Cosmos Inn replaced the old Olympic Restaurant, but it too was short-lived. It only lasted into 1978. (photo provided)
After some research, the liquor license myth proved false. To save money, a previous bar owner had opted for a wine and beer license instead. Other former owners had trouble keeping a license, which gave rise to the legend.
Keenan and Gioia found out that the building they’d bought was a bit of worse for wear after its years as Heart & Soul Café.
“When we got the place, we came in and there was actually a guy living in here,” he said. “He was kind of a squatter.”
Like some other successful New Paltz bar owners, the men put in a lot of hard work and saved money that first year by doing construction work themselves. “We physically built this place ourselves,” he added.
But McGillicuddy’s needed a new sprinkler system then, and it required investment.
Originally, the bar had been off to the side of the restaurant. You can still see traces of it in the big mirrors hanging on the wall today. But the men also decided to relocate the bar to the central island setup present today.
Just before opening day, they kept hearing about how their location was cursed. Keenan remembers the day they hung the awnings at McGillicuddy’s.
“I was with the awning company, and the crane was putting the awnings on. And Cindy from Ricci’s Barbershop stepped out and said, ‘Hey. I hope you didn’t spend a lot of money on that building. Nothing ever works there,’” he said. “And my partner and I looked at each other and said, ‘What the hell did we get ourselves into here?’
“That was the first time we were every really nervous about maybe it wouldn’t stick. Maybe all the rumors were true about this place.”
McGillicuddy’s stuck with the Irish American theme of that old ale house in Poughkeepsie, in part because Keenan has always felt that Irish bars invite patrons to relax.
Their menu, a mix of American staples, appealed to people. McGillicuddy’s also made a name for itself locally by serving Buffalo wings. “Wing Night” has been a Monday night staple there since they opened in 1997.
“We’ve been consistently busy through all these years,” Keenan said, adding that much of the success had to do with a great staff — a mix of locals and college students.
They also serve food until all hours — something that’s made Cuddy’s a hangout for late-night workers and bartenders from other establishments. “We keep the kitchen open till 4 a.m. every single day,” the co-owner explained.
People tend to think of Cuddy’s as a sports bar. They’ve got a subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket, and they show multiple teams playing on game day.
But Keenan thinks it is the bar’s flexibility that’s the key to its success. Just before noon when it opens, McGillicuddy’s acts as a family restaurant — albeit one which serves alcohol. At prime time, the older happy hour crowd comes to drink. A little later at night, the college students filter in to flirt, drink and dance. Even later still, late-night workers saunter in.
McGillicuddy’s owners see it as a combination of family restaurant, sports bar, night club, dance hall and night-shift diner.
As is also the case at P&G’s Restaurant across the street, the transition from daytime McGillicuddy’s to what it looks like at night is stark.
But that transition is part of the business model. “We really maximize the amount of hours that New York State gives us to operate,” he explained.
McGillicuddy’s owners expand with same model
The success they saw with McGillicuddy’s also helped Keenan and Gioia create a small collection of similar bars in other college towns. The two men also own Darby O’Gill’s Food & Spirits, based in Hyde Park near the Culinary Institute of America, and Union Square in Poughkeepsie by Marist College.
According to Keenan, they wanted to translate the successful model McGillicuddy’s had become to other college campuses.
If you’re a patron of Union Square or Darby O’Gill’s too, you could see some familiar faces there since workers from the two restaurants occasionally cover shifts at McGillicuddy’s.
According to Rich Formby, the general manager of McGillicuddy’s, they’ve tried to reach out to customers through social media, especially Twitter. They’ve also made it a point to keep ties with the New Paltz community at large, occasionally hosting fundraisers on behalf of the PTA.
In the future, McGillicuddy’s could potentially be adding a burger challenge. Contestants would have to go up against and finish off a giant burger, Formby said.
Cuddy’s is trying to keep with the times too. They’re working on more gluten-free menu options. Right now, McGillicuddy’s Wing Night does feature some gluten-free sauces. Customers with wheat sensitivities should ask before gnoshing on some wings.
Learn more about what’s going on at McGillicuddy’s by checking them out online at www.cuddysny.com. Or you can search for them on Twitter and Facebook.
McGillicuddy’s is the fourth installment in a six-part series featuring the history of local taverns. Next week, the spotlight will be on Barnaby’s. Check out the entire series by visiting newpaltzx.com.
