Two groups vying for Village Hall

Here is link to a Village Green article about the hotel group and the restaurant group who may end up in Village Hall, assuming the town goes in that direction:

http://villagegreennj.com/towns/government/monday-whats-ahead-south-orange-village-hall/

After seeing the proposals from both tonight, I am convinced that both are serious and capable of delivering on their visions. They have obviously done their market research and believe strongly that they can succeed. They both have strong track records of success in other similar ventures.

The restaurant group presented a chophouse/raw bar/pub concept with outdoor dining and event space on the 2nd floor. I would love to see that in South Orange. They renovated and reopened the former Chantecler Chateau in Warren, among many others. This could be a destination restaurant, bringing patrons to SO who may have never come here otherwise. They just need to be better than Roots, Neros, and Cut, which is not hard to do since I have been to 2 of them and not been impressed. But I did leave South Orange in search of a good steak and raw bar experience only to be disappointed.

The Hotel group presented a great use case for a 28 room hotel which would expand on a 16 room property they own in Summit. Their case is that they don't have enough rooms in the area to satisfy demand. They made a very good argument that they could not only fill the rooms, but their guests would be patrons of other Village businesses.

I like the restaurant use case better than the hotel, but both better than use as Village Hall. We have plenty of other options for that.

It sounds like either one could really elevate that corner, which is exciting

New place to indulge in a good martini, raw bar and steak...or a place for visiting family to stay instead of the room right next to mine.

Decisions, decisions...

I vote for the hotel. A restaurant, no matter how good, will inevitably draw some customers from other local restaurants. We don't have a hotel.

Is there a liquor license available for the proposed restaurant?

While I would be excited for EITHER of the two options ( depending on financials of course) Filmcarp is right. We don't have a hotel and it would be a very delightful addition to our downtown mix. The restaurant would also be great..Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could find another place for the second option, whichever one that is..Maybe the old Marylawn building though it would be out of the center of town and a bit far from NJ Transit.Is Marylawn a possibility for Village Services if 76 So Orange Ave isn't a good choice? I haven't felt this confident about the future of South Orange since I moved in 30 odd years ago

mrincredible said:
Is there a liquor license available for the proposed restaurant?

Bidder has a contract on one that is contingent on his winning Village Hall.

Steve said:

mrincredible said:
Is there a liquor license available for the proposed restaurant?

Bidder has a contract on one that is contingent on his winning Village Hall.

Cryan's

Must have lost my earlier post... I know nothing about the hotel end of things, and clearly I'm speaking not with a vested interest but as a neighbor and potential patron, but SO would be well-served by bringing Landmark in. What they've done at the Ryland is great, and at Snug Harbor (where I've been for charity events numerous times) is spectacular.

ctrzaska said:
Must have lost my earlier post... I know nothing about the hotel end of things, and clearly I'm speaking not with a vested interest but as a neighbor and potential patron, but SO would be well-served by bringing Landmark in. What they've done at the Ryland is great, and at Snug Harbor (where I've been for charity events numerous times) is spectacular.

Like you, I know little about the hotel world. I think, for most of us, a restaurant is a more "relatable" business, as most people eat in restaurants regularly and are therefor pretty familiar with them, but only stay in a hotel once in a while.

A hotel seems nice, of course. That said I see our town as becoming more and more of a dining destination, and Landmark fits in fabulously with that direction!

Although a hotel would be nice (and non-competitive), it seems like a dining destination would do much more to tie together the two ends of our downtown and build buzz as a dining destination.

However, I can't really have an opinion on which is the better choice without more financial details (money to town, health of the bidders, etc). They are both exciting options.

(oops, double posted again)

susan1014 said:
Although a hotel would be nice (and non-competitive), it seems like a dining destination would do much more to tie together the two ends of our downtown and build buzz as a dining destination.
However, I can't really have an opinion on which is the better choice without more financial details (money to town, health of the bidders, etc). They are both exciting options.

That is a good point. A hotel takes advantage of what is already there, without necessarily adding anything other than visiting tourists who stay once and leave, while a high end restaurant brings in people who are more likely to come back regularly, and tell other people in the area about it.

Both options are wonderful for South Orange. We owe a huge thank you to Sheena and the other members of the BOT who made this possible.

maybe a restaurant in SO and a hotel in Mwd (at post office site-sorry) or vice versa = win win?

Restaurant in Village Hall. Hotel in Graves Mansion !!! How about that !

oots said:
maybe a restaurant in SO and a hotel in Mwd (at post office site-sorry) or vice versa = win win?

In the post office building

Why not a hotel with a great restaurant.

To me... first goal -- take this white elephant off our hands.

Second goal -- choose a buyer that is a financially sound with resources to build it out and down the road modify and revise the plan if need be! I'd rather the village choose an entity that is paying less upfront but has financials that suggest long term viability vs higher initial return from a smaller company.

susan1014 said:
... I can't really have an opinion on which is the better choice without more financial details (money to town, health of the bidders, etc).

Twinsplus1 said:
Why not a hotel with a great restaurant.

Because the footprint isn't that big. The floorplans are now posted. One shows a 28(?) room hotel with nothing but hotel rooms and a lobby. The other shows a ground floor bar and restaurant with outdoor dining and lounge areas, and a banquet/conference facility upstairs.

Now that I've scanned the conceptual floorplans, I find the bar/restaurant/conference idea far more exciting in terms of energy at a key downtown intersection.

I liked the restaurant people, because they really seem like guys who get stuff done.

After too many dragged-out debacles like the Beifus site and the supermarket, the thought of having people involved who can bulldog a project through to completion is really encouraging.

Though I think the hotel would be more useful. MW/SO has need lodging for out-of-town guests for a long time.

I believe The Dubary Inn in Summit is owned by Jim Cramer of MSNBC. I wonder if he would be the money behind the hotel option.

jayjay said:
I believe The Dubary Inn in Summit is owned by Jim Cramer of MSNBC. I wonder if he would be the money behind the hotel option.

Last night's presenter said that his two partners are Jim Cramer and Stony Johnson.

Johnson would naturally opt for the hotel idea, since he owns Ricalton's & Stony's...

-s.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Cramer is the guy who is almost always wrong about stock picks?

dave said:
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Cramer is the guy who is almost always wrong about stock picks?

Yep.

soda said:
Johnson would naturally opt for the hotel idea, since he owns Ricalton's & Stony's...
-s.

As I understand it, he's been with the group since the beginning.

dave said:
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Cramer is the guy who is almost always wrong about stock picks?

I beg your pardon?

Steve said:

jayjay said:
I believe The Dubary Inn in Summit is owned by Jim Cramer of MSNBC. I wonder if he would be the money behind the hotel option.

Last night's presenter said that his two partners are Jim Cramer and Stony Johnson.

http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/3/20/16227/9711/hotels/%27Mad_Money%27s%27_Jim_Cramer_Hawks_%27Executive_Boutique_Inn%27_in_Jersey

eta - Next time you're in Brooklyn, stop in:

http://barsanmiguelbrooklyn.com/

But I think that a restaurant of the caliber of those owned and operated by Landmark Hospitality would be sensational, and a real draw fro South Orange, as others have stated. Competition is good. There have been posts in the past complaining about the small number of liquor licenses in South Orange. Here we have a liquor license that has been sitting for several years, and an operator with a phenomenal track record is ready and willing to buy it and open a restaurant along the same lines of his other renowned restaurants. It really would be a crown achievement for South Orange and make South Orange a destination.

This operator made a point that wherever he opens, he becomes a part of the community. This wasn't just talk - here's what he's done in the past:

http://www.landmarkhospitality.com/about/principals/