NEWBURYPORT — The restaurant space at the corner of State Street and Prince Place will once again serve breakfast — a move that is certain to revive memories of Taffy's, the venerable breakfast and lunch place that served food to residents for five decades.

Hopscotch Cafe, the name of the new restaurant, plans to start serving breakfast and lunch in the coming weeks. Owner and chef Rob Minichiello said the restaurant will feature regional American cuisine with a concentration of the Northeast, West Coast and deep South, all places where the chef has cooked before.

Minichiello said the breakfast menu will be more traditional food with a "modern" take and that the lunch menu will offer items such as smoked salmon BLTs, meat loaf sandwiches and po'boys, a traditional Louisiana sandwich. It will also serve drinks such as lime rickeys and vanilla Cokes.

Also, the chef said the restaurant will work closely with local farms, including Colby Farm, for most of its produce. He said it will also aim to be as "green" as possible, including its products, vendors and biodegradable coffee cups.

Eventually, he said, they will be "trying to become the first green restaurant in Newburyport."

For more than 50 years, the space was occupied by Taffy's, a favorite eatery for many Newburyporters owned by Billy Rymsha. The Rymsha family opened Taffy's on June 29, 1951, and operated it until 2005. William "Ben" Rymsha, who died in July 1994, named the restaurant after his mother, Teofila.

Minichiello took over the spot — the building is still owned by Rymsha — and started Theory Bistro, an upscale restaurant featuring tapas. He said that he closed that restaurant when he moved west for another opportunity, but says Theory was a success.

He said, for instance, that the catering aspect of Hopscotch will still offer a Theory-like menu along with its breakfast and lunch menu. Minichiello also said the space will be available for private, 30-seat parties.

The reason for the switch to Hopscotch is one Rymsha had an influence in, Minichiello said.

"He told me 'it was a good life for me, maybe you should try it,'" Minichiello said of a conversation with Rymsha. "It is a very active spot in the daytime and I think that was a lot of what was missed."

Minichiello said though the term is cliche, "everything comes full circle." He said he is aiming to create a connection with the community with Hopscotch, something he said was missing from Theory.

"I think the concept is certainly providing more of a connection and a feeling that it is for everyone," he said.

With Theory, Minichiello, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Louisiana, said the atmosphere was often serious trying to meet price points and creating gourmet food. He said that doesn't necessarily work in a place so small that the diners actually watch as the chefs cook.

"I think we can be a little more lighthearted and interact with the customer that sits right across from us," he said.

But at the same time, he said regulars who have kept in touch since Theory closed can be "very happy that the skill in the kitchen will be there to serve breakfast and lunch."