Happy Valentine’s Day, New York! Love is in the air, and there’s nobody we love more here than our trusted readers! If you’ve got somebody special in your life that you’re celebrating with tonight, then there may be a romantic wine bar opening up in Tribeca that you and your partner will be sure to enjoy. Or if you’re single, you just might meet the love of your life there, you never know unless you go!
L’entrée has been in development in Tribeca for some time now, but has faced multiple delays due to rising Covid cases in the city. Described as a “uniquely petite French café inspired by Parisian charm and culture,” L’entrée is envisioned as a unique wine bar where friends can gather together an enjoy a glass of champagne and classic French pastries and snacks.
Founded by entrepreneur Zak Normandin, the space at 293 Church Street previously housed an older concept of his called The Drug Store. As the founder of Dirty Lemon, Zak established a popular brand of health drinks that could be shipped directly to customers via text-message ordering, and soon found it necessary to operate a full brick-and-mortar retail space for his popular brand. Ever the innovator, Zak used The Drug Store to debut a unique honors-system based payment structure that he had been experimenting with. Instead of having a traditional cashier, The Drug Store used Dirty Lemon’s text-based payment system, encouraging loyal customers to grab what they need, pay via text, and walk out. Unconcerned about theft theft, Normandin considered theft to be a “sampling cost” that would enhance brand identity and eventually recruit other, loyal, paying customers.
While the idea was shocking many with its success, the oncoming of the pandemic made The Drug Store’s innovative walk-in-walk-out business model untenable. Soon, Normandin made the decision to transition The Drug Store from an avant-garde retail space to a neighborhood wine bar and lounge, and thus L’entrée was born. While Normandin was temporarily renting the space out for private events, he is once again preparing to launch his new bar concept.
While Normandin previously applied for a full liquor license for L’entrée, the proposal faced stiff resistance from a concerned group of residents worried about noise pollution and serious street congestion. After meeting with the community board in December, Normandin has since clarified that his new concept is not a night club and will not be playing loud music into the night. Instead he emphasized that L’entrée is an upscale wine and cocktail lounge for the community to enjoy their evenings, not party late into the night. Normandin is aggressively soundproofing the establishment, taking to heart the concerns issued by his neighbors.
In addition to the soundproofing, Normandin has downgraded his application to a wine and beer license, no longer intending to serve cocktails. The community board has also stipulated that L’entrée must operate between 12PM – 12AM Monday through Saturday, and 12PM – 10PM on Sundays. Normandin has also assured his neighbors that he will no longer be hosting private events once L’entrée opens, easing further concerns about noise. While the community board still needs to see proof of the soundproofing before giving final approval, it appears that the project is finally moving forward again now that Normandin and his neighbors have found compromise.
