After the flurry of activity on the Dining Rumor Facebook Page, it seems clear that this was inevitable. It was Dr. Peter Rouff, owner of the Eights, and the building in which it resides, that initiated contact with me, in order to quell some of the confusion and answer some questions about the current state of things at the Eights Bistro. By the time I had gotten the questions off to him, however, about a third of them were obsolete, as he is currently in the midst of signing a deal with the new ownership, which he hopes will take over in March. He was kind enough to answer all the relevant questions via a series of e-mails, and that interview is what follows here.
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DR: What can you tell us about the Eights parting ways with
Amelia? Was there a specific conflict or
event that led to her departure?
PR: There is no animosity between Amelia and I – she wanted
to make a change and has my full support for her next endeavor. I have
absolutely nothing negative to say about either her or Martin. They gave notice in early December that they
were leaving to pursue a new project. I
did not ask any questions - so I am as in the dark as everyone else. I read (I believe on your FB page) a rumor of
a rift between Amelia / Martin and myself: I
consider the split completely amicable. I gave her free reign to run the
restaurant, so I am hard pressed to come up with any reasons either should have
hard / hurt feelings.
DR: Was this parting of ways at the Eights what inspired you
to put the location on the market? Are
there any other factors for doing this?
PR: Immediately after they gave notice, I contacted my
commercial real estate agent @ CBRE to put the location / restaurant space up
for lease. I never had strong desires to
be in the industry - I love the building and my investment is in that real
estate.
DR: If your intent is to rent to another restaurateur, why
stay open as the Eights in the meantime?
PR: The wheels turn slowly with Buffalo real estate - [if] I have
no idea how long it will take to find a suitable tenant...I either shut it
down (as I stated above: not an option) or keep the lights on. I do not look at the present direction as
half measures. I do not want to paint
myself as any kind of do-gooder: I have been blessed with amazing staff and
want to give them an opportunity to not only keep their jobs, but enhance their
skills and resumes. Chris has been a
very dedicated and loyal bartender-promoting him to bar manager was a natural
step. I have been incredibly impressed by Rachel (former sous chef - now head
chef) - so giving her a chance to run a kitchen is a merit based promotion and
hopefully leads to bigger and brighter things.
DR: What is your response to the many adverse reactions to
the new, post-Amelia menu?
PR: Hell hath no fury like a scorned vegan. I wish the vegan community well in finding a
replacement establishment in city limits.
DR: Is the loss of income from the rental property at all a
factor in staying open?
PR: No. Much like a home sells "better" when it's
furnished and looks lived in, I have been advised that it's easier to sell (or
rent) an open and operating restaurant than a closed / shuttered establishment.
Even if an ideal tenant was located and a letter of intent signed today, by the
time the lawyers dot the i's and cross the t's - I figure (maybe
pessimistically) it's a minimum two months before someone takes over: a long
time to leave the space vacant. So why
am I staying open? Loyalty to employees,
A desire to maintain a positive presence on the 800 block of main and the hope
that an open establishment will facilitate finding a new tenant.
DR: What will your relationship to the next restaurant of that location look like?
PR: The new tenant will be just that – an independent
tenant. No agreement other than a
straight lease: They pay rent and will
have free reign. 888 Main Street is a
real estate investment.
DR: What is important to you about housing a restaurant in
some capacity in that location?
PR: I do not want to be the cause of a shuttered property in
Buffalo, so my goal is to operate until the beginning of the new tenant’s
lease. Who would not want to purchase
fair market realty in the fastest growing area of Buffalo? As I shared with you in my initial email: I
will not shutter the space. So many
positive things are happening in and around the medical corridor, I will not
allow any property that I own to detract from its neighborhood
DR: You've mentioned that one reason why you wish to stay
open as the Eights until you find a new tenant is out of loyalty to your staff.
What happens to them once a new tenant is found? If the current staff may have to look for
other employment, what is keeping them from doing so before the change over happens?
PR: Our present head
chef is already fielding other job offers and if she leaves, I will seek a
guest chef for February. I have been as
upfront as possible in respect to future plans with my employees and each
should take the best action for themselves.
I am aiming to close the establishment as close as possible to the start
date of the new tenant’s lease, but if I can not staff – admittedly, that would
be a problem.
DR: Do you foresee yourself ever being directly involved in
the restaurant business sometime down the road?
PR: The Eights was my first attempt at owning a
restaurant. I will not say it’s the
last time that I will invest in a bar or restaurant, but for the foreseeable
future, I do not intend to stay in the industry.
DR: Can you tell us whether or not you're close to a deal
with anyone? If so, can you tell us with
whom, or what sort of establishment may being going in?
PR: I am presently having an attorney drawing up the lease
for a new tenant (they are local well established restaurateurs whose vision is
an ideal fit for the medical corridor).
Hopefully, we can make the announcement by the end of January -
expecting a March start date.
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While I haven't heard yet who the new tenants with be, I'll be keeping my ears open, and plan to be in touch with Peter down the road in the event he is able to share any more information with us.
As always, I appreciate the time and the effort Peter has taken to oblige my questions, and indulge our curiosity.
Thanks for reading,
~DR
