Located in North Tonawanda along the canal, Webster Street is quickly becoming a well-rounded dining and entertainment district. The new Coffee & Stone Cafe is just the latest feather in Webster Street’s cap and a needed addition.
You might tend to only think about entertainment strips like Webster Street on weekends and evenings. But Webster Street bustles during the week. Open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Coffee & Stone gives the daytime crowd what they have been calling for, a café that serves modern coffee and food essentials. The café is also a well-oiled machine right out of the gate, thanks to an ownership group of hospitality veterans.
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“We’re already building a regular clientele,” says Will Corbett, general manager. “We get people coming in and telling us it looks like we’ve been open for months, based on how efficient we’re operating. We’ve gotten a great response so far.”
Walking into the café, it’s easy to see why. Good vibes are essential to the success of any coffee shop, and this one has them. Windows along the entire front of the café let in boatloads of natural light. Nautical décor makes the space feel cozy, and it’s a cool hat-tip to the nearby canal. A blue-rock soundtrack on the sound system got our juices flowing before the first sip of coffee and a community corkboard let us know what’s going on in the area.
However, Coffee & Stone isn’t going to thrive on vibes alone. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to. Our breakfast sandwich with sausage ($8) hit the spot and was so big it needed two hands to hold. The inclusion of tomato slices gave new life to the standard formula of egg, meat, bread and cheese. The triple chocolate cookie was massive and indulgent. Our breakfast burrito ($11) shipped pan-Latin flavors that paired perfectly with our cup of coffee.
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On our visit, a steady stream of customers trickled in and even though we were in a small entertainment district, people interacted like it was a small neighborhood café. Having a place in a destination area isn’t an easy trick to pull off, and it’s a testament to the café’s owners.
Corbett told us his team had plenty of experience working in some of the best kitchens in Western New York. A few years ago, they decided to strike out on their own. While they are feeling the weight of greater responsibility, they’re also happy to have a place they can finally call their own.
“When you work for someone else, you don’t have to worry about paychecks going out,” Corbett says. “But now, we’re the ones making sure our 15 employees get paid.
“We’ve been in the trenches for years, doing it for other people,” he adds. “We’re happy we decided it was time to step up and do it for ourselves.”
Hours at time of publishing (Subject to change): Tuesday to Sunday 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Coffee & Stone Cafe
54 Webster Street North Tonawanda, NY 14120 • $$$$$
Niagara County
We are a local Veteran owned coffee shop in the heart of North Tonawanda! Menu consists of coffee and espresso options as well as baked goods, house made ...
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