One of New York’s most prominent Irish restaurateurs is currently getting ready to launch a brand new restaurant concept in Alphabet City later this years
Ronan Downs has been successfully operating restaurants in New York for nearly four decades. Having begun his first business in 1985, Ronan would go on to establish some of the neighborhood’s most recognizable concepts over the next few decades, including GB Shaws which operated from 1990 – 2005, and Waterstone Grill which is still operating under the name Route66. His best known concept though is likely to be Becketts Bar & Grill, which was founded in 1995 and is still going strong today. In addition to numerous other restaurant concepts developed over the years, Ronan is also known for his craft beer bar Taproom and his most recent concept, Factory 380, which opened up in 2018.
Now, Ronan is currently gearing up to open a brand new restaurant with the help of partners Roberta Souza, Scott Connolly, Jack Crown, and Paul O’Connor. Roberta Souza spent her early days working at Becketts as a Hostess, where she cultivated a strong friendship with Ronan, eventually agreeing to open up Burger Burger together, which is still operating successfully after opening in 2008. She would eventually go on to partner with Ronan at Taproom and Factory 380, and is once again teaming up with Ronan for their latest project.
Scott Connolly meanwhile had been managing restaurants for years in Dublin before moving to New York to assume the management position at Becketts. Jack Crown, also a Dublin native, has been working in New York hospitality for over a decade, having managed some of the city’s most famous establishments while also volunteering with the Salvation Army, becoming one of their longest-serving volunteers. Finally, Paul O’Connor is the operating partner of JTP Restaurant Group, overseeing the daily management and staffing for five restaurants. He has been working in the industry for over 25 years and is looking forward to the new venture with Ronan.
Now, Ronan and the team are preparing to launch their latest restaurant at 210 Avenue A. While the new restaurant has not yet been officially titled, they have provided a sample menu with their recent liquor license application that should give some insight into what they intend to serve. The menu lists an eclectic array of diverse dishes like smash burgers, beef birria tacos, rigatoni with prawns, pan roasted salmon, and a peach habanero bacon and burrata BLT. The restaurant also offers an ample array of shareable dishes like dumplings, nachos, mac and cheese fritters, pizzas, and a charcuterie board. Additionally, the team is hoping to acquire a full restaurant liquor license, so expect to see exciting new cocktails and drafts once they have acquired the license.
At the moment, the team is proposing operating hours of 4:00 PM – 12:00 AM Monday through Wednesday, 4:00 PM – 4:00 AM Thursday and Friday, 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM on Saturday, and 12:00 PM – 2:00 AM on Sunday. Unfortunately, the team is still too early into development to share further details or any social media pages, so you will just have to wait and watch out for future happenings at the space.
