ALBANY — An April 1 opening date for the second location of Mr Bumbles Cafe turned out to be a joke, albeit unintentional.
But, after hoop-jumping with permitting agencies for six days, chef-owner Brandon Doran began serving Tuesday in the cafe off the lobby on the ground floor of an office building at 677 Broadway.
Although the cafe has no outdoor sign yet or other visible presence from the street, on-premises employees streamed downstairs throughout opening day, Doran said Wednesday morning.
“The line for lunch just kept coming,” he said.
The original Mr Bumbles, at 263 New Scotland Ave., celebrated its fifth anniversary in February. Doran, the founding chef of Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern, established the cafe brand with business partner Tom Vacanti, a veteran educator and real estate investor who for the past two years has also owned the pub Dove + Deer in Albany’s Center Square neighborhood.
The 677 Broadway space was operated until about a year ago as Primrose Cafe by the steakhouse 677 Prime, also located in the building, and before that by B-rads Catering as B-rads Bistro Express. Doran said in February he chose to open downtown because he was offered a financially appealing, five-year lease and believes he can expand his customer base beyond those who work in the building to other downtown employees and to the growing nearby residential population.
The company is planning a third location, in downtown Troy, that will open later this year or early 2027, Doran said. He declined to make its location public yet. The original serves from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.