New York couple just reopened their restaurant in SLO County. Here’s what is in store
The couple behind new Morro Bay restaurant Babydudes have a simple culinary philosophy.
“We like to cook what we like to eat,” co-owner Hannah Jacobs said, “using ingredients from many countries (and) borrowing so much from our peers, mentors and customers ... a collection of the people we’ve cooked with and experiences we have had.”
Jacobs started Babydudes with life and business partner Tali Petschek in New York prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they’ve re-opened the eatery on the Central Coast.
Babydudes held its soft opening at 307 Main St. on Saturday to coincide with the Morro Bay farmers market, which sets up along Morro Bay Boulevard at Main Street. It’s located in the former spot of Grandma’s Frozen Yogurt & Waffles.
Their aims for the eatery involve using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible and providing “full-service food in a limited-service environment” for a blend of health, taste and an all-inclusive atmosphere, Jacobs said.
Restaurant owners move from Brooklyn to SLO County
Jacobs, 33, and Petschek, 35, celebrated their first wedding anniversary in grand fashion in July, while attending the marriage of friends in Paris.
They originally started Babydudes as a coffee shop in Brooklyn, New York.
One of their customers there described the eatery as “like ‘Cheers,’ but queer.”
That Babydudes closed during a coronavirus-related shutdown. The couple said that, for a variety of reasons, they never reopened it.
After the Brooklyn eatery closed, they said, “their “only focus was ending up somewhere with longer growing seasons and local access to the ingredients we like to cook with. It can get frustrating making avocado toast after avocado toast in the middle of December in Brooklyn.”
With family in California, the move to the Central Coast made sense.
Babydudes eatery opens in Morro Bay
Babydudes’ limited opening-day offerings were “a fried chicken sandwich on a potato bun (and) a vegan sandwich on focaccia with braised fennel, artichoke cream, sliced tomatoes, dressed spicy greens and pickled red onion,” Jacobs said.
Petschek said the chicken sandwich, which is by nature a “pretty heavy dish,” includes some “very bright additions to lighten it up with vibrant colors and pickle-y, crunchy components.”
For dessert, there was “an array of different sweets and, of course, Straus (Family Creamery) soft-serve ice cream,” Jacobs said.
The cold, creamy treat, which is non-GMO and lower in sugar and fat than standard ice cream, should satisfy diners’ desires for Grandma’s Frozen Yogurt, but Jacobs said Babydudes’ froyo setup is “simpler, with toppings made in house.”
All that’s in keeping with Babydude’s emphasis on freshness, sustainability, health and a general concern for the planet.
The couple expects to expand their menu very soon, perhaps even starting within a week, as they determine what their customers want and how much of that they can produce in their small, completely revamped kitchen.
Ultimately, the pair wants to offer an alternating line of housemade breakfast items, sandwiches, entrees, salads, pastries, cookies and other desserts, along with “plenty of probiotics like pickles and hot sauces.”
Jacobs and Petschek plan to source about 95% of their produce from the farmers market at their front door or from local farmers.
They know that using top-quality ingredients means their operating margins will be “razor thin,” Jacobs said.
Today’s “food costs can be quite overwhelming,” Petschek said, but “with our good customer service and delicious products true to what we’ve promised, we want our customers to enjoy them so much, they’ll tell themselves, ‘Oh, my goodness, that was SO worth it!’ ”
“We see ourselves as offering ‘full service’ food in a ‘limited service’ environment,” Jacobs said. “Patrons may be surprised by the number of offerings we eventually have and the style of food we serve, coupled with a to-go, less hands-on orientation once you have your food.
“For us,” she said, “the most important part of the dining experienced is feeling nourished in mind and body ... We pride ourselves on incredible customer service (with) familiarity and warmth.”
Petschek said they are very aware of “the experience of eating,” with the need for vibrant colors and tastes, along with contrasting textures.
One of their favorite dishes is a breakfast salad with hearty green kale, spicy arugula, radish, pickled red onion and crunchy croutons, with a poached egg on top.
The couple will accommodate special dietary restrictions as much as possible.
For instance, they’ll have gluten-free bread available and do their best to prevent cross-contamination, although they don’t have a separate facility for that kind of preparation.
The couple has had lots of experience with vegan dishes, Jacobs said.
“For some reason in New York, all our employees there were vegan,” she said, so she and Petschek provided those options for their staff as well as their customers.
Babydudes’ business hours will be flexible starting out.
“We plan to be open Fridays through Mondays, starting at noon and continuing until we are sold out for the day,” Jacobs wrote, “with expanded hours and menu to follow when we’ve established a flow.”
For more information, call 805-203-5678 or check the Babydudes Instagram page at @babydudes.
