Marc LaMaina is doubling down on downtown Riverhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On July 13, the restaurateur behind the ever-expanding Lucharitos brand opened Burgercade, an inexpensive American eatery with old-school video games at 87 East Main St. While renovating that space, he kept another property in his back pocket: 131 West Main St., a property with a two-story structure just a stone\u2019s throw north of the Peconic River, which he purchased last year. The building previously housed the offices of family law attorneys Schaub & Daly, LLP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The name and offerings of the restaurant that will occupy that space remain a secret \u2014 even to Mr. LaMaina himself. No matter what cuisine he ultimately decides to serve, its success will be a roll of the dice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny energy we put into downtown Riverhead takes away from a product that we know works, Lucharitos,\u201d Mr. LaMaina said with his wife, Jennifer, at his side. \u201cWe have a new project in Mineola, a project in Ronkonkoma, both Lucharitos. The margin works, our standard operating procedures are all set in stone, we have a team that knows Lucharitos. Everything else that we do is a risk, a gamble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe love taking risks, we\u2019re risk takers,\u201d Ms. LaMaina added. \u201cFailure only makes you stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before he unveiled Burgercade, Mr. LaMaina filled the same downtown space, formerly a diner, with LuchaCubano, a Cuban eatery. Within 11 months, that venture went belly-up, and Cuban sandwiches gave way to $5.55 cheeseburgers. According to the restaurateur himself, this second chance is already proving more successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBurgercade, we\u2019ve been open [less than] six months and we broke even,\u201d Mr. LaMaina said. \u201cThat\u2019s a celebration for me because I\u2019m not in downtown Riverhead to make money. I\u2019m in downtown Riverhead so my kids can go somewhere downtown and have fun. It sounds corny, but it\u2019s true. Anything we\u2019re doing right now in Riverhead and Aquebogue is not for the money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although they do not yet know what food they will serve, the couple have a vision for the new restaurant, which will rise diagonally across from Griffing Hardware. Last Thursday, Mr. LaMaina received a setback variance from Riverhead Town\u2019s Zoning Board of Appeals to construct a wraparound deck on the west side of the property. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking to renovate the building … bring it back to life [and] turn it into a hustling, bustling restaurant with 33 indoor seats [and] 60 seats outside,\u201d Mr. LaMaina told the ZBA members last week..<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to bring a riverfront restaurant to downtown Riverhead focusing on the outdoor riverscape,\u201d he said in an interview after the meeting. \u201cMy wife has her day care here, we have three children that go to school in Riverhead, so we\u2019re invested in Riverhead. We want Riverhead to work, not just to make money, but to bring places where families can go, have moments, experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd memories,\u201d Ms. LaMaina added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Marc LaMaina is doubling down on downtown Riverhead. On July 13, the restaurateur behind the ever-expanding Lucharitos brand opened Burgercade, an inexpensive American eatery with old-school video games at 87 East Main St. While renovating that space, he kept another property in his back pocket: 131 West Main St., a property with a two-story structure…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2002,"featured_media":117767,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1743,954,35],"tags":[15996,67,15997,11811,9413,15995,13186,240],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-117758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-story","category-foodwinedining-community","category-news","tag-burgercade","tag-downtown-riverhead","tag-luchacubano","tag-lucharitos","tag-marc-lamaina","tag-new-restaurant","tag-premium","tag-riverhead"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n