What's Changing at Pittsford Plaza This Fall, and How One New Lease Moved a Local Café

"Recently, we were informed that our current location, 3349 Pittsford Plaza, has been rented to a national franchise chain."

Root 31 Café & Eatery's owners wrote that line in a letter to the Town of Pittsford dated February 10, 2026. At that point the café had served Pittsford for 13 years. The letter went on to describe a relocation that had "brought considerable stress and challenges." The letter didn't name the chain. Seven months later, plaza owner Wilmorite did.

The announcements have arrived one at a time: Burlington, Warby Parker, a coffee house. Read together, and checked against town records, they tell a different story than the headlines. Most of the plaza's fall lineup is still scheduled, pending or delayed. The change that will reshape the plaza most visibly started with one lease and ended with a local café rebuilding a bank's drive-thru lanes into a patio.

The Lease Behind the Move

On September 16, Wilmorite announced that Burlington would open at Pittsford Plaza in a 22,934-square-foot space between Trader Joe's and the coming Warby Parker. According to research done for this post, Root 31 had occupied the space that went to Burlington. Root 31's application to the town ties its move directly to the lease of its storefront to a national franchise.

The Democrat and Chronicle reported that this will be Burlington's sixth store in greater Rochester. The others are in Canandaigua, Greece, Henrietta, Irondequoit and Penfield. Plaza general manager Jay Wilmot said in a statement that Burlington's presence "expands our retail mix and gives shoppers even more choices for everyday needs and seasonal trends."

The opening date depends on where you look. Wilmorite didn't give one in its announcement. 13WHAM reported that Burlington's own website lists October 30 as opening day. As of today, October 3, that is a posted schedule four weeks away. The store hasn't opened yet.

A Bank Drive-Thru Becomes a Patio

Root 31 isn't going far. The Democrat and Chronicle reported on July 6 that the new location will be built behind Citizens Bank, about 400 yards from the current storefront at 3349 Monroe Ave. That storefront sits between Shear Ego Salon & Spa and Elite Tailor Inc. The café said it would keep serving from the current location while construction is underway.

The town file has the details. The new space is in the Citizens Bank building in the plaza parking lot. It measures 2,618 square feet, up from the 2,300 the café has now, and it needs a complete buildout. The letter says the café won't use the building's drive-thru. That area will become outdoor seating, with a door leading into the dining room. Here is the plan as filed:

• Patio: 11 tables and 44 chairs, screened by a fence of planters and bushes for protection and privacy
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with Sundays running 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Menu: the same concept, with expanded breakfast and dinner options, still with no fried food
• Staff: ten employees now, and the café hopes to keep a similar number

The letter also describes the café's commitments to local ingredients and vendors and a zero-waste policy: "if it doesn't decompose, it gets recycled."

The Design Review Board met on July 9. Architect Joe O'Donnell confirmed that the project's special use permit had been approved. The patio will go behind the building's columns, next to the existing cash machine. Under an agreement with the property owner, a deck-like structure will be built over the drive lanes rather than filling them with concrete. O'Donnell told the board the decking material wouldn't be visible from the sides. Board members also discussed how easy the front door will be to find, so look for the patio side when you visit.

Because the deck sits on top of the drive lanes, the lanes stay where they are underneath. That detail came out of the agreement with the property owner. For anyone who has used that Citizens Bank lane, the spot where cars once lined up will hold café tables.

Scheduled, Confirmed or Still Pending

The fall timelines have shifted since they were first announced. Here is where each change stands as of October 3, 2026, based on the most recent source for each:

Warby Parker is the clearest example of a slipped date. When it was announced in August, local coverage said the store would open at Pittsford Plaza this fall. The company's own location page for 3349 Monroe Ave., Suite 27-A, now says "Opening 2027" and offers an email signup for updates. So the space shown as "forthcoming" next to Burlington in September's announcement will probably still be waiting when Burlington opens.

Root 31's timing has also moved. The February letter set a goal of opening "no later than June 1st 2026." That date has passed. The architect was still before the Design Review Board on exterior changes in July. No public source found for this post confirms that the new location has opened. As of this writing, Root 31's website still sends online orders to 3349 Monroe Avenue.

The Coffee House Still Before the Planning Board

Haraz Coffee House has the least settled timeline of the plaza's proposals. Wilmorite's application describes a coffee shop with espresso and beverage service, light baking, and seating for about 80 people inside and 15 outside. Haraz is a Yemeni coffee concept. Its New York locations include a Buffalo café at 471 Elmwood Ave.

Tahira Amjad of Haraz presented the application at the Planning Board's September 14 meeting. She said the Development Review Committee report had come in and the architect was working on responses. Vice Chairman Alguire asked whether the grease trap was being evaluated, and Amjad said those comments would be addressed. The board opened the public hearing and kept it open. The September 28 agenda listed Haraz as a continued hearing. No record of a decision from that meeting was found for this post.

Haraz has also proposed a location in Brighton. Filings there describe a 3,950-square-foot café at Townline Commons, 2851 W. Henrietta Road, and call it the brand's first Rochester-area location. That one is a proposal as well. Pittsford and Brighton are reviewing their applications separately, so either could finish first.

Where This Leaves a Regular Plaza Run

For now, the Pittsford Plaza you drive into looks much like it did last spring. Mamma G's has been serving dinner since February. Down Monroe Avenue at Wegmans, The Grill took over from the Burger Bar in May. Root 31 says it will keep serving at its current location until the new one is ready.

The order of what comes next follows from the lease. Burlington can't move into the storefront until Root 31 moves out. Root 31 can't move out until the decking, patio and interior at the Citizens Bank building are finished. If Burlington opens on the date its website lists, Root 31's move will be finished or nearly finished by late October. Check Root 31's website or call before heading over for breakfast.

Plaza changes like these affect daily routines, and over time they shape how a part of town feels to the people who live near it. If you're thinking about what everyday life looks like around Monroe Avenue, or you'd just like to compare notes on how Pittsford is changing, Stacie Whitbeck would be glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.