Last week, beloved Prospect Heights breakfast institution Tom's Restaurant announced plans to expand for the first time in their 75-year history, after signing a deal to open a second location on the Coney Island boardwalk. Now, more details are emerging about what the space will look like and who Tom's Zamperla-sanctioned neighbors will be.
Zamperla, the Italian amusement park giant who's been widely credited with ruining revitalizing Coney Island, finally stopped comparing Coney to Miami Beach: "We are learning a little bit. After a year and a half, we understand how important Coney Island is to the Brooklyn community," said Zamperla USA President Valerio Ferrari. Ferrari swears he's making more of an effort to "keep Brooklyn in Coney Island," despite the fact that he's previously evicted several longtime mom-and-pop businesses that many say were an integral part of Coney. (Ruby's bar is reportedly in negations to stay after all.)
But in the interest of not holding a grudge forever, let's hear about what Tom's has planned. They signed an eight-year lease in the former site of ChaCha's and Nathan's boardwalk concession, plan to offer a similar menu with some seafood additions, and will offer people in line free cookies and coffee, as they currently do to appease the massive Prospect Heights breakfast crowds.
They'll be sitting pretty alongside the businesses that did make it past Zamperla's axe: Lola Staar boutique, Coney Island Beach Shop, and Nathan's. “[There’s] the tradition and history of Coney Island, and we have a rich tradition and history of our own," said Tom's owner Jimmy Kokotas. "Bringing them both together, I think it’s going to be great." Find out for yourself when the restaurant opens in May.
