78 Foster Settles In At Former Backbar Grille Location

Helene Donnelly, who was the floor manager at Backbar Grille on Foster Avenue in Hampton Bays for four years, is now the leaseholder of the restaurant location and she has given the venue a new menu, new vibe and new name: 78 Foster Restaurant & Bar.

The Manorville resident, who is originally from Sayville, has worked in the restaurant industry for decades, with credits including Cricket’s in Sayville and The Waters Edge in East Moriches.

When the chance came to lease 78 Foster Avenue, she jumped at the opportunity, and she said the reasons why were clear: “The customers and the staff.

“The customers here are phenomenal. We love them. They come in and they’re like, ‘Helene, we feel like we’re in your kitchen. I say, ‘You are.’”

Ms. Donnelly said 78 Foster is clean, bright and cheery, and caters to a 45 and older crowd. “The food is phenomenal,” she added, with fresh seafood, bread and produce delivered daily.

Her chefs are J. Marbach Jr. and Celestino Moranchel, and among the kitchen’s specialties are seafood mac and cheese, steamed Shinnecock clams, escargot, Foster’s cheesesteak sandwich, hot or cold lobster rolls, and the signature dessert, the 78 Foster Banana Foster Chimichanga.

Specials include $6.50 burgers on Tuesday nights, steak for $19.95 on Thursdays and family day on Sundays with prime rib for $26.99.

Live music begins at 5 p.m. on Fridays and at 9 p.m. on Saturdays. Happy hour is daily at the bar from 3 to 7 p.m.

Ms. Donnelly has also taken over the other side of 78 Foster Avenue, Tully’s Fish Market & Snack Shack, which has long been a popular stop for beachgoers headed to Ponquogue Beach on Dune Road in Hampton Bays. The market offers seafood and sandwiches, and the snack shack offers fried food and outdoor seating with counter service.

Ms. Donnelly noted she plans to stay awhile: She has an 18-year lease. She also said she loves Hampton Bays and plans to move to the area in a few years, as soon as her youngest child finishes high school.

In the meantime, she’ll treat 78 Foster like home and her patrons as her visitors, saying, “They walk through this door, they’re coming into my home.”

Backbar Grille chef Randy Riess had plans to take over the restaurant space from former owner Tim Burke and to move the Lobster Grille there, as Lobster Grille had closed its original location on West Inlet Road in Southampton. However, Mr. Riess said that, after negotiations with the landlord, the plans did not materialize.

The 78 Foster kitchen is open Sunday through Thursday from noon to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. For more information, visit 78fosterhamptons.com or call 631-594-3967 for reservations.