NORTHAMPTON — Patrons can rest assured they will feel toasty in the morning for breakfast or lunch following the opening of a new restaurant in the location where a popular former restaurant used to operate.

Toasted, the name of the new restaurant owned by Brad Labonte-Banas, held its grand opening on July 31, welcoming residents back into the “beautiful space” once inhabited by a popular breakfast stop, Sylvester’s. Labonte-Banas has had the idea to open a breakfast restaurant in the back of his mind for the past five years, searching for a location throughout the area.

Following the closing of Sylvester’s, Labonte-Banas heard about the space through word of mouth and decided to make a move.

“The last four or five years I’ve had a breakfast place in the back of my mind because I want to be home by 4 [p.m.],” Labonte-Banas explained. “With a breakfast place, you don’t have to be working until 11 p.m. or midnight to make money.”

Toasted, located on 111 Pleasant St., is typically open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering a wide range of ingredients customers can choose from to customize their meal.

Customers can customize an omelet or frittata med from either two eggs ($10.50) or three eggs ($12.50) and including three fillings of the customer’s choice, with extra ingredients for additional costs. Other items on the menu include a similar system, like the pancakes that can be filled and french toast which can be topped with a variety of options, including blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and more.

“We made a massive menu with a ton of ingredients, so we do have a lot of privilege serving,” Labonte-Banas said. “… I listed a whole bunch of ingredients that would go into omelets and would just let the customers go crazy.”

The menu also includes multiple 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 kind of toast customizable with ingredients including roasted garlic, everything seasoning, cherry peppers, eggs, herbed goat cheese and more. Vegan options are incorporated throughout the menu including items such as tofu and veggie sausage.

Labonte-Banas had several initial difficulties opening a restaurant in Northampton, explaining that it is not only a competitive environment for restaurants but that other hurdles included securing a bank loan, finding employees and pinpointing the right location.

The lunch menu includes a variety of sandwiches served with chips starting at $15, including a reuben, grilled chicken and pulled pork melt, as well as salads starting at $12. A barista bar is open for customers to sit and enjoy a caffeinated beverage, including an espresso, latte, cappuccino and more.

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

“They greased all the wheels to get me in here,” Labonte-Banas explained. “They helped with the city, they answered all of my questions, they’re still a resource as I proceed. They gave me an office upstairs to help me out with more space because there’s nowhere for me to operate. I can’t speak enough positives about them.”

Labonte-Banas has years of experience working in the restaurant industry, starting work at a Friendly’s in Springfield when he was 16 years old. He has worked with a variety of high-end chefs after spending 17 years working with The Max Restaurant Group, also known as Max Hospitality, which owns several locations throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, including Max Burger in Springfield and Max Tavern in Longmeadow. Since his departure from The 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 with The Max Restaurant Group: “I was exposed to their styles, and I saw what they did so I’m like a conglomerate of all these different people.”

Labonte-Banas’ past experience in the industry has helped him open Toasted, explaining that opening a restaurant with cooking experience is easier than it is as a manager. He recalled receiving roughly 150 server applications, explaining that while there is a surplus of servers and managers looking for jobs, it is difficult to assemble a cooking staff in the industry’s current climate.

“It’s great to have the place open again,” said David Morse, a customer and Northampton resident who ate an omelet at Toasted last week. “It’s a nice menu, and people better come back.”

More information can be found at https://toastednorthampton.com/.