The Rendezvous and you

If only someone could make drinks like Johnny. Yes I know there are bars that say they serve such drinks, and where there are great drinks; but trust me, these bartenders aren't even old enough to know.

I knew the owner and his wife in their later years. Both lived into their 90's. Towards the end he was open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I believe his drinks had a limit of two and cost something around $12-15 each. All natural was his slogan. They used to live above the place. His wife was a very nice and friendly person.

That building next door saw some its last days as an outpatient rehab center in the early 1990's with low income apartments above before the neighborhood trashed it.

"the rent is still extremely low considering the opportunity at hand ($1450 a month)"

REALLY?! Maybe its time for you to be objective instead of writing what an agent/owner tells you is the truth.

The rent seems high given the area and the amount of work that would need to go into the location.

An almost Turn Key Restaurant Bar with 100 person capacity for $48/day is expensive? To make the rent, you need to sell approx 16 pints of beer a day, at 5/beer. You have 15,000 cars passing by each day, when just a small fraction is enticed to stop by you are in black in record time. If not, you are in the wrong business!

This is not exactly a high traffic area... it's not like you are going to pull in the dollar store overflow. So, you have to sell 16 pts/day to cover rent... how about if you actually want to make a living? or pay an employee? full liquor licenses alone in NY are roughly 800/mo. Good luck to whomever takes the chance, but 1400+ seems steep.

"The establishment would have to remain "The Rendezvous" for obvious historic reasons." Why??? Is this a condition of the lease or just editorial comment? If the latter, it seems unnecessary. There is no "must" about it - this is the kind of attitude that stifles business. I'll take a successful business over rigid adherence to history any day.

This was a successful business for decades, and has a well known brand/trademark for a new operator of the establishment. To create an awareness of a place so well known locally can take a long time and cost of lot of monies. For a new operator to be allowed to re-brand and redecorate interior this person/company in turn must have an established and successful track record, so feel free to make inquiries. We know the owner of the building is flexible.

The Rendezvous Room was in the Statler when I was a kid many years ago. I'm sure Croce knew that and was naming facilities in accordance with the heyday of the hotel. There wasn't any confusion back in the '70's when both places were open and thriving.

I can tell you I was confused recently. I was a kid in the 70's, so never knew about the Statler's Rendezvous. Then, recently, someone told me to meet them at the Rendezvous, and I almost went over the Niagara street, thinking someone had reopened it, not knowing there was one in the Statler. I've been to the Rendezvous on Niagara many times. Anyway, my comment wasn't about confusion, just about letting business owners determine their own business. Otherwise, you shouldn't lease it, you should run it yourself. I would love to have it still be the Rendezvous, but I don't think it should be mandatory as a condition of a lease. Just my opinion.