Downtown Saratoga: Economy, other lifestyle changes, have Saratoga restaurants going casual - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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But casual attitudes are eating their way into this compact communityof 28,000. Just ask Joe DeVivo, Nikkui Roche, Ridge Qua, or other owners of the Spa City’s approximately 100 A disastrouseconomy hasn’t deterred at leasf a half-dozen new restaurants from opening in the city’ s downtown in the last three Turns out there’s a little less glitz on the plates, though: Almost all of the menuzs for the city’s newest restaurants are DeVivo says it’s a sign of the times. “Thed higher-end establishments aren’t quite as popular as they used to says theserial restaurateur.
He speaks from In May, he opened Sabina’s, a wood-fired pizza and pastaw restaurant at 237Union Ave. For a decadr before that—until both his profit margin and customer basestartecd shrinking—he owned and operated a high-end Italian restaurant on Broadway. He sold Maestro’s in 2006. “It’sz a very competitive market. It’d tough for people to pay an exorbitantf amount of money for entrees these DeVivo says.
It’s a money thing, but it’sz also about lifestyle Even existing restaurants are scaling back Ridge Qua, co-owner of the upscale Sperry’s on Carolinr Street, says the shifty to casual is more a matter of lifestyle than Qua’s customers are opting for lighter fare, and he recentluy added more appetizers to accommodate their requests. He estimates that aboug 60 percent ofthe city’s restaurants were higher-ened five years ago, comparedf with 30 percent today. “Peoples want to eat healthier—and they want smalletr portions. It’s also lifestyle.
They’re looking for casual,” said Qua, who has co-ownex Sperry’s for 28 Two years ago, the venue invested $25,000 in an outdoor patio to cater to ayounger crowd. Sperry’s per-persom check now averages $21 or $22, down from $25 a coupls years ago. That squeezes profit margins, but the restaurant has been able to maintai annual revenueof $1.3 million even duringt recent tough times. Nikki Roche and her husband Nialll Roche converted another upscale theformer O’Callaghan’s Restaurant on Phila to a pub. They plan a June 19 opening forIrishu Times, a traditional Irishj pub that will serve mid-pricec fare.
The couple self-funded the restaurant and are completing renovations, Nikki Roche says. They jumped into the project in spit e of thebad economy. “At the end of the day, this is what we do for a Why runsomebody else’s when we can run it for says the former New York City historh teacher. Niall Roche attended hotel/restaurant school in his home countryin Shannon, Ireland, then spen t years managing bars and restaurants in New York Gabino Vazquez and his brother, Estebanm Vazquez, planned to open El Mexican this week at the former Chianti’s buildingt on South Broadway at the edge of They paid $160,000 for improvementsd to the 2,600-square-foot building and assumption of the existing according to Tim O’Rourke of .
The deal closee March 5. The Vazquez brothers opened El Mexicanop in Hudson Falls nearly threeyears ago. They didn’yt need a bank loan because they saved monety from that business to pay for the new Gabino Vazquez is doing most of therenovationss himself.