Published: September 03, 2008 11:09 pm            

NORTH TONAWANDA: Soos selling Oliver Street Cafe

The bar/restaurant owned by North Tonawanda mayor Larry Soos’s family for nearly 50 years is about to change hands.

Pete and Shelly Witt, of North Tonawanda, are waiting for a temporary liquor license from the New York State Liquor Authority as the last step in finalizing the deal, perhaps as early as Friday, Pete Witt said.

If that’s the case, the new restaurant could be open, he said, after only a couple of days.

“There’s a couple of things we have to do painting wise,” Witt said. “But if there is a delay it shouldn’t be more than a day or two. It’s pretty much a turn-key.”

The couple, each in their middle 40s, are acquaintances of the Sooses, with Pete having played for Soos’s softball team about 25 years ago.

“He and his wife called me on the phone and said he had an interest in opening a bar,” Larry Soos explained. He looked at me and said ‘A place like this could be ideal’ — and I said, ‘Well, maybe it’s for sale.’ ”

That was almost a year ago.

“It’s not an easy thing,” Witt said. “Because of (our) lack of experience in the restaurant business we had to go to a couple of different banks to get our loan. Right now we just want to make sure we have the liquor permit in hand before we close the deal.”

That, he said, is expected to happen Friday.

As early as next week, what is planned to be called Witter’s Sports Bar and Grill will replace the landmark Soos’ Oliver Street Cafe, which has been run by Soos and then with his wife Linda since about 1980, and for 50 years by his family.

Although Witt said much of the existing decor will remain, it will serve as a backdrop for planned changes like new flat screen monitors and an atmosphere dedicated to sports culture.

“It’s going to be sort of the same as Larry and Linda’s,” Witt said. “The biggest thing is it’s going to be a sports bar — we’re going to have TVs and pay-per-view — we’re going to cater to the sports fans.”

Soos expressed confidence in the Witts’ ability to run the restaurant. He said the long-standing existence of the business should help ensure clientele.

Witt has worked in retail at places like Vix drug store in Niagara Falls and elsewhere “almost my entire life,” he said. Now he’s hoping contacts with others in that industry will be a boon to his latest endeavor.

The couple plans to keep one of the cooks already on board at Soos’, and hire a night bartender to take over for Pete, who plans to tend bar in the afternoons.

He said under his ownership, the place will cater to the lunch crowd as it has in previous years.

Melonie Rowland, a co-worker of Pete’s in his drug store days, has been asked to serve as kitchen manager.

Pete said she was chosen for her experience running a restaurant in Niagara Falls for eight years. In all, he said the process will be a labor of love, and represents the American Dream with regard to business ownership.

“It’s always something I wanted to do. In retail, you always work 50 or 60 hours for somebody else and I’m doing this for myself and my family — this is a dream come true for us.”

He said the secret to success is taking care of customers, and being reasonable. Among his ambitions are to sponsor local sports teams, and if possible, find ways to help restore a co-ed softball league in North Tonawanda.

“I ran multi-million dollar drug stores — for me it’s always about taking care of your customers and listening to your customers. We’re not going to be millionaires; we want to do volume. Good food and a good atmosphere is what we’re trying to achieve.”

Pete and Shelley’s two grown children will pitch in to reduce overhead and get the business off to a good start.

Son Jonathan, 25 and daughter Maria, 21, will likely pitch in as servers.

“It’s going to be a family run thing,” Witt said.

A grand opening is tentatively planned for near the end of the month.

Soos expressed sadness at the sale, which he called “the end of an era.”

However, he said the decision had nothing to do with the bar’s profitability in recent years, but represents a decision to move on after so many years.

When asked if it was emotional Soos said:

“I am. I’ve already cried a couple of times over it, so has Linda — I’ve got my life in there.”

Contact reporter Neale Gulley at 693-1000, ext. 114.

        

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