The father-and-son team of Jeff and Riley Christiano are used to putting out a lot of food from small spaces. Soon, they'll have plenty of room to move.
They are at work on a second location of their restaurant, The Magnet, which will open in the former home to Schaller's at 2747 West Henrietta Road in Brighton, just north of Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Road.
"It's fantastic," Jeff Christiano said of the location. "We're right in the heart of things."
The Magnet focuses on creative, hearty fried chicken sandwiches made with chicken breasts that are breaded and fried to order. Among its best sellers is the Magnet sandwich, a crispy fried chicken breast served on thick-sliced Texas toast along with lettuce, pickle and homemade "Magnetic Sauce." Other best sellers are chicken fingers as well as its take on a plate. Rounding out the menu are salads and sides.
The Christianos originally launched a food truck, then called Chick Magnet, in May 2020. It was an immediate hit, and seven months later they opened their restaurant in a tiny spot tucked back from Penfield Road in Penfield.
Six months later, they sold the truck. "We learned that fried chicken breaded to order is not the best fit for a food truck," Riley Christiano said. The Christianos eventually changed the name of the restaurant to The Magnet due to a trademark issue.
The Brighton location will seat 128 ― 10 times as many as the Penfield location, which seats 12 inside, or 20 if people can sit on the deck. And a spacious kitchen will allow them plenty of room to move.
"It'll nice to not be on top of each other," Jeff Christiano said. "We're very calculated on where we step."
The kitchen size opens up the possibility of adding bone-in chicken to the menu, which has been requested by many customers. "That's the last piece of the puzzle," Riley Christiano said.
The Christianos haven't finalized plans for the second location, other than knowing that Hayley Christiano, Riley's cousin, will serve as general manager with an eye to ownership.
They are tentatively planning an opening date in the fall. "We want to make sure we get it right," Jeff Christiano said.
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Tracy Schuhmacher is food and drink reporter. Email her at TracyS@Gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter or Instagram , or sign up for her weekly newsletter .
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Popular fried chicken spot to open new location in former Schaller's space in Brighton
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