Horn & Hardart:Coffee and much more

Monday, April 21, 2003

By Gregg T. Carbone
NJS.com Executive Editor

Inside Horn & Hardart in Leonia, breakfast and lunch are served in addition to a wide variety of sweets and specialty drinks.

LEONIA - At first glance the Horn & Hardart Coffee Co. on Broad Avenue in Leonia looks like any one of the countless gourmet coffee shops that populate Northern New Jersey. But in addition to its pristine appearance and classic style Horn & Hardart is quite different from the run of the mill coffee house.

The Horn & Hardart Coffee Co. is the 21st Century version of the old Automats of the same name that were founded in 1888, starting out in Philadelphia and eventually expanding into New York.

Now, the new Horn & Hardart (officially named Horn & Hardart Coffee Co.) offers a rare blend of ambience and high quality food and coffee at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Patricia and Phillip Frezza, a middle age couple from Rockland County, bought into the franchise last year and quickly decided to bring the first Horn & Hardart in Bergen County to Leonia because of how much they loved the community following their very first visit.

"We loved it right away," said Patricia Frezza of Leonia. "Leonia is really a wonderful place. It's really an old time small town. The people are wonderful, we have a great location right on Broad Avenue…we just love it."

Coffee, coffee and more coffee!!! There's something for everyone at Horn & Hardart.

The Frezzas had owned a deli before and Patricia had run her own cleaning service prior to getting involved with Horn & Hardart so they had plenty of business experience.

Originally, the pair were going to open another deli but quickly changed their mind after learning a little about Horn & Hardart.

"I loved the concept and being that Phil and I grew up in New York we were familiar with the Automat," said Patricia Frezza, who has known her husband Phil since the two were in the first grade. "We used to go in there with our parents so we knew what it was about."

"We knew the name and we figured it was something new and something refreshing with the area."

Refreshing indeed. The Leonia location, which opened its doors on August 8th, 2002, is beautifully decorated and has free parking along with an outdoor patio. Inside, the spacious dining area has enough room to comfortably handle even the busiest of lunchtime crowds.

It's not called the Horn & Hardart Coffee Co. for nothing. Customers can get gourmet coffee by the cup or by the pound.

You won't find any Automats, though. The small, coin-operated window boxes are nowhere to be found in the new Horn & Hardart replaced instead with delicious assortment of gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads along with bagels, croissants, rolls and desserts.

Everything from a Ruben or grilled cheese to one of the Horn & Hardart originals like the That'sa Amore, the Derby or the Old Fashioned Toastini treat the palette. As delicious as the sandwiches are the prices are even more scrumptious.

"We have good quality food, fresh everyday," said Patricia Frezza. "For the quality food that we put together it is worth every penny. Plus, we give you a smile every morning and go out of our way for every single one of our customers."

Coffee was always a big part of the original Horn & Hardart and still is today. There are three delicious house blends available everyday in addition to assorted flavored coffees. But it doesn't stop there -- espresso and cappuccino are very popular as are lattes, hot chocolate and the various frozen drinks.

The Frezzas have gone out of their way to be more than just a great place to eat and get coffee, though, they have really become a part of the community, in Leonia and throughout the area.

Horn & Hardart is host to numerous special events including an open mic night. It features live music once a week and this summer will be hosting a classic car show every week called the Friday Night Cruise with the Bergen County Cruisers.

In addition, they sponsored a recreation baseball team and are working with NorthJerseySports.com to help support high school sports in North Jersey.

Patricia Frezza wants people to know that Horn & Hardart has a whole lot more than just great coffee.

Horn & Hardart will be sponsoring several site features, offer cyber specials through the site and announce special events as well as send out e-mail announcements. The first promotion H & H did with NorthJerseySports.com got a lot of response, and with good reason. In March, the Horn & Hardart ads gave readers a chance to win a free lunch by filling out a short form with their name and e-mail address. Brian Cavanagh, of Fair Lawn, was the winner but everyone else who entered will get the opportunity to receive e-mails with weekly exclusive specials.

"We are very excited about what the future holds," added Patricia Frezza. "Leonia has been great so far and we are looking forward to growing as more people find out what we are all about."