The team behind some of New York’s favorite gastropubs is proposing a brand-new concept for the recently-shuttered nightclub.
PMAC’S Hospitality Group is a well-established hospitality company based out of New York that is known for its grassroots approach to Irish Hospitality. The company was originally founded by Michael and Patrick McNamee, two brothers from Dublin who endeavored to bring their own flair and style to Midtown Manhattan’s bar and restaurant scene. Today, the brothers and their team are best known for their popular Irish pubs such as The Mean Fiddler, Tanner Smith’s, The Three Monkeys, and Dutch Fred’s. Most recently, their latest restaurant The Dickens debuted in May 2022, and your stalwart reporters at What Now New York broke that story earlier in March.
Now, it appears that Michael and his team are getting ready to debut a brand-new concept right next to The Dickens. According to a recent liquor license application submitted to Community Board 4, PMAC’S Hospitality Group is getting ready to develop a new restaurant at 785 Eighth Avenue. The space was formerly home to The Q, a bustling gay bar and nightclub known for hosting vibrant burlesque performances. Tragically, the club found itself caught in a whirlwind of national controversy when patron John Uberger was murdered after being drugged and robbed after leaving the Q. After that, the club faced numerous financial difficulties as well as allegations that owner Bob Fluet engaged in discriminatory hiring practices and the club struggled to stay solvent. In March of this year, former co-owner Frankie Sharp confirmed that The Q had closed for good but also revealed that he would be opening a nightlife venue of his own this Summer, Frankie’s Pub.
While The Q’s new replacement has yet to be officially named, Michael has provided a sample menu with his liquor license application. According to the menu, the new restaurant will operate as a kind of American gastropub. The restaurant will serve a wide array of appetizers like wings, sliders, disco fries, chicken dumplings, and mac and cheese, as well as a selection of burgers and sandwiches. The restaurant will also serve “pub grub” like shepherd’s pie and fish & chips as well as tacos, wraps, and bowls to round out the selection. The former Q space is rather spacious for the neighborhood, and the new PMAC’s concept will operate on all three floors. The ground floor and second floor offer a max capacity of 115 guests and 120 guests respectively, while the third floor will seat an estimated 45 guests. The cellar will be reserved for prep and storage.
Of course, before moving forward Michael and his team must first acquire the necessary liquor license for the space. They are proposing operating hours of 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM every night, seven days a week. While The Q stirred some controversy among locals due to noise pollution, the PMAC’S team has gone to great lengths to accommodate the concerns of the neighborhood. They are implementing a robust soundproofing and security system to mitigate noise and congestion, and all of their other bars have been operating successfully for years without complaint from residents. While the new restaurant is still too early into development to have its own social media profile, you can follow PMAC’S Hospitality to stay abreast of all of their latest endeavors.
