Opening the second location of North Fork Doughnut Company was a scary step for owners Jimmy Lyons and Kelly Briguccia. Although the idea was in the works for well over a year, the husband and wife team didn’t know how the Bay Shore store front would do, especially in the midst of a pandemic.
But when they opened on August 1, the first customer was waiting outside at 4:30 a.m. when Lyons and Briguccia arrived to start prepping. By the time they unlocked the doors to let customers in, the line snaked down the sidewalk for two blocks and ended around the corner.
“There were so many people here, we had to limit people to six doughnuts per person because I thought, ‘We’re not gonna have enough doughnuts,’” Lyons said. “We made 5,000 doughnuts that morning. I thought ‘That should be enough right?’”
It wasn’t. They sold out by noon.
That experience made them rethink things. The business has always been run by family. Briguccia does decor and design, while her father does deliveries. Lyons runs the business part, while his father makes the doughnuts and helps to run production. They decided to pull out of their wholesale accounts, where they were selling doughnuts in bulk, so they could make sure the business stayed family-run.
“We’re going to focus on what we do best,” Lyons said. “We’re going to focus on our shop. We’re going to focus on our customers that come to our store.”
Walking into the Bay Shore location is like entering a modern coffee shop with a 90s twist. The counter is matte black with a clean white top, and the menu on the wall is made from wooden lettering.
But on the wall to the right when you walk in is a huge wall installation reminding you this is a doughnut shop. A huge walkman and headphones with doughnuts for the ear coverings are surrounded by dozens of colorful wooden sprinkles. And the sign up behind the counter that says “North Fork Doughnut Company” is made from recycled cassettes.
Both of these pieces were made by artist and carpenter Ricky Saetta, whose firm estd. 1981 creates custom designs from hardwood and upcycled materials. He also constructed the store’s installation of Long Island made of almost- too-realistic glazed doughnuts—with two pink frosted ones right over Mattituck and Bay Shore to represent NoFoDoCo’s two locations. Touches of the 90s continue with old school radios spray painted vibrant shades of neon blue and pink that sit on shelves.
When it came to opening a second spot, Bay Shore was always the plan. Lyons grew up in Levittown, so the south shore holds a special place in his heart.
“When we thought second location, we always thought Bay Shore,” he said. “I just saw a lot of really cool compelling ideas out here. I think it’s going to grow, and it’s certainly already a spot where a business can do really, really well.”
They also want to use the second location to feature other menu options and local products. Eventually, the doughnuts you see on display in Bay Shore could be different flavors from the ones on the North Fork. And while their Mattituck location uses North Fork Roasting Company for their coffee, the Bay Shore spot will serve Flux Coffee, a Farmingdale coffee company.
“We do want to highlight specific things about the area in each location,” Lyons said.
Although they have only just opened the second spot of NoFoDoCo, expansion is something Lyons and Briguccia would like to continue to do.
“It’s hard to tell at this point,” he said. “But it’s hard not to think about where this can go.”
