Bluestone Lane founder Nick Stone sits down for a talk with Sophia Wilson from the Southern California publication Local Wolves. The interview appears in Issue #36 and has been reprinted below.
If you ever wanted to know how Nick came up with the name Bluestone Lane or which celebrities frequent our stores then read on!
LW: What is the story behind the name of your restaurant?
NS: Bluestone Lane is really from Melbourne, Australia where the central business district is designed like a grid but it has intricate laneways all through it, and the laneways are paved with blue stone. And because I’m from Melbourne, that’s how I came up with the name!
So, what made you decide to open Bluestone here, as opposed to in Australia
I really came to go to business school here and when I arrived in New York, I just couldn’t believe how inconsistent the coffee experience was.
What are some of your favorite items on the menu?
I love our avocado smash with a poached egg, it’s great! I really like the pea smash— we do like smashed peas with mint and yogurt, and that’s pretty amazing on multi grain bread. I also really like the green baked eggs, which is baked eggs with tomatoes, chimichurri, spinach leaves, it also has some feta cheese in it. It’s beautiful. So those are probably my favorites, oh— and then obviously the coffee. My favorite coffee beverage is a piccolo latte.
What is the inspiration behind Bluestone Lane?
This is very much modeled on what you would typically find in Melbourne, with a strong sort of beach influence, which is really from Sydney, and I think when I moved to the States, I just felt this was a wonderful opportunity because coffee consumption was so high, and I mean people were really interested in healthy, awesome food, and I know that my wife and I love that! My wife is a nutritionist and she’s really into healthy eating and fitness and things, so that was really the inspiration to create something out of my own desire. It is really what I would like to go to.
Are there any other big plans in the future for Bluestone Lane?
We’re opening two more: one at the Astor Place subway entrance— it’s a huge space with big glass windows, and then our first one in Brooklyn, in DUMBO, which will be our biggest store.
How did you guys become so popular?
It’s 100% word of mouth. We’ve never used PR, and so we just hope that our customers have a good time and advocate for us, and that’s been a big influence. We use social media quite effectively: we have 20k followers on Instagram now which has pretty amazing.
Has anyone particularly famous dined at one of your locations?
Yeah, we actually have famous people come here pretty much every day! Taylor Swift’s been here three times, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Jackman, all of the Victoria Secret models. Malcolm Gladwell comes in daily, Cameron Diaz has been in here a few times.
Lastly, what is your favorite part about being here?
That’s a really great question because I think that hospitality is really more than just the food, it’s really the experience and I love coming into our stores and feeling like I’ve escaped Manhattan. Like, right now, it doesn’t really feel like we’re in the middle of Manhattan. I think that’s the most enjoyable thing for me, just to feel like I’ve got a piece of home and I can disconnect and really enjoy the welcoming and inclusive space around here.
