City bars, restaurants spend quiet Wednesday night

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jeff Wilkin

The Rivers Casino & Resort — which opened to great fanfare Wednesday morning — remained packed at 8 p.m. Wednesday night.

People watched roulette wheels and poker hands. They held drinks in one hand and fistfuls of cash in the other. They played animated slot machines with colorful names such as “King of Macedonia,” “Money Rain,” “Storm Queens” and “Hotter Than Blazes.”

“It’s so exciting!” said one woman, seated at the movie-themed “Titanic” slot.

Life was less exciting at some nearby Schenectady bars and restaurants during the evening, which did not receive big crowds from casino customers. But managers expect that will change.

“We have a decent dinner crowd,” said Mike Norris, a co-owner at Katie O’Byrnes tavern off Erie Boulevard. “I don’t think any is a spill-over from the casino, as of yet.”

Norris said some people may have even stayed away from some downtown spots, because electronic signs had been warning motorists of expected heavy traffic during the resort’s opening day. Casino fans may be more inclined to look at local menus on Fridays and Saturdays, when they have weekend time to burn.

“I’m hopeful for it,” Norris said. “Once it happens, it’s all speculation anyway.”

At other local spots:

* It was a light Wednesday night at The Van Dyck on Union Street, but some Wednesdays are busier than others: “There are nights when you have to wait for a table,” said bartender Christina DeLuca.

At some tables and bar chairs, the Rivers complex showed up in many discussions.

“It has been a topic of conversation among people coming into the bar,” DeLuca said. “More than half had been at the casino earlier.”

The Van Dyck’s Mad Jack Brewing Co. may help convince gamblers to try the restaurant. Mad Jack’s “Rivers Rye” and “Pinhead Pilsner” are on tap at the casino.

* Aperitivo on State Street also had a light crowd.

Matt Mazzone, chief operating officer of Mazzone Hospitality and the bistro’s owner, expects Schenectady’s numerous lunch and dinner places will become noticed by large numbers of casino players once the city becomes a travel “destination.” With the casino, shows at Proctors and the mix of restaurants, Mazzone believes the city will soon win that designation.

“That’s when you’re going to see the traffic drive for all of downtown Schenectady,” he said.

For now, Mazzone expects some weekend visitors from the casino. He hopes they’ll drop in right after people visiting for early evening shows at Proctors drop out. “Hopefully, they’ll come in a little bit later so we can feed everybody and make everybody happy,” he said of the Rivers bunch.

* Pinhead Susan’s on North Broadway will also get some of the Mad Jack’s publicity — the brewery provides beer for the McDonald family-owned restaurants that also includes The Stockade Inn.

“Our main goal is to get a lot of advertisement at the casino so if people want to venture out we hope this will be the restaurant they choose,” said manager Tommy McDonald. “So we’re working on that.”

McDonald also hopes people like his prices. While a strip steak cost $46 and braised short ribs were priced at $34.50 at the casino on Wednesday, Pinhead’s menu has less expensive options.

If thousands of people visit the Rivers on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, McDonald is just hoping for a modest number at the bar. “If we can get 30 people, 40 people, I’ll be happy with that. There are a lot of nice restaurants at the casino. That’s the only thing that makes us nervous, lot of big names over there.”

* The Centre Street Public House at Union Street and North Broadway had a full bar shortly before 7 p.m. Manager Courtney Berlin said it was the usual Wednesday number.

She’s looking forward to a bigger number as the casino attracts more players.

“It’s cool that it’s bringing people to the area, people who normally might not have come to Schenectady,” Berlin said. “We’re expanding Schenectady, which is a wonderful thing.”

Berlin believes people will wander downtown, after they’ve had enough cards, dice and chips. “Especially if people are staying in the area, and they’re going out to explore,” she said.

* At The Waters Edge Lighthouse on Freemans Bridge Road in Glenville, people have already started to explore. People stopped in before they hit the casino and after they had scored hits at the casino.

“We’re fortunate to be in such close proximity,” said manager Joe Popolizio, who noticed a slight increase in business on Wednesday.

“We’re anticipating more on the weekends,” Popolizio added. “We’ll see what happens on Friday, that’s what’s going to be the real tell.”

Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at [email protected] or @jeffwilkin1 on Twitter. His blog is at www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/wilkin.