White Plains, NY - Earlier this month, Camille’s Sidewalk Café, an upscale sandwich and coffee shop, started serving breakfast, lunch and dinner a block away from the White Plains train station at 15 Bank St. and is already developing a loyal following among its neighbors and commuters walking by every morning and evening.

“We’ve been very well received and I know there is demand for fast, casual dining like Camille’s in places like Scarsdale, Rye and Mount Kisco,” said Southard, whose family has owned Continental restaurants in Rockland County for more than 30 years. “After we get this location up and running we plan to open a new location every year.”

Camille’s Sidewalk Café serves a mix of hot and cold food that Southard said is well suited for quick evening meals as well as lunches. “Dinners are a big part of our business,” said Southard. “Our pizzas, salads and paninis are perfect for people who don’t want a big, full dinner. We have a comfortable seating area and serve beer and wine, so you can have a real dinner here.”

Camille’s menu features 10 wraps, paninis, grilled hot wraps, salads, flatbread personal pizzas and smoothies. Corporate and private catering is also available, and Southard said businesses in nearby buildings already have started having Camille’s cater their lunches. The Bank Street restaurant has seating for 80 people inside and, living up to its name, will have a sidewalk café with seating for 25 people during warm weather.

The White Plains location was selected for Westchester County’s first location because it is surrounded by a mix of offices and apartment buildings at a corner with heavy pedestrian traffic, Southard said. “This location is simply amazing, and they’re planning to build a hotel and more offices and apartments nearby, which will only increase our traffic. We looked at a number of other locations and felt this was the best.”

Bank Street is on the far western edge of downtown White Plains and Southard said another location further east near Broadway or Mamaroneck Avenue will likely be their first expansion location, although some of Westchester’s other pedestrian-friendly downtown areas such as Bronxville, and Mt. Kisco have also caught her eye.

Southard opened Camille’s Sidewalk Café in a partnership with her husband, Dan Southard, and brother and sister in-law, Stanley and Cathy Olszewski. The four have been in the full-service restaurant business for decades and Southard said they were looking for new opportunities when they heard about Camille’s Sidewalk Café, a relatively new franchise chain that has 80 locations in 35 states.

Using a franchise helped the partners, whose area development agreement with Camille’s covers all of Westchester County, with items such as signage, interior design, menus and some specialty ingredients like breads and sauces. “We are still able to buy top-quality meats and baked goods from local suppliers,” said Southard, who is particularly proud of her bagels, which are picked up every morning at a bakery near her home in Rockland County. “We wanted to have control over purchases such as meats because quality and consistency are so important.”

Camille’s employs 15 people in addition to the four owners and Southard said she’s already training some for management positions with an eye toward opening more locations. “We have a great team and a great product,” said Southard. “I really think we’re going to take off.”

About Camille’s Sidewalk Café: Located at 15 Bank St. in downtown White Plains, Camille’s Sidewalk Café offers breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as corporate and private catering. The White Plains cafe is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., with later evening hours during warm weather. Takeout and delivery service is available and Camille’s has seating for 80 people in a comfortable dining room. For more information and to make catering orders call (914) 288-WRAP (9727).

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