Historic Opening Date For New West Hartford Eatery Announced

The Friendly Toast

WEST HARTFORD, CT – The local dining scene is about to grow significantly with a historic eatery opening early next month in West Hartford.

The Friendly Toast, a New England-based brunch and bar chain out of Boston, is opening its first Connecticut location on Monday, May 5, at 36 LaSalle Road in West Hartford.

It is opening on the former site of the old Division West restaurant, which closed last year.

The Friendly Toast’s new West Hartford location will accommodate up to 160 guests, including 12 outdoor seating spaces.

In addition, company officials said, it will have a full bar and "eclectic décor featuring nostalgic elements throughout the space."

As part of its grand opening and in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, it will be giving one free order of Breakfast Street Tacos to the first 55 parties to visit the new location, starting at 7:30 a.m. Monday, May 5.

There will also be $5 "Market Square Mimosas" all week from May 5-9.

The eatery will celebrate the grand opening with a traditional egg-cracking ceremony at 10 a.m. on Monday, followed by a few words from The Friendly Toast Chief Executive Officer Staci Pinard.

“As we expand across the Northeast, opening a new location in Connecticut was an obvious next step for us,” said Eric Goodwin, co-owner, The Friendly Toast. “We are excited to be a part of the lively West Hartford community, and know we are in great company with the beloved local food scene.

"From our Hash Quiche Cups to the Cookie Monster Pancakes, there is something on our menu for everyone, and it’s a pleasure to finally bring our creative scratch kitchen and bar to Connecticut.”

The new West Hartford restaurant will be approximately 3,000 square feet and it is located within West Hartford Center.

“We are so excited to join the ranks of the West Hartford culinary community and provide a fun new offering to the town,” said Scott Pulver, co-owner.

The Friendly Toast is hosting an invite-only soft opening on Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4, and will be offering free meals to guests as part of the celebration.

All proceeds from beverage sales during the soft opening celebration will benefit Ball 4 a Cure, a local organization that supports pediatric cancer patients and their families.

Ball 4 a Cure, founded in 2015 by seven childhood friends from West Hartford, started as a 3v3 basketball tournament on blacktop courts and evolved into a multi-faceted nonprofit organization hosting several annual events across many different communities.

Now, the Ball 4 a Cure Family Support Fund at the Connecticut Medical Center assures families in financial need receive resources so each child in treatment has a safe, warm, and secure home to return to when they leave the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders.

The Friendly Toast will also debut a new menu this month across all locations, featuring dozens of items made in its scratch kitchen, including several gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.

It will also be updating its catering menu, available for pickup or delivery across all locations.

The new Connecticut location marks The Friendly Toast’s 14th location across New England.

In 2024, The Friendly Toast opened its third and fourth New Hampshire locations in Nashua on Daniel Webster Highway and Salem within Tuscan Village.

The popular all-day brunch and bar spot, which also operates nine locations in Massachusetts, one location in Burlington, Vt., and one location in Portland, Maine.

It has plans to open a location in Concord, N.H., later this year in the fall.

For more information on The Friendly Toast, click on this link.