Astoria bakeries - the coffeehouse alternative

Is it possible that bakeries in Astoria have an edge on coffeehouses?
While Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts offer coffee and baked goods, small bakeries often showcase an even wider selection of treats plus the added perk of a daily roast, that attract loyal customers on a daily basis.
“I come here [Ditmars Boulevard] from Steinway to get my coffee,” said Bill, an Astoria resident who stays loyal to his favorite bakery bypassing the Dunkin’ Donuts along the way, because he feels it’s about “a better price and quality” than the big-name franchise.
Many bakeries in Astoria are chock-full of coffee options with Greek, Middle Eastern, Italian, Colombian, Brazilian and even some French bakeries neighboring each other on the storefront streets of the community. Oftentimes, the different ethnicities offer their own style of coffee alongside the American pot brew.
“They have a strong coffee which you can get cold or hot … I like that about this area, it’s very versatile, very diverse,” said Robert Maguire, who often enjoys a cup of coffee in Astoria after a trip from his Middle Village home.
In addition, almost every bakery in Astoria offers a small cup of coffee for $1 to $1.25, and many of them have great morning deals where you can get a small coffee and a simple a roll or muffin for as little as $2.
Coffee became part of the bakery scene mainly because customers began to ask for it. Bakery owners such as Maria Notaro consider coffee secondary to what they sell, but other bakery owners embrace this demand for coffee and use it as an important element of their business.
George Stertsios, the owner of Martha’s Country Bakery on Ditmars Boulevard and 36th Street, recently set up a coffee bar that offers special coffeehouse drinks, but at the same time still manages to keep a small cup of regular coffee at $1.
“Coffee is essential to our business,” he said, while admitting he tries to push the little items such as cookies and cupcakes to help with overall sales hoping that the next time the customer may come back for a whole cake.
Meanwhile, some bakeries are also competing with the larger franchise by offering customers tables to sit at and read the morning paper while they have breakfast.
“To hang out in a coffee house, it needs to have space,” said Astoria resident Annie Rollings.
“As long as we have quality and do our job, they always come back,” said Notaro.