a fast-casual format called Naya Express which has now become the quick-service iteration called Naya.
The company currently has 38 restaurants in the New York metropolitan area, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut, according to its website.
Naya offers customer-designed rolls, bowls and salads with a base of rice, quinoa or greens and proteins that include chicken or beef shawarma, lamb or chicken kabobs, falafel or cauliflower. The restaurant offers unlimited toppings including hummus, baba ghanouj, cucumber yogurt, tomatoes, feta cheese, kalamata olives, tahini and much more. The menu also includes cold and hot appetizers, such as kibbe, fatayer, sambousik, and desserts, like baklava and namoura.
John Genovese and Doug Weinstein of RIPCO Real Estate represented Naya in its Oceanside, Holbrook and New Hyde Park leases. Landlord Basser Kaufman was self-represented in the Oceanside lease transaction, Regency Centers was self-represented in the Holbrook transaction and Kite Realty was self-represented in the New Hyde Park lease.
“We’re proud to be part of Naya’s first non-mall location,” Weinstein told LIBN about the Oceanside opening. “We have several other deals in the works, and we are looking for additional Long Island locations that could fit their requirements.”
A Florida-based Mexican restaurant chain has announced plans to open its first Long Island location.
Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar plans to open a 5,500-square-foot restaurant at Walt Whitman Shops this winter, according to a company statement.
The new restaurant is a return of sorts for the chain’s founder Rocco Mangel, who grew up on Long Island.His late father operated the restaurant Michael in Hauppauge for many years.
“Coming back to where it all began is incredibly special to me,” Mangel said in the statement. “Long Island is where I grew up, went to high school, and formed so many of the memories that shaped who I am. Opening a Rocco’s here isn’t just about bringing great tacos and guac to New York — it’s about coming home and giving life and energy to my 18-year-old brand, sharing the energy and culture with the community that helped raise me.”
Mangel, who grew up in the restaurant business, is opening the chain’s Long Island location under the culinary direction of chef and partner Lisabet Summa.
Rocco has partnered on the new eatery with Racanelli Construction, the same company that built his late father’s namesake restaurant on Long Island. The restaurant at Walt Whitman Shops will feature 200 seats with an all-season outdoor patio space.
Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar got its start in 2007 with one restaurant in West Palm Beach, and has since opened eight more Florida locations, including Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, Orlando, Palm Beach Gardens, Sarasota andTampa.
Rocco’s has a Mexican-inspired menu featuring guacamole prepared table-side, hand-pressed corn tortillas cooked onsite, salads, quesadillas, burritos and bowls, enchiladas and more. The restaurant also boasts a selection of more than 200 tequilas and signature margaritas.
