It's easy to picture a balmy, spring afternoon at Panino Rustico, with staffers shuttling its signature crepes and paninis to tables set in its outdoor section in Grant City. Alas, until the seasonal thaw, patrons of this new restaurant — opening Thursday for lunch and dinner — instead must soak in the sunshine at a booth or the wine bar via the cafe's massive arched windows.

Domenick Abitino, Gennaro Sarrubbo and Louis Venturelli, Sr., hope for the same successes on Staten Island that they've seen in two other versions of Panino Rustico, established first in Brooklyn seven years ago in Bensonhurst and, just this past June, in Mill Basin.