French Flavors Find a Home in Beacon at Oui Oui

A look inside Oui Oui's vibrant atmosphere and wide ranged menu. Photo by Grace Lisella '26

One of the most recent additions to Beacon, NY, Oui Oui, brings French cuisine to the Hudson Valley in a fresh way. Being a hotspot for small businesses, Beacon is the perfect home for Oui Oui, with owners Laura and Georges Goba-Byrne at the heart of the operation. 

The two have been working day-to-day with their staff and customers to ensure they can satisfy everyone’s needs while also looking for innovative ways to serve the community with their ideas. What started out as a weekly catering business in 2022 is now its own brick-and-mortar restaurant, with the Goba-Byrnes taking on both front and back of house responsibilities. 

Laura and Georges began Oui Oui as a catering service for the New Hamburg Yacht Club, wanting to combine their nearly 30 years of experience in the food industry into something new. In a short time, they moved into a food truck service, which was originally intended to run for most of last year’s season. 

Following their previous location falling through, they found a space at the Hudson Valley Food Hall last July and were able to have Oui Oui there until January. They received immense business through having a stand at the food hall. Laura recalls it beginning to get a little hectic in terms of handling orders and production in such a small space. 

“A lot of people started to wait for our food specifically. Maybe an hour and a half for our food”, she said. “That’s when I was like, ‘If we were in our own space, we could cover all of this; all of these people, and we wouldn’t have to make them wait.’” 

It was around October when the couple made the decision to start looking for their own place. They initially did not have the highest hopes, with the notoriously difficult market for commercial spaces in Beacon. Laura recalls finding some spaces that weren’t a fit, like larger restaurants with seating for 80 or more people. 

“It just wasn’t where our business is at. But our catering projects, and we do a lot of wedding things too, or the commissary kitchen, were all becoming bigger,” said Goba-Byrne. “In order to keep doing what we were doing, or do something more, we really needed to get into a space.” 

After an extensive search, they found a space on Eliza Street, formerly a restaurant called Nansense. Oui Oui opened its doors in February of this year, and since then, Laura and Georges have worked tirelessly to provide a casual, affordable French dining experience that the community wants to be a part of, according to Laura. 
“People have been loving it more than we thought, actually. They want to hang on a little bit longer,” she said. “If you see them for dinner, you'll probably see them the next morning with a friend or they'll bring their family back, or stop by later on for coffee.”

For Laura, part of the experience is working things out directly with their customers to know what people are really liking, or what can be different. They are trying out different menu items for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also curating new beverage options, such as their lavender cold foam, or the integration of wines and beers to their menu. 

With the weather beginning to warm up, business has only continued to grow. Oui Oui saw some of their busiest days during the minor heat wave New York experienced last week, with a combination of locals, visitors, students and families. In the coming weeks, the restaurant is expected to have outdoor seating as well, further adding to the comfort of the atmosphere. 

The Goba-Byrnes share an immense love for cooking, stemming from different career paths. With Laura running a restaurant and bar in the East Village, and Georges working in various NYC four-star kitchens, it ultimately brought them to the decision of their shared business. On top of that passion, it has brought them significant rewards in their personal lives. 

“This has always been the backbone of how we’ve done everything. How we bought our house, or had a child. This business has been our financial lifeline, really,” said Laura Goba-Byrne.

Oui Oui is open everyday besides Tuesday and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They offer dining in or take out, along with their catering and event services. 

“It’s been such an amazing experience. Being able to work together is just such a great thing, too,” said Laura. “It really means everything.”