Based on the lunchtime lines it has attracted since opening on July 23, business is booming at maman Rye, the bakery café chain’s first Westchester location.
Attracted by offers of free samples and gifts with a purchase, more than 400 people were served at the 2,000-square-foot eatery at 64 Purchase Street after its inaugural ribbon had been cut.
The top sellers on opening day were chocolate chip cookies and iced lattes, said Marketing Director Andrea Szot, who oversees promotion for the chain’s 63 outlets. Szot has lived the maman story. She was the company’s first marketing hire 10 years ago when the chain had just two Manhattan locations.
That sugar-forward beginning is common among new maman restaurants, though the chain’s overall sales are split between sweet and savory items, said Szot. Customers often try maman by snacking on a cookie and drink, and on subsequent visits explore meals such as Katie’s Chicken Sandwich or Laurette’s Mediterranean Garden Salad, Szot said.
Downtown Rye has no shortage of places to go for a barista-made brew and a bite. Another entrant, Reunion Coffee, is expected to open two blocks away at 36 Purchase Street in the former home of TD Bank at summer’s end. Szot knows her company must stand out to compete.
With café saturation constantly on their minds, Szot said, her team “is always thinking what can we do to make this a special neighborhood spot.”
As maman co-founder Elisa Marshall puts it: “You’re coming here for the ambiance and for the vibe, for the beauty of the space. Good food and coffee is easy to find in a lot of places. So, you need that little something more.”
Maman (“mother” in French) is a melding of Marshall and her founding partner Benjamin Sormonte’s memories of their mothers’ artful, warm kitchens in Canada (Marshall) and France (Sormonte).
Among the elements the maman team uses to create a homey atmosphere: a décor inspired by the south of France; mismatched blue and white floral plates; recipes inspired by French and American cuisine; and, Szot said, serious efforts to integrate into the neighborhoods it serves.
In Rye, that has already meant connecting with the Rye Chamber of Commerce — “they were very helpful in getting the word out that we were hiring” — and this fall will mean forming alliances with school and other community groups, Szot said.
Szot does not take succeeding in Rye for granted, but she was not surprised maman has received an enthusiastic welcome.
“We’ve had Rye on our radar for a while now,” she said.
By tracking customer feedback, maman’s leaders noticed a lot of their Manhattan customers moved to Rye over the last dozen years, especially during the pandemic.
Deciding to make the move became much easier when The Snackery, a privately held bakery café, closed its doors at the end of 2025.
“We were really thankful for that kind of space, which had really good bones to work with,” Szot said.
Once the space was leased, it took about six months to convert it into a maman restaurant. The company invested in design that includes a large floral installation and a custom postcard by Westchester artist Meredith Wing featuring a croissant and the handwritten message “bonjour, rye.”
Those are the kind of touches Szot hopes will make customers feel they can “linger and hang out” in a space that is a bit of “a home away from home.”
