Roto Grocery, a beloved breakfast and lunch café that closed last September, will be making a triumphant return to Bay Shore!

The café, which was formerly located on Main Street in Bay Shore, will be moving into a new 1,650-square-foot retail space at the corner of 4th Avenue and Mechanicsville Road in TRITEC’s Shoregate development.

The new location is expected to be completed this summer.

Roto’s rotating menu is set to showcase a diverse selection of recipes crafted with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients with distinctive flavors.

Owners Brock Ferraro and Jack Monahan drew inspiration from Court Street Grocers and Charleston cafés when conceptualizing Roto, much to the delight of local food enthusiasts, who love Roto’s unique fusion of artisan sandwiches and timeless classics. Ed Forker is one of many Bay Shore residents who adored the previous location.

“Their breakfasts and sandwiches are very unique and delicious. You are not going to find a similar sandwich anywhere else,” explained Forker. “At the old location, I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner there sometimes.”

Ferraro, originally from Islip, and Monahan from Philadelphia, first crossed paths as roommates at the College of Charleston. Their friendship turned into a business partnership when space next to Fire Island Vines became available, and the original location opened in December 2022. Roto quickly became a local favorite, frequently selling out due to high demand.

The new Roto location will enhance the neighborhood with a unique culinary experience, benefitting and serving both Shoregate residents and the general public. Located on 4th Avenue, just a block from the Long Island Rail Road, the Shoregate development sees a lot of foot traffic going to the Fire Island Ferries in the summer. Monahan spoke about the advantage of being the first encounter for people visiting the ferry.

“We hope to offer breakfast and lunch sandwiches to the people on their way to enjoy Fire Island, serve our existing customer base, and become a staple to the residents of Shoregate,” shared Monahan.

Moving to a larger location at Shoregate represents a strategic move for the co-owners.

“We are thrilled to bring Roto to Shoregate and continue our journey of providing exceptional culinary experiences to our community,” added Ferraro. “The new location allows us to expand our offerings and cater to a broader audience.”

Perhaps even more excited about the new Roto location are the local foodies who frequented the former location, including Islip resident Kristine Kruger.

“I often went to their original location by Fire Island Vines, and the food is just so fresh and it is so different,” shared Kruger. “Brock and Jack are just really passionate about food, and I think when you are passionate about food, you can taste it.