Martine's Bake Shoppe, Patisserie Salzburg and Johnny Rockets to Open Scarsdale Locations

Though Scarsdale's business owners may not be completely out of the recession quite yet, three new businesses are slated to move into town in the next two months.

Martine's Fine Bake Shoppe is one such business set to open in April with a prime commuter location at 48 East Parkway. The shop, which offers baked goods, soups and sandwiches, is owned by brother and sister duo Yuval Golan and Tal Campana, both of whom are from Israel.

Diana Bonsignore, manager of Martine's Tuckahoe location, explained that the shop is anticipating high volumes of commuter foot traffic when the new Scarsdale location opens near the inbound Metro-North trains. Martine's in Tuckahoe is also footsteps from the Metro-North.

Bonsignore said that she anticipates Martine's new location becoming successful, despite the recession's lingering effects. 

"Martine's owners told me once, 'Even if there are hard economic times, people will always stop for something sweet,'" Bonsignore said. "I hope the recession's over, but here we've been fairly successful despite it."

Lewis Arlt, president of the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce, said that some businesses in Scarsdale are struggling, while others have fared the recession surprisingly well.

"Last year, more places closed than opened," Arlt explained. "The reaction [of business owners] to the recession is mixed. There are some shops saying they haven't recovered and are still struggling, but one shop, Rothman's, said they had the best year yet."

In an informal poll at a Chamber meeting, the consensus, Arlt said, was a "mixed bag," but no set characteristic defined struggling businesses as opposed to their more successful counterparts.

So while most Scarsdale business owners seem to be on shaky ground, Arlt said that Scarsdale is nevertheless an desirable place to launch new business ventures.

"Scarsdale is a very appealing community to be in for any business. If someone sees an opportunity to get in, they're certainly going to try," Arlt said. 

Par Shakiban, the owner of Rye-based bakery Patisserie Salzburg, said the decision to open a new shop in Scarsdale was made on the knowledge of the village's "sophisticated crowd."

"People in Scarsdale have a higher caliber income, and I don't think the bakery will have any problem benefiting from the location," said Shakiban.

The owner of the Eclisse restaurants in White Plains and Stamford, CT, Laguna in White Plains and Piatto Grill in Yorktown Heights, Shakiban is no stranger to new business ventures. He's been involved in Patisserie Salzburg with business partner Manfred Herz, for 12 years and expects the bakery's high-end foods to be at a new Scarsdale location on Popham Road.

Shakiban noted three principles he believes are key for any business venture: location, the quality of goods or services (he said the shop's rugelach, danishes and pastries are favorites in Rye) and price structure.

Shakiban explained that with the shaky economy, a business's price structure might mean absorbing additional costs and sacrificing larger profits just to stay in business.

"We're very aware of the situation in the economy, so we're working with the times," Shakiban explained. "The profit margin may not be as good as when times are good, but we're working on it."

Johnny Rockets is yet another restaurant set to open its doors in Scarsdale.

Johnny Rockets Group, Inc., a California-based company, offers a 1950s nostalgic diner setting and a menu featuring "all-American favorites, including juicy hamburgers, classic sandwiches and hand-dipped shakes and malts," according to their website.

The new franchise location will be near the A&P on White Plains Rd.

While the company did not return inquires from Patch, Johnny Rockets seems to be expanding rapidly around the globe. According to press releases, new Johnny Rockets have opened in Miami, Las Vegas, the Phillippines and South Korea since December 2010.