Between the Bread is the leading NYC caterer for corporate events, cocktail parties, celebrations, board meetings, formal dinners, galas, marketing and PR events. We had a chance to talk to the part owner of the restaurant, Jon Eisen, who shared with us a few tidbits about the restaurant, their food, concept, and business philosophy. Here’s what we learned:
FriendsEAT: Tell us a little something about your restaurant.
Jon Eisen: In 1979, Ricky Eisen opened the first Between The Bread eatery in midtown Manhattan with the mission of changing the way people viewed a standard corporate lunch. Through new, flavorful and seasonal ingredients and a vegetable-focused menu, Ricky quickly took the mundanity out of lunchtime and transformed New York’s lunch scene. Fast forward to now, Between The Bread has become an eminent corporate catering and event planning company in New York, and has come full circle in expanding it’s line of eateries, opening two new retail locations in Chelsea and Bryant Park joining their iconic 55th St. eatery this past year.
FE: Are there any Awards you have received? Any you’re particularly proud of?
Jon: Throughout our 30+ year history, we’ve won a number of awards and industry recognitions, often for the food and the quality of our catering business. But the one we’re actually most proud of is the Interior Design Award we won way back in 1981 from Restaurant and Institutions magazine. They honored our very first eatery on 56th Street for its unique and inviting layout.. and it’s been the inspiration for how we’ve designed our eateries ever since.
FE: What is your restaurant philosophy? Is there something that everyone strives for with each action taken at your restaurant?
Jon: At Between The Bread, our mission is to change the perception, and standards, of the way we eat. We serve sophisticated chef-cooked meals in a quick-serve environment, promoting nutritionally balanced and healthy meals that are as fresh and flavorful as they are natural and healthful. Our chefs prepare new specials daily and we rotate our vegetables and grains every month based on the freshest vegetables of the season to ensure the highest quality of food options in our space.
Sustainability and environmental impact is also a priority for us. Everything served at our stores is compostable, biodegradable, or in some cases post-consumer recycled, and our food sourcing always takes health and environmental factors under consideration: we use wild caught fish, sustainably and ecologically sourced salmon, “free chicken” (hormone, antibiotic and cage-free), and so on. We try to reduce food waste by adopting a “sell out” model, where we may sell out of a certain item(s) throughout the day, and anything left over will be given away to the hungry. We go further as to offer recycling and composting at our stores, and we try to source as much as possible locally, especially in our drink and snack selection. We are constantly figuring out ways of being greener and fresher.. better for you, and better for the environment.
Glazed Sesame Salmon
FE: What is your most popular dish? Why do people love it?
Jon: Our most popular dish is our glazed sesame salmon and our kale salad. It’s the mix on the salmon, as well as the way our chefs cook them to be moist and flavorful, that just makes this plate so addictive. Our customers return for it again and again, with several who insist on having it every day, despite our best efforts to get them to try some of our other great tasting selections.
FE: What makes you stand out above the rest?
Jon: Two things: the type of food we serve and the atmosphere we generate where we serve it. At Between The Bread, sure you’ll find only the highest quality, freshest ingredients at the foundation of every small batch menu item we prepare. But at the end of the day, you are getting a chef-prepared, restaurant-quality meal at a grab-and-go pace, and I think we are the only ones who can execute it as well as we do for the price we offer to our consumers. The second is our retail eatery space itself and our service. It’s rustic, quirky, but surprisingly hi-tech friendly and accessible. We host large wooden communal lunch tables where you can strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger over a healthy lunch, or hold a casual business meeting, and our staff are thoroughly trained to promote the BTB experience. That’s what sets us apart.
Kale Salad
FE: Do you offer any deals such as happy hour specials, brunches, etc?
Jon: We often host tastings and free sample days which have proven quite popular. We just did one with Thea’s English Tea in our Chelsea location. It gives our customers an opportunity to explore their palate, discover new brands and learn the interesting stories behind the product lines we’ve chosen to showcase at our eateries. We also offer occasional discounts, tastings and promotions to local companies that reach out to us individually. Lastly, again to reduce food waste, we offer discounts on all food after 04:00PM (so it makes for a great dinner to-go if you are short on time!).
Between The Bread is located at 20A East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016
[mappress mapid=”234″]Nearby Landmarks: Jack’s 99 Cent Store, Quintessential Wines, Park Avenue Liquor Shop, and This is not A Ketubah.
Phone Number: (212) 765-1840
Hours of Operation:
- Mon – Fri 07:00AM – 06:00PM
Dining Style: Healthy fast casual
Cuisine Type: Seasonal American food
Dress Code: Casual
Price Range: $6-13.25
Payment Options: Cash or credit card