Fratelli's Opens Bagel Shop in Setauket

Michele Chattaway of Poquott enjoyed her favorite bagel Friday morning, a big one topped with sunflower seeds that she hadn't been able to get in a while.

The shop that made those sunflower bagels, One if Buy Bagel in Setauket, had closed in June. A new owner opened a bagel shop at the same location Friday, staffed by the very same team of bakers which made the previous shop so popular.

"You can't get bagels like this anywhere else," Chattaway said. "It's delicious."

The new owner is a familiar name in town, too: Dave Prestia, managing partner of Fratelli's Market Place, which has locations in Stony Brook, Astoria, and Manhattan with a Roslyn location on the way as well.

"We always wanted to bring bagels into our stores," Prestia said. "We're going to bake the bagels here and ship to all our locations."

Some Long Island bagel stores have begun to carry previously frozen bagels that they simply bake on premises, Prestia said, but Fratelli's Bagel Express will make its bagels fresh from scratch. The cafe also serves sandwiches, cold cuts, salads, pastries, snacks, and coffee and other drinks.

Prestia, sporting an apron along with a crisp blue button-down shirt while joining his crew behind the counter, said opening day business has been much better than expected, with many of his Stony Brook customers stopping by to wish him luck. There was no advertising of its opening other than a couple of signs in the windows showing "August 20" written by hand, yet a steady stream of customers stopped by for breakfast and lunch.

"That's been our secret to success in the past," Prestia said. "We just kick the door open and see what happens."

As with most new business openings, a few kinks have yet to be worked out. Prestia called it a work in progress. The wrong size coffee cups and lids came in, and there weren't any straws for cold drinks. For now, the cafe only accepts cash, but it will soon begin accepting credit cards.

Prestia expects to expand the cafe within the next three to four months, and will add seating for 45 people in the space between the cafe and Hudson Board Room as soon as the Town of Brookhaven grants the right permits.

On Friday, customers were enthusiastic for the opening of Fratelli's Bagel Express.

"I'm so excited this place is open," said Mike Charpin of Setauket.