Landmark Park Ave. restaurant marks 50 years in business. What's the key to its success?
The restaurant business is notoriously tough.
Statistics show that about a third of restaurants don’t make it through their first year, and many close after a decade.
This year, the Park Avenue Pub at 650 Park Ave. is hitting the 50-year mark.
Scott Schalm, who has owned the place for 12 years with his wife, Sheila, cites three reasons for the dinner destination's longevity: The quality of the food. “We don’t cut corners,” he said. The quality of the staff. “Everyone has a personality, and everyone has professionalism.” And an established customer base. “We’ve got people who have been coming here since 1973.”
Schalm has his own long local restaurant history. During breaks while he was a student at SUNY Cortland, he washed dishes at Edwards, a fine-dining establishment that opened downtown in 1976.
After graduating in 1992 with a degree in physical education, Edwards hired Schalm full time. He bounced between working as a server and bussing tables and got a real-world education in high-end food and service.
Around 1998, six years before the restaurant closed, he left to become a server at the Park Avenue Pub, working for founder Ted Bunce and his wife, Lisa.
It was very busy, Schalm said, and although also upscale, more relaxed and not so "prim and proper" in its approach. “One day Ted pointed at me and said, ‘Scott, you need to smile more.’ I said, ‘OK.’”
Bunce, who also owned the old Brighton Restaurant on East Avenue and was a partner in the original Charlie’s Frog Pond (now The Frog Pond on Park), died in 2007. The Schalms bought the Pub four years later.
“Pub” is actually a misnomer. There are no beer taps; wine is the focus, and bottles range from $22 to $500, although most people spend $65 to $85, Schalm said.
There are no TV screens; the Pub prides itself on offering a low-key atmosphere where people can talk to each other without having to raise their voices.
There are no pub-style burgers on the menu; options include filet mignon, grilled tuna steak and a signature crab cake appetizer with an Asian aioli.
To appeal to changing tastes, Schalm has expanded the offerings over time, adding such starters as char-grilled prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella and chicken-fried oysters, and entrees including Chilean sea bass and tenderloin tip beef stroganoff.
“We’re still kind of old-school,” he said, “but French-oriented, with the sauces and as far as the preparation goes.”
The Schalms, who recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary, also have made changes to the physical space, which is directly next door to where a Starbucks will open in a few months.
Heavy window treatments were jettisoned, new lighting and carpeting were installed and booths were reupholstered during the shutdown phase of the coronavirus pandemic to make things lighter and brighter.
“But it’s still the same cozy bar,” said Sheila, who handles the design, marketing and accounting side of the business.
There is no dress code. Some diners do show up in jackets and ties, but polos are a common sight, Scott said.
Weathering the period when indoor dining was banned was a challenge. The couple kept in touch with customers via email and temporarily switched up the menu to make it more takeout-friendly. A state law allowing curbside alcohol sales meant they could offer wine to go, which also helped.
Most important, even though the Pub's payroll is a little smaller than it was pre-COVID, a dedicated core staff remains. “They understand service,” Sheila said. “We’re a small family restaurant. We take care of our people.”
Said Scott, "If you surround yourself with hardworking people, you can get through anything."
A series of specials are tied to the restaurant’s milestone birthday, including:
A jumbo shrimp cocktail for $8, and house wines by the glass for $5 from July 19 to 23.
Calves liver with bacon and onions for $17, and discounts on select bottles of wine from July 26 to 30.
Scott said he looks forward to continuing to serve his regulars but also to seeing some new and younger faces. Half-century or not, “There’s a lot of competition out there.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Park Avenue Pub in Rochester NY marks 50 years in business
