White and gold balloons, free ice coffees, and enthusiastic hellos greeted customers this week when Winfield Street Coffee got back to business after 35 days of battling with its landlord, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The MTA ordered Winfield to shut down on Aug. 18, about six weeks after the Rye location had opened, after inspectors found a small range and fryer in its kitchen that had not been officially permitted.
Winfield owner Breno Donatti offered to remove that equipment immediately so he could continue operating, but the MTA rejected that proposed quick fix. Winfield was closed for nearly five weeks before the MTA renewed the café’s certificate of occupancy in writing on Monday. In the interim, Donatti removed the unapproved equipment and installed an exhaust hood above its permitted oven.
The standoff has generated local support for Donatti and enmity toward the MTA.
“The MTA seems mired in red tape, delays and inefficiency,” wrote Amit Patel of Harrison in a Sept. 15 letter addressed to the president of the MTA. “The MTA should be working hand in hand with entrepreneurs who are willing to put their own money on the line to improve the rider experience.”
Donatti said hundreds of others also contacted the MTA with messages of support for Winfield.
Donatti not only made a substantial investment to renovate the long-shuttered Rye station, he also operates in the Croton Harmon Metro-North station and two Manhattan subway stops.
The MTA’s actions have been tough on the entrepreneur who operates or franchises seven Winfield locations in Connecticut, New York, and Florida. Since August, the MTA has withdrawn conditional determination letters it had issued that indicated the authority was on track to permit Winfield to open cafes in the Harrison train station and two more Manhattan subway stations. The letters don’t say why the MTA withdrew that support. The MTA also has begun an audit of Winfield’s existing New York city operations, said Donatti.
It is unclear why the authority has soured on Winfield. The MTA has declined to comment on the relationship other than to say it has been communicating with the company.
Donatti said he does not plan to pursue other MTA-owned locations. “I don’t want to work with them,” he said. “I want to open up where people want us. Why would I spend more resources on this relationship?”
The coffeepreneur indicated he is still gung-ho, however, about making the Rye café a success. Among his immediate plans: all customers using the Winfield app will be entitled to a free ice coffee through Sept. 30 and a “Grand Reopening Party” is in the works for Oct. 5.
Donatti said the community’s expressions of support meant a great deal to him and his team during the standoff with the MTA.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone in our community who reached out, put in a good word, and showed us so much love and support!” he wrote in an email announcing the reopening.
