Tavolo Pronto, a local favorite for paninis, salads, coffee and pastries, is gearing up to expand its baking facilities across River Road in the old Frank & Anita’s salon next month. The new space, dubbed Tavolo Forno, will allow the full-service Italian bistro, bakery and market to increase its selection of freshly baked goods and specialty orders and also accommodate its growing staff.

On a recent morning, Patti Balderas, who has owned Tavolo Pronto with husband Arturo since 2010, was filling a customer’s giant coffee thermos, working the cash register, taking a phone order and answering questions. She said she and her husband, who live in Red Bank, had been watching the neighborhood for about the last three years for an opportunity to grow. She had her eye on the old Frank & Anita’s, which had been closed for about the same amount of time.