Longbeach Cafe celebrates three years in business

On Sunday, Longbeach Cafe's three co-owners — Colleen Collandra, her husband Pete Collandra and Jeff Daly — reminisced about opening in 2014, when the breakfast and lunch joint was one of the few businesses in Whitney Beach Plaza. Since then, business has started to return at the shopping center.

“It’s been nice to watch it come back to life,” Daly said.

Since Longbeach Cafe opened, Daly said such businesses as watersports store Island Adventure Outfitters and a branch of Caswell Legal have moved into the shopping center. He also noted the recent reopening of bar and lounge Tiny’s.

The co-owners share fond memories about Isabelle’s Eatery, a similar restaurant that used to operate at the Longbeach Cafe location. Daly and his family had frequented Isabelle’s since the 1980s, and Colleen Collandra had worked there as manager and chef, a role she has reprised for the Longbeach Cafe.

Pete Collandra, who was a Longboat Key firefighter for 30 years, was prone to stopping in at Isabelle’s for breakfast before starting shifts. It’s where he met his wife. He and Colleen have been married since 1999.

Daly recalled when he asked Colleen and her sister Marlene Zobel, who works as a manager at Longbeach Cafe, what they thought of opening a restaurant at the former Isabelle’s location.

“They were like, ‘Heck yeah!,” Daly said with a laugh.

Colleen Collandra said she has gotten to a point where she knows most of her customers by name.

“We see the same faces over and over again,” she said, smiling while working behind the service counter.

Collandra said her philosophy for keeping customers coming back has been to keep her offerings “fresh and consistent.” She mentioned that everything on the menu is made from scratch.

Server Karin Wise is one of many staff members who have worked at the Longbeach Cafe since its opening. She noted two aspects of the job that keep her vested in the restaurant: the management (she referred to as “the sweetest boss in the world”) and the quality of the food.

“Everything we serve here is good,” Wise said. “You never have to worry about it, and that makes a big difference when you’re a server.

Pete Collandra, who has been responsible for many renovations to the property, said the outdoor patio overlooking Bishops Bayou has been a hit with patrons, and he hopes the Gulf Islands Water Shuttle, which includes a stop at Whitney Beach Plaza, will bring in more business.