New Chapter As Donohue's East Opens At Spot Of Former Post Stop Cafe In Westhampton Beach

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — In a world of seemingly constant change, sometimes, in a rare and joyful moment, it's possible to go home again. That's exactly what Maureen Donohue-Peters, owner of the iconic Donohue's Steak House in New York City, is doing as she readies to open her newest venture, Donohue's East, at the site of the former Post Stop Cafe on Main Street in Westhampton Beach.

The new restaurant is expected to open within the next few weeks.

Donohue -Peters is a local, who moved to Hampton Bays when she was in the fifth grade and whose roots are deeply entwined in the rich beauty of the East End. And so it seemed fitting that when she decided to open a new location, it would be just miles from the beach where she lifeguarded as a teen and from the homes where she and her closely-knit siblings still live.

The news that Donohue's East is set to open clearly couldn't be more welcomed by many: On a recent summer morning, Donohue-Peters sat on the beloved front porch — where so many generations of families have gathered to share good food and make memories — as one by one, curious residents stopped to ask, their faces wreathed in smiles, "Are you opening soon?" They, too, they say, have hoped for the day when they could once again take a seat out on the porch and order a meal, just as so many have, for the more than four decades that the Post Stop Cafe was a fixture on the village canvas.

Donohue-Peters was joined by Brian Tymann, a Westhampton Beach village trustee and resident who purchased the storied building from the Post Stop Cafe's longtime owner Sandy Patterson.

Speaking with Patch, Tymann said he'd long had a vision of owning the building, which dates back to 1904 and was once, indeed, a post office.

"About five years ago, I approached Sandy Patterson and said, 'Hey, Sandy, when are you planning on retiring? I love this building and I want to buy it.'"

Although Patterson told him she wasn't quite ready, she urged him to stay in touch. Tymann, a frequent customer, was patient. "She's an absolutely wonderful woman, inside and out. And then, one day she said, 'I'm ready.'"

And so the journey began for the building's next chapter. The space, Tymann said, "has such a positive energy. I just love being in there, the sunlight."

When Patterson told him that she'd like to move forward with the sale, Tymann said the process was seamless. "It was really old school, there were no heavy negotiations," he said.

Tymann and his three partners purchased the property together; one of those partners, he said, told him he knew someone who'd be the perfect tenant — Donohue-Peters, who he knew well from her eatery, located on 64th and Lexington.

And when Donohue-Peters met Patterson, the two clicked instantly, immediately falling into conversation and discovering similar experiences after decades in the restaurant industry — a deep and abiding sense of shared values.

"They loved each other instantly," Tymann said. "When Maureen walked in, she said, 'That's the same vintage cash register I have at Donohue's in Manhattan.' Sandy told her, 'I never transitioned to that digital stuff; we take our orders on a notepad.' Then Maureen said, 'We do the same thing.'"

Hearts and mind aligned and a dream took shape.

"It all just came together," Tymann said. "It gives me goosebumps when I tell the story."

Donohue-Peters has partnered with her niece Mary Barrie in the new location; Barrie currently manages the New York City location, which just celebrated its 75th anniversary in April.

Tymann, who will officially step down from his role as a Westhampton Beach Village Trustee Monday after 10 years, looked to the new sewer system his administration was able to see realized, under the helm of then-Mayor Maria Moore; she is currently Southampton Town supervisor. That sewer system has led to expanded opportunities for robust economic growth downtown — in fact, Donohue's East just hooked up to the new sewer system Wednesday.

With an eye toward revitalization, Tymann believes it's also important to hold tight to homespun values and rich history. "Change is inevitable," he said. "It's not that change happens, it's how you do it. The change happening here is that with Sandy retiring, it was the end of an era for the Post Stop, but it doesn't mean we're coming in and bulldozing historic things, or changing the dynamic and integrity of the area. There's a way to change, positively."

Stepping into the building, indeed, virtually everything is the same. Donohue-Peters has sanded the floors, polished up the bar and ordered some new barstools and chairs, but at its essence, all that made the Post Stop special remains — from the original tin ceiling, to the deep green light fixtures and the chandelier hanging on the porch. "This is the perfect example of, 'If it's not broken, don't fix it,'" Tymann said.

Donohue-Peters reflected on her family's life in a business that was so much more — she represents the third generation of a family for whom the restaurant was the heartbeat of their shared lives.

The New York City restauant, which opened in 1950, was born when her grandfather Martin opened a space for each of his sons. Her father Michael Donohue was the mentor who taught her everything, including how to live a life rich with meaning.

"I came on in 1980 and I worked side by side with my dad every day," she said. "He died in 2000 and I've been there ever since. I promised him I'd take it to 75 years, and I took it to 75 years."

The reason why Donohue's Steak House has garnered such a loyal following speaks to the heart of all she espouses, Donohue said: "You know what it is? You step in the door, you forget your problems. It's a time warp back to the 1950s, 1960s. Everything is relaxed. It doesn't matter how much money you make, who you are. Drop the attitude at the door. I went everyone to treat one another nicely. I want it to be low-key."

She plans to foster the same ambiance at the new Donohue's East, she said. "I want people to just come in, chill, enjoy themselves. Let's have a low-key, fun place with good food, simple."

The menu will be similar to the fare found at the NYC space — the wildly popular turkey dinners with all the trimmings, chopped steak, chicken, salmon, branzino, scrod, sirloin steak and rib eyes, salads and club sandwiches, chicken pot pie and Shepherd's pie.

The menu speaks to recipes that simmer with comfort, to yesterday, to the warmth of a meal cooked with family and shared with laughter.

One of her favorites, along with the branzino, is the broiled chicken, Donohue-Peters said. "No sauce; it’s plain, simple. My theory is, if the food is good, if you know how to cook, you don't need more."

Simple fare nurtures, she said. "You don’t want to go out fo a fancy meal every night. And I am not trying to be that fancy meal. If you want a beer and a burger, come on in. The amount of the check doesn’t matter. The idea is when you leave my place I want you to say, 'Wow, I had a great time at Mo’s.'"

She and Patterson shared a similar vision, Donohue-Peters said. "She is absolutely lovely. The two of us hit it off perfectly. We had same cash register, but we also had the same point of view. She is just an older version of myself. We are so old school. And we got along perfectly."

There was the instant trust that comes when like minds meet — and Donohue-Peters said both also felt that way about Tymann. "I can honestly say that she would not have sold the Post Stop Cafe if it had not been for Brian," she said. "She had higher bids but she went with Brian; he'd give you the shirt off his back, to help you."

Patterson handed Donohue-Peters a turn-key business, even telling her to keep the same phone number to make it easier for customers, she said.

Donohue-Peters and Patterson were from the same generation, a time when businesses were built on trust and honor. "A handshake was a handshake," Donohue-Peters said. "When I stepped into the Post Stop, it was old school, like my dad. When I sat down with Sandy and we started talking, I almost teared up, because I thought, 'Oh, my God, this is exactly the way my father would run a business. She was great, she ran everything above board, and when we talked it was like talking to my dad."

From the first time she walked into the building, Donohue-Peters said, "It was cozy. It was home."

And that's exactly where she wants to be. She and her husband Richard are happy to settle in their Hampton Bays house full-time, a place laced with memories, where her father's voice and life lessons still echo.

Those words of wisdom have guided Donohue-Peters always, she said, sharing some of his advice: "Lessons I leaned from dad included, 'Your word is everything,'" she said. "Treat someone the way you want to be treated. Remember, never forget the first rung on the ladder because you could always need it again."

And, her father also told her: "'You need to be humble. Until you walk in their shoes, Mo, you don't know. So sit back, assess it, talk to them a little bit — you can make the difference in a person's life.'"

Everyone is welcome at her restaurants, she said. "I want someone to come in have fun. I don’t care how much money they have, I don’t care how they dress. It doesn't matter what you spend. It's about getting back to basics — getting back to people — and enjoying yourself, without worrying. Just come in be relaxed, be kind, be respectful and just enjoy yourself. Life is tough enough on its own. Going to restaurants where it's stressful, all about reservations, and what people are wearing – that’s not me at all."

She added: "It doesn’t matter where you are on the totem pole, just remember to be kind, be nice, and enjoy."

Westhampton Beach has already proven itself the kind of small community where people are warm and welcoming, she said.

"I've had a least 10 to 15 people a day knock on my door, introduce themselves and say, 'Welcome to Westhampton Beach.' It was so kind, so nice."

It's a simpler life and one she embraces, she said — and that's why, when the lease is up in New York, Donohue-Peters plans to close that eatery and buy a second on the East End, probably between Westhampton Beach and Southampton. Her plan is to establish businesses for two of her nieces, passing the proverbial torch.

But that does not mean she plans to slow down. At 63, she said she hopes to work until 75 or 80.

The restaurant business is in her blood, a love so pure and fierce she said she cannot imagine doing anything else. "My father always said if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life."

Of her new expansion to the East End, Donohue-Peters said she believes her father has guided her, and that he would be "100 percent delighted."

Her father was no stranger to growth; the family had a business in Hampton Bays in the late 70s, she said; over the years, he had a number of restaurants and bars across New York City.

And now, Westhampton Beach feels like the perfect fit, she said. The new space will have six tables on the porch, seating for 49 inside, and Donohue-Peters is set to apply for some additional seating on the back patio.

Of her new chapter, she said: "I'm excited. It's almost like a rebirth. I'm coming back to my roots. It's coming home."

Donohue-Peters sees familiar faces in every corner; she still has her friends nearby from grammar and high school. And, too, her siblings all live in Hampton Bays. "My mother had her dream — she had her five children all in the same town," she said.

Family was everything when she was growing up, and today, the bonds remain strong. Just as her father taught her the business from the ground up, teaching her every role from dishwasher to salad prep, to barback and bus person, and then waitressing, she has now passed on those same lessons to her niece.

After she graduated college and expressed interest in joining the business, her father then told her to attend culinary school. "The biggest part of someone running a business is to know how to run their kitchen. If you have the confidence that you can cook yourself, you will make a winner of yourself."

Barrie has learned those lessons firsthand, working alongside her aunt and, too, attending culinary school. "I followed in her footsteps," she said. "My aunt is so passionate about this business and she has such an incredible work ethic."

Both she and her aunt, she said, work 70-to-80 hour weeks.

Their restaurants remain very much a family business; extended family will be seen at the new Westhampton Beach location, Donohue-Peters said.

"You don't see that very often, especially in the fourth generation," Barrie said. "I'm really excited about the Westhampton Beach location, and about keeping the family legacy strong."

Of the New York spot, Barrie said people love the old-school ambiance, "the small martini glasses," Neil Diamond and Frank Sinatra playing softly.

And, Barrie said, she embraces those old school values. "I'm young but I'm an old soul," she said. "I'm just so happy to build something with my aunt in Westhampton Beach. This business was built by her grandfather and her father and I'm happy to continue those traditions. It's not just like building another restaurant — it's building another home for our customers."

And for Donohue-Peters, Donohue's East is a new beginning, a place to sit with a cup of coffee and chat with neighbors and customers, sharing simple joys, days colored with laughter and fun. It's a place to carry on the work she's done since she was old enough to imagine the rest of her life.

"I just love the restaurant business; I can't picture myself doing anything else," Donohue-Peters said. "I can remember going down to the restaurant when I was five years old with my dad, and sitting on the bar counting quarters out of the cigarette machine."

The best advice for business and life came from her father, her best friend and mentor, Donohue-Peters said. "Work hard and it will be rewarding. Love what you do and just treat people kindly. Work the magic."

She added: "My father loved doing roasts on the weekend because everyone in the family was around, and he’d teach me how to make gravies. And he’d say, 'Mo, remember a good gravy takes at least two cocktails — and you’re not drinking fast. You've got to let everything simmer together, there is no rush. It’s two cocktails to a good gravy. You’ve got to taste it, enjoy the moment. That's also a recipe for life."

When it opens, Donohue's East, located at 144 Main Street in Westhampton Beach, will serve lunch and dinner six days a week; the restaurant will be closed Mondays.

Donohue-Peters invites customers to come in, share conversation, and relax. "Simple is good," she said. "Simple is what is missing now in today’s society. Simple times, laughter — and just love. The world needs more of that."