BROOKFIELD — Local business owner and restauranteur Joe Attonito’s JJ Stacks at 537 Federal Road is a bit quieter during the winter months, but the upscale snack bar still sizzles with great food selections hungry patrons can get passionate about. Then come warmer weather, families and groups also pour into the Brookfield restaurant to check out mini golf and activities such as live music on the deck, pop-up drive-in movies, and themed festivals.

Serving a full selection of breakfast offerings, delicious lunch and dinner favorites, and a custom catering menu for larger events, Attonito is also acutely aware of the challenges mom and pop operations like his are facing, especially during the COVID pandemic. So he attempts to source as many items as he can stock from local vendors.

“My mantra is ‘support local,’ and stay out of the big box suppliers as much as we can given the business we’re in,” he said. “Our coffee is from Candlewood Coffee, our ice cream is from Rich Farms, Bigelow supplies our teas, we get all our chicken from Omaha Beef, and our breads come from Gluten-Free Oasis, so we really try to support local as much as we can.”

That homestyle business attitude also extends to the fresh selections offered at JJ Stacks, named for the original menu that initially offered all the sandwiches stacked three high — whether it was with chicken or beef patties. Attonito has since kept the name, but has adjusted his menu around more conservative portions at the general request of many patrons who are just as happy with the current offerings.

Attonito has been in food service and restaurant operations for nearly three decades except for a brief period, and transplanted some of his most popular recipes including a few award-winning wing treatments from a popular sports bar he owned and operated in neighboring Ridgefield. When he discovered the property he now runs on Federal Road he fell in love with the location and the possibilities of creating a destination for both food and family fun.

“Even with the challenges posed by COVID, I decided to take a shot,” he said. “My previous place had mostly indoor seating, a bar, and a patio that could handle 175 people. This is more of a casual, quick service, high-end snack bar.”

JJ Stacks not only tries to support local by working with food vendors, he also proudly offers a 15% discount to any first responders, as well as active or retired military personnel. His on- and off-premise catering menus are customized to the particular requirements of each client, and a set catering menu is in the works.

He also offers salads, a children’s menu, and kids’ party packages that include games, crafts, and mini golf as well as space for team outings and casual corporate events.

Attonito recently expanded his breakfast selections from egg sandwiches to pancakes, omelets, French toast, or dig into one of JJ Stacks’ chicken and waffle sandwiches. Lunch and dinner selections range from soups and chili, to burgers, wings, monster hot dogs with all the fixings, with new items being introduced regularly.

“The majority of our food here is home-made and cooked fresh to order — very few prepared items are brought in,” he said.

While he sees the pandemic as being a huge boost to corporate food service chains, Attonito hopes customers who harken back to their favorite locally-owned burger shacks, hot dog stands, and drive-ins will come out and appreciate his and the many surviving establishments where the owner still has run of the grill and takes special interest in every dish that comes out of the kitchen.

“While COVID has been going on, mom and pop shops have been getting crushed while corporate restaurants have been thriving,” he said. “So I want to do whatever I can to buck that trend.”

In the winter, JJ Stacks is open 7 am to 7 pm, Friday through Wednesday and closed Thursdays. Once spring arrives, it’s back to a seven day week 7 am to 8:30 pm Sunday — Thursday, and 7 am to 9:30 pm Fridays and Saturdays.

For information, ordering, and catering quotes, call 203-885-0074 — or visit jjstacks.com and their Facebook site for up-to-the-minute news and specials.