We
all enjoy the benefits of a healthy nightlife community. Late nights
out on the town are part of what make New York City such an amazing
place, drawing locals and tourists alike, week after week. But imagine, dear reader, a New York in which bars and clubs closed at 2 AM or even midnight; where the Lower East Side suddenly
fell as silent as Park Slope; where the Meatpacking District
actually...packed meat. Joonbug would like you to meet two of the
people responsible for helping our fair city avoid that fate, Andrew
Rigie and Paul Seres of the New York State Restaurant Association and
the New York Nightlife Association, respectively. These professionals
have worked in the business of making people happy, fed, and coming
back for more for years now. They were kind enough to give us some
insight into their organizations, what's going on now, and where the
city's nightlife is headed.
How did you get involved with restaurants and nightlife?
Paul: I
threw a party at my parents' house. It was a huge success. Everyone
from my high school came. Of course the cops came, too. My dad was
there, thank god. And since then I've loved throwing parties. I enjoy
creating this fun, safe environment where people can go forget about
their day and let loose. We happen to live in a great city to do that
in, too.
Where would you be on a typical Saturday night?
Paul: If I'm not working? At home. Chefs
don't come home to cook elaborate meals, audio technicians don't have
great stereos, and video guys don't have great TVs. When you sit there
and do it all day long and you worry about it all day long, you have to
decompress. You've got to get away from it sometimes. I live on the Lower East Side though,
so of course I can think a dozen places in my neighborhood where I'd go
if I'm going to meet a friend for a drink or hang out. You know, I like
dive bars and little bars. My business deals more with other kinds of
nightlife, so they're a chance for me to get away.
So as much as you love the city's nightlife, you don't necessarily want to take it home with you?
Paul: When
you're an owner or an operator in the city, you have no choice. It's
constantly around you. For me personally, it's about maintaining a
level of sanity. There have been times in my career when it's been 7
days a week non-stop. Even when you went away, it felt non-stop.
Could you give our readers a quick idea of what NYNA is and what it does?
Paul: NYNA
is an advocacy organization that's made up of nightlife
institutions like bars, lounges, and clubs. NYNA has an interest in
fostering a nightlife environment that's safe, fun and diverse, and in helping
our businesses to grow. The organization is also working towards increasing
cooperation and transparency with the authorities. Becoming a chapter
of the NYSRA has allowed us to address broader issues that affect the industry
and reach out to the people out there trying to have a good time.
Why did owners and operators begin to think an organization like NYNA was needed?
Paul: Owners and operators, we are a really funny breed. Nobody knows how to do our business better than we do. That's what we'll say across the board. When you have that kind of mindset, especially in a city like New York, where despite the fact that we're so close geographically, we're still so fractioned, it gets to be where nobody is aware
of what anyone else is doing. NYNA really started around political
issues that were going to affect our whole business: things like the
smoking ban, the arbitrary letter grading system that the Health
Department is trying to get approved right now, paid sick leave, or the
new noise ordinances we have to follow. If we don't band together, these kinds of issues will get passed, and we won't have a voice.
We've already been successful in creating a cooperative relationship
with NYPD that lets us work together to promote the safety of our
patrons. This is our town and this is our community and we want to be a
part of it. We really
are in the fight of our life right now and I believe this is the
frontline. This is how we can get back to being the city that never
sleeps and really become known for our nightlife again.
What role does nightlife play in a city as complex and vibrant as New York?
Andrew: It creates the culture of the city. People come to New York City to dine at the restaurants, see Broadway shows, and go out to the bars and the clubs. After work, people go out to happy hour. It creates a great social atmosphere, as well as a huge
economic engine for this city by creating employment and tax revenue.
People say it's the nightlife capital and the restaurant capital of the
world for a good reason.
Paul: When people think about places to live and they think about New York, specifically Manhattan,
there's just so much to do packed on a 14 mile island. There aren't
that many places like that in the world, and nightlife is an important
part of it. I think it's an important part of the attraction that supports certain industries in New York City: the financial industry, the art industry, and fashion industry, specifically. That's an important reason why the
city attracts the right kind of people, especially the younger people
fresh out of college that are wondering what their next step is.
Nightlife becomes a reason to come here, when they're at that age. It's
a real testament to our industry. We have everything from great dive
bars to cocktail lounges like Milk and Honey that have some of the best drink recipes in the world. I've traveled all over the world and I've never seen drinks like that.
How would you say nightlife's role has changed?
Paul: New York City got
the moniker "the city that never sleeps" because there was a time that
there was something you could do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Those times have changed, with community activists rallying to stop the growth of nightlife, whether it's a restaurant, bar, or club. But fortunately, that's
slowly changing for many reasons. You have to think about what we call
"the other 9 to 5," which is to say the nighttime economy, from a broad
perspective, because it's not just about the licensed establishments. It's
the hairdressers that people hire before they go out, it's the clothing
stores, it's cabs, it's everyone that makes a dollar when people get
ramped up to go out. There is absolutely no denying its impact.
We're one of the biggest cogs in the city's economic machine. Many
cities and municipalities figured out how valuable our industry was
early on and created a "nightlife czar" position as a go between. San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, and Austin is a college town, all took that step. That's something we hope the current administration will carry forward.
Andrew: That's a step towards better planning. We want smart planning, in
terms of where families live, where clubs are, and simple things like
building codes. It's nothing that can't be done, it's just a matter of
getting the energy and the right people on board.
Paul: Right
now, the city is reactive. Nobody's thinking about planning. Clubs tend
to come out of areas where the real estate is cheap, and then neighborhoods and restaurants tend to pop up around them. In New York, the current situation stems from when Giuliani set aside West Chelsea as the place for nightlife. After property values went up, developers moved in. The building codes didn't require to insulation on their
new buildings to address the noise issue, a quality of life issue. When
people complained, all the blame got put on the clubs, even though they
were there first; the reason people wanted to move to the neighborhood
to begin with. If we can get away from the reactionary system we're in,
I think it could work.
NYNA is out there representing nightlife, but are there ways for consumers to get involved, too?
Paul: Last year we started the Nightlife Preservation Community. It came out of the idea that since 75% or 85% of nightlife economy marketing is done electronically, giving us access to millions of people, not to mention our over 20,000 employees, then there's no reason why we can't get people involved in pro-nightlife, pro-small
business activities and get them out to support politicians who
understand our priorities. Last year was our first election year out
and we feel people are starting to realize what we're all about.
How does all of this ultimately affect the consumer's experience, what you'd call "the nightlife experience?"
Paul: Let me put it this way, if we weren't doing this, I think they'd notice.
Andrew: When
people go out, they're not so much interested in the behind the scenes
operational aspects that allow them to be in that club having a great
time, in the first place. If we can get them to start caring, then not
only can we harness the power of the industry and the people who work
in it, but also all the people that go out and enjoy that vibrant
nighttime economy. If we can take that and turn it into votes and
support for specific political candidates, we can really have a more powerful voice. They're
going out to enjoy themselves and have a good time, but if we can
channel some effort on their part, it will benefit themselves and the
industry.
Obviously,
the climate of the city as a whole has to have a lot to with that too.
How has the economic crisis affected the nightlife industry? Any
surprises?
Paul: Although events slowed down there for awhile, from
a development perspective, things are good. I myself am working on two
very real, concrete projects. Out a recession comes new ideas and new
ways of doing things. I think that's what people need to realize. Yeah,
things might be bad, things might be tights, and you might not be going
out as much, but out of it will come bigger things. It's happened in
the past. We've seen new places opening in the last year and are doing well, so what's that say? It's New York City, it'll bounce back.
As
a whole, is nightlife continuing to innovate and diversify itself? Are
there larger dynamic shifts happening in any particular direction?
Paul: We're
static - almost. It's not like the way things used to be 10 or 15 years ago, when you could go out to one of three super
clubs any night of the week and see transvestites dancing with suits
and athletes and everybody else all coming together. I think we're
getting more fragmented and I think it has a lot to do with how things
are promoted now. On the other hand, there are great success stories within this industry.
There are venues offer something very specific that are doing quite well, and their customers 
are extremely loyal. They're very pinpointed, very specific, and very concept driven. We also live in an age where people don't take risks
like they used to. Twenty years ago, if you wanted a liquor license, you didn't have to go in front of your community board, and you could have gotten it from the SLA. Now, community
boards are ruling the roost. Personally, I'm on a community board because
I wanted to be a voice of reason. It's a hard line to walk. With
increased community outcry about quality of life issues, it's been
increasingly harder for a nightlife establishment to stay open for a
certain period of time. Therefore, people are taking approaches they
feel are safer. You don't see the lavishness that you used to see.
That's what produced the bottle buying culture that NYC is slowly
coming out of. It's not so much about the bottle, as the place to drink
it now. Once the vibes start becoming more individualized, things will
get better. I think that's where we're headed. I don't think we'll ever
get back to the days where we had 6 or 7 super clubs where anything
could happen. It was Disneyland for
nightlife back then. I think good operators and smart operators are
finding ways to make things less fragmented, to make things work for
the city we live in now.
Are you guys the ones we have to thank for keeping the bars open until 4 AM?
Paul: Well
we certainly are some of them. We've got a great lobbyist and the most
impassioned attorney I have ever met in my life - so much so it makes
you feel awful if you're not fighting as hard as you possibly can.
Right now, we're actively reaching out to the outer boroughs.
Andrew: One
thing people need to understand is that when we're advocating, we're
advocating for the whole industry, whether they're member's or not.
We're also trying to bring all the boroughs in under the NYNA umbrella.
So, we stay busy.
Garfunkel & Oates
Have you ever watched a scene in movie when a character takes
an elevator up to the top floor and steps out onto a rooftop overlooking a
breathtaking Manhattan skyline? I have, and I've always wondered, where
exactly are they? Well, now I know: they're in places like this.
Have you ever wanted to feel cool and be invited to a secret
party? Well, here's your chance: 
Joonbug
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