More than 100 people lined up on East Third Street, counting down from 30 until 8 a.m. struck. The doors of Toastique opened for the first time, welcoming the first 50 customers with free Toastique for a year.
Dannah VanPraagh, ‘23, said she had been standing in line since 6 a.m. in the freezing rain on March 11.
“We planned on going at 5:45 a.m., thinking no one was going to be there and we could just wait in the car and listen to music and then we got there and we were already number 10 and 11 in line,” VanPraagh said.
Owner of Toastique Jessica Morrissey said the first customers in line for opening day got there as early as 3 a.m.
Morrissey graduated with an MBA from Lehigh in 2021. After her graduation, Morrissey and her mom were in Stone Harbour, New Jersey, when they decided to eat at a Toastique location. She said she loved the concept of the menu and thought it would be a great fit for Bethlehem.
“I really enjoy the food and the healthy aspect of it and that the founder is from (the) Lehigh Valley, so I was attracted to the ties to this community since I was born and raised here,” Morrissey said.
Toastique is an emerging brand that was founded in 2018 by Brianna Keefe and began franchising in 2019.
The menu consists of various toasts, smoothies, smoothie bowls and juices, as well as grab-and-go items, such as salads. Morrissey said a lot of their ingredients come from local vendors and all of the menu items can be customized to your liking.
She said Toastique offers gluten-free bread, for which they use a separate toaster. Many of the items on the menu are naturally vegan, but customers can customize any of the items to make them plant-based.
Along with the food items, Toastique offers coffee drinks.
Before the opening, Morrissey said she was worried about being able to staff the restaurant. She said she was lucky because her Lehigh connections allowed her to hire employees from the student population.
Kaitlin Forman, ‘23, a Toastique employee, said she was looking for a part-time job to fill some of her extra time this semester, and Toastique was the perfect opportunity.
“I really have enjoyed it so far, it’s such a fun work environment,” Forman said. “The other workers are great to work with and there is always something different going on.”
Forman said she thinks Toastique is a great addition to the Southside community, for both students and residents. She said she sees many students using it as a work space, as they offer WiFi.
Morrissey said she hopes Toastique offers the community a place to come together. She said, so far, she has seen people on dates and birthday celebrations — they also almost had a proposal in the restaurant.
Along with the restaurant, Toastique offers an event space and catering. Morrissey said she hopes to use the event space as a community space and possibly offer yoga classes.
Toastique has a mobile app, where you can order, keep track of points and receive rewards, including a free smoothie on your birthday. Morrissey said just signing up for the app gets you a free juice over ice.
Morrissey said along with in-store pick up, they also offer delivery.
In the future, Morrissey said she hopes to expand Toastique’s grab-and-go fridge, offer more noodles and soups, and have a build-your-own salad option.
Toastique is open every day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is available to order from the Toastique app and other food delivery apps.
“People have different tastes and interests, which is fine — that is what makes life exciting,” Morrissey said. “If we all were the same, it would be boring.”
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