From a Lunch Counter to a Legacy: Lessing's Hospitality Group Unveils New Long Island Headquarters

GlobeNewswire | Lessing's Hospitality Group
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GREAT RIVER, N.Y., Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lessing's Hospitality Group, a sixth-generation, family-owned and operated hospitality company founded in 1890, has opened its new corporate headquarters at 3525 Sunrise Highway in Great River, New York. The move brings Lessing's corporate team together in one location and marks a new chapter for one of Long Island's oldest family-owned companies.

Company History

Lessing's story began in 1890, when Maxwell Lessing opened a lunch counter in New York City, selling sandwiches and becoming the first New York restaurateur to serve Coca-Cola to customers. It was a small but forward-thinking move for the time, and it set the tone for a company that would innovate for the next six generations.

From Maxwell's first lunch counter, Lessing's has grown into a diversified hospitality company with a portfolio spanning food service management, restaurants, and catering venues across the Northeast and Florida. In the years since, generations of the Lessing family have lived, worked, and contributed to the growth of the company.

"This is much more than a new office for us," said Michael Lessing, CEO of Lessing's Hospitality Group. "My great-great-great grandfather built this company through innovation and integrity, and those same values have carried Lessing's through six generations. Standing in this building today, surrounded by our family's history, I know he'd recognize the same values we started with, and would be so proud of how far we've come and a place we can now call home."

Inside the New Headquarters

That history is intentionally woven throughout the new headquarters. A prominent reception backdrop introduces employees and visitors to the Lessing's story from the moment they walk into the building. A floor-to-ceiling image of Maxwell's original lunch counter spans the wall shared by the reception area and main conference room, while photographs of Lessing family members and images of Lessing's locations past and present are incorporated throughout the office.

"This building gives our corporate teams a place that's truly their own and gives our field teams and division leaders somewhere to land when they're here," said Lawrence Lessing, COO of Lessing's Hospitality Group. "Whether it's a chef stopping in between locations or our catering, restaurant, and food service leadership meeting in the boardroom, this space was built to bring us together."

The new headquarters was designed not only to reflect Lessing's history, but to support how the company works today. The space features an open floor plan, updated meeting rooms, new AV and conferencing technology, and dedicated collaborative work areas, along with an outdoor patio and employee kitchen for the team to gather outside of meetings. For the first time, Lessing's corporate teams have a headquarters that belongs entirely to the company, having previously shared office space with other businesses.

Looking Ahead

The opening of the Great River headquarters comes as Lessing's continues to invest across its portfolio, building on more than a century of family ownership while positioning the company for its next stage of growth. For Lessing's, the new office is both a reflection of how far the company has come since Maxwell Lessing opened his first lunch counter in 1890 and a statement about its plans for the future.

About Lessing's Hospitality Group

Founded in 1890 by Maxwell Lessing in New York City, Lessing's Hospitality Group has grown from a single Manhattan lunch counter into one of the largest family-owned hospitality companies in the Northeast and Florida. Today, the company operates more than 120 locations, including more than 20 full-service restaurants, more than 20 wedding and catering venues, more than 80 corporate and academic dining centers, a historic inn, a presidential yacht, and a working ranch. Through every division, Lessing's remains committed to exceptional hospitality, culinary innovation and creating memorable experiences for millions of guests each year.

Media Contact:

For media inquiries, please email press@lessings.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/931afe7f-789c-4bda-b1ad-a739e6e49d3d

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3141c97f-5da0-43f4-b33a-1cecf1538d1e


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