A new neighborhood tavern concept is coming to the former Savoy location at 149 Elmwood Avenue. I spoke to one of the owners of this yet-to-be-named establishment, Benjamin Jeffers, who told me that he and his partners – Karl Keane, Donagh Gilhooly, and Brian Hillery – intend to create a cocktail-forward, neighborhood-friendly watering hole that will be in tune with Buffalo.
Keane, Gilhooly, and Hillery, who currently own and operate Exiles Bar (a Bills backers bar) and Easy Tiger Tavern in Washington DC, were introduced to Jeffers through a mutual friend thanks to Hillery, who hails from Buffalo. Jeffers and his wife Maritza recently moved back to Buffalo from San Francisco, where they had dreamed of opening their own establishment. They finally decided that it was time to be closer to family, and to move forward with their years-long goal of living out their entrepreneurial aspirations. By teaming up with Keane, Gilhooly, and Hillery, along with taking advantage of Buffalo’s relatively affordable real estate, the stars were aligned for the project to come to fruition.
Jeffers told me that both he and Maritza have worked in the bar and restaurant industry for decades. In San Francisco they honed their skills and earned their chops in the hospitality industry, but never managed to realize their desires to own their own place. Now, they will be bringing their collective skills and expertise to Buffalo, along with the rest of the team that will contribute from afar (DC).
“Life brought us to Buffalo,” said Jeffers. “We’re all on the same page, and I will run the day-to-day operations. They all trust my experience, and have faith in me to deliver the concept. It’s going to be a casual neighborhood cocktail bar – not too fancy, and not a dive bar. People can come to watch the games, have a date night, grab some food, or just hang out after work. They can get a beer and a shot, or a cocktail. We want to support the local breweries and distilleries, and other small businesses. I’m approaching my 40th, so the bar will be a little older demographic than Savoy, although everyone is welcome. My experience is in the hospitality industry, not just the bar business. This will be a bar with some elbow room – a place where people will feel comfortable, not packed in… a nice place to chill and relax.”
While working in San Francisco, Jeffers hit his strides as a cocktelier by learning the ins and outs of complex infusions, clarification, molecular mixology, etc. He plans on bringing this same sort of cocktail-focused regimen to 149 Elmwood Avenue. He also plans on introducing educational components to the mix.
“We want to host classes, and tastings, and spirit competitions, to educate the next generation of bartenders on the history of the drinks, and the proper ways to make cocktails,” said Jeffers. “Many of the long-time bartending professionals retired during the pandemic. We want to be mentors, and offer guidance to bartenders that are looking to elevate their game. Or even to customers that want to learn how to make great cocktails at home. We love it when people nerd out about bourbons, or want to sample a flight of spirits, like mezcal. We feel that we have a lot to offer, and to share, and we’re happy to be doing it in Buffalo.”