Metro Cafe Turns to Burritos to Draw the Greenport Movie Crowds

Business has been a bit tough for Tom Scarlatos, trying to run his first restaurant attached to the historic on Front Street.

Scarlotos, 35, first opened the restaurant over Memorial Day weekend as the Metro Café serving coffee drinks, paninis and wraps. But aside from big nights like the premier of in mid-July, the Metro wasn't drawing the movie crowds.

So, he went with burritos.

"I just don't think I had the right angle — there are so many good delis and cafés in town anyway," said Scarlotos, who commutes from Stony Brook Wednesday through Sunday to open for dinner hours. "But we are the only burrito bar in town."

The café's makeover happened overnight about two weeks ago, with darker colors now a Southwestern adobe brown covering the walls and hot sauce decorating the tables. The menu features gigantic meat or vegetarian burritos, nachos and salads and a variety of teas and smoothies.

"I wanted to give it a real Tex-Mex feel, and I figured nachos would really work with the moviegoers," Scarlatos said.

Scarlatos had worked in the restaurant business for years in Colorado and for a time at Toast in Port Jefferson before deciding to try out the movie café — which used to be a Chicago-style hot dog joint before he moved in.

"I thought about hot dogs for one second — but how many hot dogs can you sell?" he said. "Burritos are more fun."

Call 631-276-4818 for more information.