When Western Pennsylvania’s first Toastique opens in Mt. Lebanon on June 7, people will discover more than the gourmet toasts, fresh-pressed juices, bowls, smoothies and coffee drinks that the growing franchise is known for. They will find the local owners, Brad and Chrissy Sileo, building a community gathering place that welcomes everyone in the name of healthy comfort food, reimagined.
Or, as Toastique founder Brianna Keefe says: “We are the fast-casual, modern dining your inner health nut has been waiting for.”
Keefe opened the first Toastique in Washington, D.C., in 2018, serving the kinds of food she craved as a college athlete: open-faced sandwiches like avocado toast, smoothies with fresh fruits, açai and other bowls brimming with protein and antioxidants. The restaurant’s name merges “toast” with “boutique.” Success was rapid. Today, Toastique locations are sprouting across the nation.
The Sileos, who live in nearby suburb of Upper St. Clair, have built their Toastique in a long-empty spot on Washington Road in the heart of Mt. Lebanon’s retail district. Chrissy envisions “a comfortable place for moms and kids, a place to take a meeting, a place to work, and a place to meet friends.” A living-plant wall greets customers upon entrance. Another wall features a mural by a local artist. Seating ranges from booths to tables to counter spots. The Wi-Fi is strong and electrical outlets abound.
The pleasing aesthetics match the ethos of the menu. At Toastique, “fresh” and “house-made” are how they roll. The nut butters are created on site. The hummus is freshly made. The juices are pressed in a powerful machine housed in a shower-like space, for easy cleaning after constant use.
“We don’t take shortcuts with the food,” says Brad. “Everything is made to order.”
The Sileos bring a similarly healthy attitude to their new venture. Chrissy, a certified yoga instructor, has a lifelong commitment to eating well. While raising her two sons, she was deeply engaged in local schools and community organizations. With the kids grown and on their own, she and Brad began looking for the right project to tackle. The Toastique model checked all the boxes.
Brad, who built and sold a software engineering company, works as a consultant to startups and others in the tech space and spends his spare moments as a scuba instructor. For both of them, “applying our life experience to the nuts-and-bolts of opening a business has been a great adventure,” he says.
With Chrissy responsible for day-to-day management of the restaurant, she undertook the extensive training that Toastique provides franchise operators. That involves a four-week program at one of the Washington, D.C., locations — hands-on experience with every aspect of running the shop, from toasting the bread and juicing the fruit to managing inventory and hiring employees.
The Toastique menu is both formatted and flexible. Crowd favorites are always on hand. Here’s a sampling:
• Avocado Smash, PB Crunch, Smoked Salmon in the toasts.
• The Mango Tango Bowl (mango, pineapple, lime, agave and coconut water topped with pineapple, strawberry, coconut, dried mango, lime wedge, granola, with honey) and Açai Bowl (açai, strawberry, blueberry, banana and apple juice topped with strawberry, blueberry, banana, granola, cacao nibs, with honey).
• The Gingerberry Smoothie (pitaya, mango, strawberry, lime juice, ginger, agave, coconut water) and Green Machine Smoothie (banana, pineapple, mango, spinach, kale, hemp seeds, flax seeds, lime, coconut water).
• Wellness shots in varieties of Immunity (turmeric, ginger, lemon, black pepper) and Refresh (lime, ginger, blue spirulina).
For variety, the menu has rotating items monthly or seasonally. Local franchises can experiment with some items distinct for their market.
The Sileos have a long-term vision for Toastique, aiming to open at least two more locations in the Pittsburgh area in the coming years. But to start, Mt. Lebanon is the place to be.
“It’s close to home in a community we know and love,” says Chrissy. “Mt. Lebanon feels like the right place for our first Toastique. We believe the community will embrace it, because we know we’re offering something special and ideal for the moment.”
They are hiring at least 15 people for the first location. “With our plans for expansion, we are looking for people who want to grow along with us,” says Brad.
June 7 is the Grand Opening for Toastique, located at 700 Washington Road, near the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building. Doors open at 8 am. As part of the Grand Opening Promotion, the first 100 guests will receive $50 in Toastique Reward Dollars with a $10 purchase, which go toward future visits via Toastique’s loyalty program. There will be opportunities to win other exciting prizes throughout the day.
Featured Local Businesses
The Mt. Lebanon Toastique’s regular hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.
“We are going to be your all-day place,” Brad says. “The spot for breakfast and lunch, and open late enough to grab a bite before soccer practice.”
For more information or employment questions, email Chrissy Sileo at chrissys@toastique.com