The owners of a popular Valley watering hole are calling it quits after 15 years in business.
Tailgators, a sports bar and restaurant at the junction of Route 34 and Route 115, will close Saturday May 1, co-owner Jorge Tomas said.
Like countless other restaurants, the recession helped kill the business, Tomas said.
He and fellow owner David Sitar were unable to come up with a better deal with their landlord.
In any event, Tomas, 44, a veteran of the restaurant industry for 25 years, said he’s ready to move on.
“I’m not looking at this as a failure. It’s time,” Tomas said. “I’m pretty much cooked.”
The Seymour resident has three kids, ranging from eight to 10.
“For 25 years I’ve given up my weekends. I coach my kids. We come home from a game on Saturday, I have to jump in the shower, come to work and work until 3:30 in the morning.”
Staff at the restaurant has fluctuated over the years between five and 10 full-time employees, along with another 15 to 25 part-time employees.
Right now, due to the economy, employee numbers are on the low end of that range.
Business became particularly slow in March 2009, Tomas said.
“It continued to shrink and shrink and shrink. I cut, probably, $3,800 or $3,900 a week in overhead, in the end, it just really wasn’t enough,” Tomas said.
He was hoping to purchase the property in order to invest in a redesign, but couldn’t work a deal. The property is owned by James Kokenos, who also owns The Valley Diner on Route 34.
Tomas said the lack of progress in the city’s downtown redevelopment zone hasn’t helped business.
Downtown Shelton has thrived. Tomas said the owners thought downtown Derby would have the same redevelopment by now.
“I think Derby was better off 15 years ago when we opened. I bet incomes have gone down,” Tomas said.
Click here for our latest story on downtown Derby redevelopment.
The business announced the closing on its website and on the bar’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
The Facebook announcement, made late Monday night, triggered an outpouring of support from patrons. Click here to read the messages.
“Thank you both for all the good times! If it wasn’t for Gators, I wouldn’t of met my husband,” Jodi Berardi Sandora wrote on the Tailgators Facebook page.
“I think we all grew up at this place,” Lindsay Commune wrote on Facebook. I have made some of my greatest memories at this bar. Met some of the most amazing people. Thanks for all the great memories and we will all never forget.”
The sports memorabilia on the walls and bar will likely be trucked off and sold on ebay.
It’s the staff and customers he’ll miss most.
“Getting to know people. Coming out from the back, to talk to people about what’s going on with their kids, I’ll miss that,” Tomas said, a tear in his eye. “We’ve had some great employees, some great people over the years.”
A huge bash or an Irish wake are not planned for Saturday.
“The regulars just want a normal night — nothing crazy going on. They don’t want a band. They don’t want a DJ. They want to be able to put money in the jukebox and listen to a song if they want,” Tomas said.
