Owner Prepares To Bid Adieu To Iconic NYC Eatery, Embraces New Chapter In Westhampton Beach: 'I Am Home'

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — With the iconic Donohue's Steak House set to close soon on the Upper East Side after 75 years rich with memories, owner Maureen Donohue-Peters has poured a future full of dreams into her newest location — Donohue's East in Westhampton Beach.

At Donohue's East, which opened in July, 2025, her hope is to nurture deep roots and create a touchstone that the community can call home.

Subscribe

Donohue-Peters said she is eager to be out on the East End full-time, and to expand the offerings at the eatery, including menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

While her years in New York have been infused with joy, the city has changed, with crime a concern, she said.

"Life is too short," she said. "I just want to enjoy this; I'm excited to spend more time here. It's time for me to sit back and reap the rewards without thinking, 'What's going to happen tonight?' Or worrying about loonies coming through the front door."

In Westhampton Beach, she said, there's "a calmness. It's beautiful."

And, she said, the timing felt right. "I accomplished a lot in the city," she said. "I had to make a decision to break clean, and so I just did it. I want to go out at the top of my game."

Reflecting on her journey, Donohue-Peters told Patch: "I'm proud of being able to keep the family legacy thriving, 26 years after my father has passed."

Reflecting on the legacy of love and tireless dedication she kept alive, Donohue-Peters said she doesn't believe her father "ever intended it to go on as long as it did." Her heart, she said, has been focused on making her father proud.

"Every day when walk in the door, I look at his picture over the register and say, 'Hey, Dad.'"

The photo will live on over the register in Westhampton Beach — as will Donohue-Peters' tireless work ethic: She is, by no means, retiring in the Hamptons. Instead, she is bringing her dedication and commitment to the new eatery.

Leaving the New York location, while the right decision, is not without some mixed emotions, she said.

Memories flood her mind and heart: "I remember being five years old, counting quarters on the top of the bar. All of the memories — so many people. It's where I grew up. It's where I became me. It's my backbone."

Whether on the Upper East Side or in Westhampton Beach, Donohue-Peters has remained true to the tenets that she holds close — about creating a space where all are welcome, where customers are close as family. — and the restaurant, home.

"It's not about how much money someone made, or what they were wearing .It's about coming in, being nice, being kind, getting along. I've always liked that low-key atmosphere," she said.

With Donohue's Steak House in New York set to close in mid-to-late June, the good-byes will echo, she said.

"It's bittersweet. I'm leaving my second family behind — people I've worked with, that I've waited on. I'm leaving all of that behind," she said.

And, while it's unclear if new owners will buy the pieces that have defined the space — black-and-white checkerboard tile floors, a solid mahogany bar where stories are woven into every polished surface — Donohue-Peters said if the interior is not sold, the bar can be disassembled and moved to the Hamptons, ready for its next incarnation.

"The bar comes apart in five pieces; it's tongue and groove. We could move it anywhere," she said.

The bar, she said, has been a touchstone since 1950, all original. "We replaced the top of the bar probably 15, 18 years ago. 'Law and Order' was filming, cracked the bar, and it had to be replaced."

It took about two days to make templates to the replica was exact, she said.

Her hope, she said, is that new owners create the same, cozy feeling that was long a hallmark of the beloved space. "I want to to have that warm feeling," she said. "If it didn't — if there were people there that didn't know you by your name, or, after they served you a drink, they don't speak to you — that would break my heart."

Donohue-Peters said the decision to close the New York location was not based on any kind of financial hardship.

"This is about quality of life — a new chapter of my life," she said. "You're not promised time. At this stage of my life, I want to work hard, but I also want to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures. I want to go on the boat — look at the water. Not hop on the subway and go to work, looking over my shoulder. I know both lives — and I prefer to have the one that's spent listening to the seagulls."

And so, she said, when she told her landlord she did not want to extend the lease, she knew it was time. As the years pass, she said, "We all slow down. It's time to smell the coffee and enjoy. Simple, to me, is best."

Also, Donohue-Peters said, the Westhampton Beach location is a perfect place for her vibrant next act. "Westhampton Beach happened for a reason. When I walked into Westhampton Beach, I felt my father's presence there, too. Now, I am home."

Telling her longtime staff in New York wasn't easy, Donohue-Peters said. "I ripped the Band-Aid off; I wanted them to hear the news from me, before anyone else knew — that's fair. It's the proper thing to do."

And, she said, she wanted to give them a few months' notice. "My kitchen and waitstaff, my bartenders — it's like family," she said, adding that some offered to head to Donohue's East in the summer.

Looking ahead, Donohue-Peters said she is at peace with her decision. "Life is like a book, we have to have new chapters," she said. "This has put me in a really happy place. I love to work, but I want to be relaxed. I'm turning 65, I'm done — happiness is Number One."

Her father, she said, often told her: "Never be afraid to close your doors. Never look back; hold your head up high.' I've lived by my father's philosophy my whole life."

And, Donohue-Peters said, while the New York closure is filled with emotion, there is also a deep sense of pride: "How many people can say they've seen three or four generations of customers come in? That's a good thing. We've gone through highs and lows with them, fabulous good times, and bad times. I'm leaving a thriving business behind. I'm leaving at the top of my game — I've never been busier or more successful. And now, looking back, there will always be a smile on my face."

Donohue's East, a new chapter

Looking ahead to plans for Donohue's East, she is happy, Donohue-Peters said, to offer breakfast — eggs and pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit — comforting foods to start the day in a warm and inviting space.

"I'm in the business to make people happy," she said.

Her father, who started the business in 1950, died in 2000 — and Donohue-Peters has carried forth his legacy ever since.

"I'm in my 47th year, so I'm pretty close to what he did," she said. If her father were to weigh in, about how she's taken the reins and carried on his dream, she said: "I think he would say, 'Thank you.'"

In Westhampton Beach, the eatery will remain a family affair, with relatives working alongside her. "Whenever you're there, you will see family," she said. "The tradition is just starting a new chapter — a new chapter in the same book."

Looking back on the shining moments in New York City, Donohue-Peters say they echo those she hopes to experience in Westhampton Beach. "Just making people smile. People saying, 'God, I had a great time last night.'"

Far from a person who'd take weeks off to travel — "That's not me. I'll definitely be at work," she said —Donohue-Peters plans to plunge right her work at the Westhampton Beach space, an every-day presence, welcoming all who enter with her warm smile.

Aside from a bit of tweaking, she said plans include a back porch and garden section in the back.

To her clientele at Donohue's Steak House, she said: "I would say, 'It's not good-bye. Thank you for all the memories. It's been a wonderful ride — and I'm happy they could be on it with me. Thank you for trusting me and for helping me to create a very successful restaurant."

Of the customers, many of whom have promised to follow her to the Hamptons, she said: "I adore them. My customers are what keep me coming back to work."

Reflecting on her life, Donohue-Peters said: "I have a smile on my face. I'm happy — and I know my father's happy. My father always said, 'Pick something you love and you'll never work a day in your life.' I'm very happy that in New York, I'm ending on a high note."

If she could speak to her father, just one more time, Donohue-Peters said she knows just what she would say: "We did it."

Last year, Donohue-Peters cut the ribbon as she unveiled her newest venture, Donohue's East.

Donohue-Peters is a local, who moved to Hampton Bays when she was in the fifth grade and whose roots are deeply entwined in the rich beauty of the East End. And so it seemed fitting that when she decided to open a new location, it would be just miles from the beach where she lifeguarded as a teen and from the homes where she and her closely-knit siblings still live.

And from the first moment the first guests stepped onto that iconic porch and into the storied building beloved by locals for decades, many agreed that it felt not like just entering a new restaurant — but instead, like coming home. Home to a dinner prepared and served lovingly by a warm and welcoming family who exuded joy as they hugged friends old and new.

Donohue-Peters, who partnered with her niece Mary Barrie at the new spot, said opening night was exciting. "You realize how important it is, to have family around," she said. "They ended up working. We're from a family where everyone has always just pitched in. It's nice to see the legacy passed on to the fourth generation — and to see ownership in the family business passed on, too, to my niece. Mary and I have worked together for 15 years and just to see her come full circle as an owner makes me very proud."

Of the warmth that emanated with every home-cooked meal brought from the kitchen, or the family members who donned waitressing garb to help out, Donohue-Peters said: "I view the restaurant as an extension of home."

The Westhampton community she added, has been very welcoming. "Everyone has been saying how they've been waiting for so long for a restaurant to come to Westhampton Beach that's just low-key, serving plain, good food. They're excited that we're year-round, too."

On opening night, the storied building, gleaming and fresh from its facelift — but with everything, the bar, the light fixtures, the tables on the porch, all the same and familiar, just as it always was, when the space was the Post Stop for decades — tables of guests filled the room with laughter and conversation.

Their faces were wreathed in smiles as they tucked into heaping plates filled with warm, comforting fare, including Shepherd's pie, meat loaf, turkey dinners, chicken pot pie and steaks — recipes that have been passed down through generations, Donohue-Peters said.

The biggest hits of that night were steak, Shepherd's pie — and a dizzying number of burgers ordered, she said. "I would never have imagined the number of burgers I served!"

People are craving the comfort of homemade, nourishing food, recipes from their collective pasts. "No one has simplicity anymore," she said. "Sometimes when you go out you just want a burger, broiled chicken, turkey — things that bring back warm memories of days gone by."

That feeling of warmth enveloped Donohue-Peters when she stepped into the eatery from the very first, she said.

"When I walked into the place first, when I first met Sandy Patterson, the previous owner, I sat down and I thought, 'Oh, my God, I'm home. It feels like home.'"

For Donohue-Peters, the journey is a homecoming in every sense of the word, and her plan is to be at the restaurant day and night, welcoming diners to share meals and memory-making moments.

"I don't care if someone is having a burger and a beer — or a steak and a martini," she said. "It makes no difference to me how much money someone makes. Just come in, enjoy, and leave saying, 'God, I had a great time at Mary and Mo's."

To her new clientele, Donohue-Peters said: "Welcome! To me, it’s a dream. I've come full circle and I’m happy that I’m home. I'm happy I can ease the day for people."

A strong work ethic is something she and everyone in her loving, extended family share, she said. On a regular day, a customer will find Dononhue-Peters bartending, or preparing for the lunch rush. "It's so important in this business to make sure you know all the basics of your restaurant, from the kitchen to the dining room to the bar," she said.

When things get busy, she immediately dons her waitressing clothes and Barrie, her chef's garb.

And, every family member who jumps in to help, also makes sure to stop by tables, to talk to customers. "There's nothing worse than when you go to a restaurant and the waitress takes your order and then, the next thing you know, a runner plops it down and then, a busser picks it up when you're done," Donohue-Peters said. "There's zero interaction between the staff and the people. You've got to interact — ask people how their meal was, make it a good time."

One of the best parts of opening the restaurant is that her extended family, all of whom live in the area, will be helping out, making memories, and passing on the legacy of a deeply-rooted and beloved business to the next generation, she said.

"My siblings are my best friends," Donohue-Peters said. "At the end of the day, family matters. It's ingrained in all of us — family values."

Even her tiny great-nieces and nephews are already stating that one day, they, too, will join the family and work at the restaurant, she said. "It's nice to pass on the legacy."

And for those who have no family, who are single or widowed and alone in the world, Donohue-Peters has created a haven where they can come for a meal, for conversation, for comfort. A place that's not pretentious, that feels, indeed, like the home so many yearn for, she said. "You've got to make it home for people that don't have that," she said.

And, of keeping the treasured space intact, she said, "It's a piece of history for Westhampton Beach, and you want to treat it that way."

Kristen Collins, Donohue-Peters' niece, also spoke with Patch about her family's enduring legacy. Reflecting on the Upper East Side location of Donohue's, she said, "I'm pretty sure every member of our huge, extended family has worked at or helped out at Donohue's in the city, and I'm sure that will continue here," she said.

Collins said she's thrilled that Donohue's East is so close to home, a place where all the family will join hands and hearts and shepherd the legacy forward.

"This is family — and we want to welcome everyone who comes into our family," she said. "It's such a special thing."

As a mom, Collins said she's excited for her son, three years old, to grow up the way she did, eager to go to the restaurant, to "stop in and say hi to Aunt Mo and Aunt Mary," the way she used to stop by the New York City eatery and "say hi to Grandpa."

Collins even found a note from third grade, where she'd written, "If you're ever in the city, stop into Donohue's and say 'hi' to my grandpa."

Her grandfather, she said, would be so proud of Donohue-Peters and Barrie, both of whom have generous and loving hearts, as well as fierce work ethics, she said.

"They're following in his footsteps; this is what my grandfather and great-grandfather would have wanted," she said.

Collins also said that the restaurant in New York has long stood as a haven and harbor for souls seeking companionship; one man was alone and ate there every night for years. When he was sick, the family, who did not offer delivery, brought his dinner to his apartment, she said.

That same sense of family will color every memory of Donohue's East, she said. "This is going to be home for people. It's so special," she said.

Brian Tymann, a Westhampton Beach village trustee and resident, purchased the storied building from the Post Stop Cafe's longtime owner Sandy Patterson.

Speaking with Patch, Tymann said he'd long had a vision of owning the building, which dates back to 1904 and was once, indeed, a post office.

"About five years ago, I approached Sandy Patterson and said, 'Hey, Sandy, when are you planning on retiring? I love this building and I want to buy it.'"

Although Patterson told him she wasn't quite ready, she urged him to stay in touch. Tymann, a frequent customer, was patient. "She's an absolutely wonderful woman, inside and out. And then, one day she said, 'I'm ready.'"

And so the journey began for the building's next chapter. The space, Tymann said, "has such a positive energy. I just love being in there, the sunlight."

When Patterson told him that she'd like to move forward with the sale, Tymann said the process was seamless. "It was really old school, there were no heavy negotiations," he said.

Tymann and his three partners purchased the property together; one of those partners, he said, told him he knew someone who'd be the perfect tenant — Donohue-Peters, who he knew well from her eatery, located on 64th and Lexington.

And when Donohue-Peters met Patterson, the two clicked instantly, immediately falling into conversation and discovering similar experiences after decades in the restaurant industry — a deep and abiding sense of shared values.

"They loved each other instantly," Tymann said. "When Maureen walked in, she said, 'That's the same vintage cash register I have at Donohue's in Manhattan.' Sandy told her, 'I never transitioned to that digital stuff; we take our orders on a notepad.' Then Maureen said, 'We do the same thing.'"

Hearts and mind aligned and a dream took shape.

"It all just came together," Tymann said. "It gives me goosebumps when I tell the story."

The New York City restaurant, which opened in 1950, was born when her grandfather Martin opened a space for each of his sons, Donohue-Peters said. Her father Michael Donohue was the mentor who taught her everything, including how to live a life rich with meaning.

"I came on in 1980 and I worked side by side with my dad every day," she said. "He died in 2000 and I've been there ever since. I promised him I'd take it to 75 years, and I took it to 75 years."

Her father's words of wisdom have guided Donohue-Peters always, she said, sharing some of his advice: "Lessons I leaned from dad included, 'Your word is everything,'" she said. "Treat someone the way you want to be treated. Remember, never forget the first rung on the ladder because you could always need it again."

And, her father also told her: "'You need to be humble. Until you walk in their shoes, Mo, you don't know. So sit back, assess it, talk to them a little bit — you can make the difference in a person's life.'"

Of her new space on the East End, Donohue-Peters said she believes her father has guided her, and that he would be "100 percent delighted."

Her father was no stranger to growth; the family had a business in Hampton Bays in the late 70s, she said; over the years, he had a number of restaurants and bars across New York City.

Just as her father taught her the business from the ground up, teaching her every role from dishwasher to salad prep, to barback and bus person, and then waitressing, she has now passed on those same lessons to her niece.

After she graduated college and expressed interest in joining the business, her father then told her to attend culinary school. "The biggest part of someone running a business is to know how to run their kitchen. If you have the confidence that you can cook yourself, you will make a winner of yourself," she said.

Barrie has learned those lessons firsthand, working alongside her aunt and, too, attending culinary school. "I followed in her footsteps," she said. "My aunt is so passionate about this business and she has such an incredible work ethic."

Both she and her aunt, she said, work 70-to-80 hour weeks.

And for Donohue-Peters, Donohue's East is a new beginning, a place to sit with a cup of coffee and chat with neighbors and customers, sharing simple joys, days colored with laughter and fun. It's a place to carry on the work she's done since she was old enough to imagine the rest of her life.

"I just love the restaurant business; I can't picture myself doing anything else," Donohue-Peters said.

The best advice for business and life came from her father, her best friend and mentor, Donohue-Peters said. "Work hard and it will be rewarding. Love what you do and just treat people kindly. Work the magic."

Donohue's East is located at 144 Main Street in Westhampton Beach.