New Luncheonette To Open On Westhampton Beach Main Street By Memorial Day Weekend

A new restaurant is coming to Main Street in Westhampton Beach, just in time for the summer.

The concept, called Salt & Loft, will be a farm-to-table, single-service luncheonette serving healthy meals at 145 Main Street, on the corner of Main Street and Library Avenue. It will also sell gourmet products like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chocolate—and, of course, salt.

Co-owners Barry Bernstein, who owns the property and building under BMB Enterprises LLC, and Karolina Nesko plan to have Salt & Loft open for business by Memorial Day weekend. They recently received approval from the Westhampton Beach Village Planning Board to move forward with a modified site plan, and will now spend the next two months turning their concept into a reality in the vacant space.

Customers could come for breakfast, lunch or dinner, for brunch on the weekends, or for a cup of coffee while they work from their laptops. The menu will offer organic and healthy meals with a Mediterranean twist, including shared bites and tapas.

Ms. Nesko said she thought there was a need in the village for a fun brunch spot and a place for people to work remotely. Splitting her weeks between the Hamptons and the city, she understands the difficulty of finding a comfortable place to work from her laptop.

“Part of the concept was to create a place for people to come and feel at home,” Mr. Bernstein said, referencing the “loft” part of the name.

Mr. Bernstein and Ms. Nesko said they were inspired by the village to create a family-oriented restaurant that brings the community together—not just residents who can enjoy the food, but also local farmers whose produce will be served on the menu and local artists who can exhibit their work on the walls. The decor will have natural elements that reflect the coastal community.

“We want to create a culture here. A destination spot,” Ms. Nesko said.

Mr. Bernstein said he had this restaurant concept in mind long before he began construction of the building a year ago. The two-story building opened in November with one tenant, Compass, a national real estate brokerage, in the smaller of the two ground-floor units. The two second-floor units are planned to be turned into apartments, Mr. Bernstein said.

During the warmer months, an area in the rear of the building will be used as a terrace with outdoor seating for the restaurant. Accordion-style glass doors line the two outward facing walls of the restaurant, so those can open up as well to create more of an indoor-outdoor space.

Aside from interior design work in the coming months, the duo is also finalizing its social media accounts and website, where customers will be able to place online orders, as well as its branding that will be affixed to all gourmet products for sale and employee uniforms.

Salt & Loft’s website has a ticking countdown to its anticipated opening at the end of May and reads, “Something really good is coming very soon.”