NORTHAMPTON — Guests can be sure they’ll have a comfortable morning breakfast or lunch because a new restaurant has opened where a popular eatery once stood.

Toasted, the name of Brad Labonte-Banas’ new restaurant, celebrated its grand opening on July 31, welcoming residents to the “beautiful space” that once housed a popular breakfast spot called Sylvester’s. Labonte-Banas had the idea of ​​opening a breakfast restaurant in the back of his mind for five years and had been searching the area for a location.

After Sylvester’s closed, Labonte-Banas heard about the space through word of mouth and decided to move.

“For the last four or five years, I’ve always had a breakfast room in the back of my mind because I wanted to be home by 4 p.m.,” Labonte-Banas explained. “With a breakfast room, you don’t have to work until 11 p.m. or midnight to make money.”

Toasted, 111 Pleasant Street, is typically open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and offers a wide selection of ingredients from which customers can customize their meal.

Customers can build an omelet or frittata with either two eggs ($10.50) or three eggs ($12.50) and three fillings of the customer’s choice, with additional ingredients available for an additional charge. Other items on the menu follow a similar system, such as the pancakes, which can be stuffed, and the French toast, which can be topped with a variety of options, including blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and more.

“We put together an extensive menu with a lot of ingredients, so we have a lot of privileges when serving,” Labonte-Banas said. “…I listed a whole bunch of ingredients that would go into omelets and just let the customers go crazy.”

The menu also includes several breakfast sandwiches called “Breakfast Toasties” that are served with two fried eggs. Additionally, the “Toasty Side” of the menu allows customers to choose their favorite type of toast, which can be customized with ingredients like roasted garlic, all-purpose seasoning, cherry peppers, eggs, herbed goat cheese, and more. Vegan options can be found throughout the menu, including dishes like tofu and vegetarian sausage.

Labonte-Banas faced initial difficulties when opening a restaurant in Northampton. She explained that not only is there fierce competition for restaurants there, but there were other hurdles such as securing a bank loan, finding employees and choosing the right location.

The lunch menu includes a selection of sandwiches with fries starting at $15, including Reuben, grilled chicken and pulled pork melt, and salads starting at $12. A barista bar is available for customers to sit and enjoy a caffeinated beverage, including espresso, latte, cappuccino and more.

Despite the many challenges of opening Toasted, Labonte-Banas received support from former Sylvester’s owners Peter St. Martin and Maureen “Mo” McGuiness, who had to close Sylvester’s in 2022 due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Martin and McGuiness currently own Roberto’s Restaurant in Northampton, and Labonte-Banas gives them a huge thank you for their help in opening Toasted.

“They went above and beyond to get me here,” Labonte-Banas explained. “They helped me with the city, they answered all my questions and they continue to be a resource as I move forward. They gave me an office upstairs to give me more space because I don’t have anywhere to work. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

Labonte-Banas has extensive experience in the restaurant industry, starting at age 16 at a Friendly’s in Springfield. He has worked with a variety of top chefs after spending 17 years with Max Restaurant Group, also known as Max Hospitality, which owns several locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts, including Max Burger in Springfield and Max Tavern in Longmeadow. Since leaving Max Restaurant Group in 2019, Labonte-Banas spent time working at Hotel Northampton and Riff’s Joint in Easthampton, which closed last year.

Labonte-Banas says he gained a lot of experience learning from and working with chefs during his time at Max Restaurant Group: “I got to know their style and see what they were doing. So I’m like a conglomerate of all these different people.”

Labonte-Banas’ experience in the industry helped him open Toasted. He explains that it is easier to open a restaurant with cooking experience than as a manager. He recalls receiving about 150 applications from servers. He explains that while there is a surplus of servers and managers looking for jobs, it is difficult to assemble a kitchen staff in the current climate of the industry.

“It’s great to have the store open again,” said David Morse, a customer and Northampton resident who ate an omelet at Toasted last week. “The menu is good and people will definitely come back.”

For more information visit https://toastednorthampton.com/.