You’ve heard of hybrid cars. How about a hybrid restaurant?
“We are hearing a lot of horror stories” because of the recession, says Gene Williams, a partner in Natasha’s Bistro & Bar on The Esplanade downtown. “This is actually good news.”
Natasha’s is finishing a remodeling of its physical space and a restructuring of its business to create what Williams calls a “hybrid restaurant” that is in step with the city’s emphasis on entertainment downtown.
Natasha’s offers dining and music every night, but Williams says it’s more upbeat and up-to-date than a night club. “Night clubs are kind of stuffy and old fashioned.”
The good news is that gross sales from food and entertainment are already up 15 percent so far this year, compared with 2007.
Williams also has taken on a couple of local partners, Art Shechet and Bruce Barnett, to share the financial load and add expertise.
Because of the economy, “we are looking at everything,” he said. “We are asking ‘What will people spend money for in a recession?’”
Fine wine is always a possibility.
Natasha’s has installed a nitrogen gas wine preservation system that will allow the bar to sell more expensive wines by-the-taste or by-the-glass without requiring the customer to buy a whole bottle, Williams says.
There’s some visual fun in the new bar, too — what Williams calls “a very expensive piece of plastic.”
It’s actually the top of a new bar at the back of the restaurant. It’s made by 3form from a high-performance polyester known as Ecoresin that contains recyclables, like plastic milk jugs.
The material is amber in color. But since light can pass through Ecoresin, the color of the bar might be altered by changing the color of the light shining through it.
Sounds like the makings of a pretty good mind game to play on friends, especially those who imbibe a bit too much?
