Love Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch? Then You Need to Visit Toast in Downtown Cranford!

This morning, Downtown Cranford held the ribbon cutting for Toast Cranford, located at 10 Walnut Avenue, welcoming them to the community! Toast Cranford is owned by founder Amy Russo and her business partner Adam Torine. Amy and Adam had been searching New Jersey for the perfect location for Toast's next location, and when they came to Cranford they knew they had found the right place.

Toast officially opened for business this past Monday and the owners said that the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. “We joke that we make money ‘1 pancake at a time,’ which just means that every customer is important to us," said Adam. "We want all of our customers to have a terrific experience and dine with us in the future."

Toast’s Cranford location is the first iteration of what Adam and Amy refer to as “Toast 2.0.” Toast Cranford brings in elements from each of the other three locations in Asbury Park, Montclair, and Red Bank. “The design in our Cranford location is very deliberate. It has a certain feel and incorporates what we’ve learned in the past 15 years,” said Amy. "This is also the first location that I’ve opened with Adam and it was so nice that our partnership allows me to share the experience with someone.”

Adam and Amy have already become familiar with many of the neighboring businesses and business owners. They’re frequent customers at Perrotti's, Pastosa, Sweet & Fancy Emporium, and Cranford Hotel. “We’ve received warm welcomes in other towns, but Cranford has surpassed them all,” said Amy.

Toast is open Monday through Friday 8AM-2PM and on the weekends from 7:30AM-3PM. The restaurant includes a room that can be reserved as a private party space after hours, seating 40-60 people. You can visit Toast’s website, https://toastcitydiner.com/, or give the Cranford location a call at 908-312-9333. Thank you to Toast for choosing Cranford - we're thrilled to have you join our community!

Lokal Coffee Offers Customers a Place to Gather While Enjoying Breakfast, Lunch & Coffee

Lokal Coffee & Co. has officially opened its doors at 103 Miln Street! Lokal Coffee is owned by Jorge Arriola, who started his culinary career as a chef at top restaurants around the world. Though Jorge loved being a chef, working 16 hour days became mentally and physically exhausting and he decided to make the pivot to opening a coffee shop. He wanted his coffee shop to provide customers with a welcoming, laid back, and unpretentious space where they could enjoy coffee and food. The first Lokal Coffee opened in Iselin in 2019, and in a few years Jorge felt ready to open a second location.

Jorge was drawn to Cranford and its reputation for being welcoming to small businesses. “Lokal Coffee is a place where people shouldn’t feel rushed,” said Jorge. “It’s a place to meet and gather while enjoying breakfast, brunch, or lunch with one of our specialty coffee drinks.”

Jorge’s mission is to bring specialty coffee to the suburbs. His family is from Costa Rica, and he also visits coffee farms throughout Latin America a few times a year to check the quality of the beans and develop relationships with the farmers. “All of our coffee is fair trade and it’s a specialty, small batch product. We obtain the beans and then roast them at a roasting facility. We’re there for the whole process, from farm to cup.”

Jorge learned about coffee by reading extensively about it, meeting with farmers, and through a fair amount of trial and error. He’s happy to educate consumers about what makes Lokal’s coffee stand apart, and also operates the business as a learning environment for his staff. “I want our employees to care as much about our product as I do,” said Jorge. “I look for people who want to learn and also aspire to do more, which includes opening their own business down the line.”

Lokal Coffee offers an extensive menu of breakfast, brunch, and lunch options. If customers are in the mood for breakfast they can choose from omelets, pancakes, waffles, french toast, and smoothies. If they’re looking for lunch, Lokal Coffee serves a large variety of sandwiches, including avocado toast, grilled cheese, tuna, and their most popular, turkey club, as well as salads, soups, and more. When it comes to drinks, Lokal Coffee is known for its lattes, which come in flavors like Brown Sugar, Caramel, Raspberry Mocha, and Tate’s Cookie (a customer favorite).

Lokal Coffee is open 7 days a week from 7AM-4PM. For more information, you can follow them on social media or just stop in and see the space for yourself. Welcome to town Jorge and the Lokal Coffee crew. Thank you for choosing Cranford!

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Toast City Diner Announces Plans to Open in Cranford This Fall!

We are incredibly excited to announce that Toast City Diner will be joining the Downtown Cranford dining scene this fall! Toast Cranford will be taking over the space at 10 Walnut Ave (formerly Red Crab). Please see below for the official press release from Toast.

Toast City Diner is excited to announce the opening of their newest location in the heart of downtown Cranford, NJ. The store is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2023 and will be located on the corner of South and Walnut Avenue next to the Cranford Hotel.

The opening of Toast Cranford marks the start of an exciting future for founder Amy Russo and her partner Adam Torine. With 3 existing locations in Montclair, Asbury Park and Red Bank, this will be the first location that the pair is opening together. The Cranford store will be the first Toast location to showcase the new Toast 2.0 prototype which will feature a new design, updated logo and new signature menu items, while still serving the delicious food that fans of the concept know and love.

"I am so excited to bring this next chapter to downtown Cranford," Russo said. "It is the perfect town to open our next location and we look forward to fully embracing the local residents and visitors to one of the best downtowns in NJ.”

Residents of Cranford can anticipate a superior hospitality experience and delicious meal when dining at Toast, whether they go the simple route with a classic breakfast sandwich on a fresh brioche roll or try one of the signature items like the decadent carrot cake or red velvet pancakes. With such a robust offering of foods and drinks, Toast has something for everyone which makes it the perfect place to gather with family and friends.

“We can't wait to have you join us at Toast Cranford,” Torine remarked.“It will be a fun place for family and friends to enjoy a delicious breakfast, brunch or lunch together! We look forward to becoming a part of the Cranford community which will also serve as our launching point for expansion throughout NJ.”

For more information about Toast Cranford and for updates on the restaurant's progress, please contact us, ToastCityDiner.com