Within eight months of transitioning 42 The Restaurant into 42 Restaurant & Events, owner and chef Anthony Goncalves is already booking dates for 2017.
The crew running 42 Restaurants & Events drastically scaled back the sit-down dining restaurant and is now getting calls years in advance to book everything from weddings to corporate events to birthdays.
Goncalves opened 42 The Restaurant on the 42nd floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains in 2008. The dining room, which has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a 360-degree view of the county and New York City, seated 192 people, not including the bar.
Now the space houses a 30-person restaurant with 12 seats at the bar, in addition to 20,000 square feet of event space spread over three rooms and the exclusive Sky Room on the 43rd floor that together can host about 400 guests.
“The weekends here when I was a big restaurant felt like I was running an airport,” Goncalves said. “That”™s how many people were coming up and that”™s not what I wanted.”
Goncalves said the transformation was not due to poor business. Rather, it was based on the idea that downsizing the dining room, eliminating a cocktail-only bar scene and giving the venue a focus on private events could make the experience more hospitable.
“It”™s not just about doing business,” he said. “It”™s about how you want to do business.”
When the restaurant made the change in November, Goncalves said he was nervous about what the reaction was going to be.
“Sometimes you get scared what people are going to think. Why is he changing,” he said.
But the customers, especially the loyal patrons, were excited.
“They were really into it and they were backing it, and then we did it and it was so well-received,” Goncalves said.
In order to balance the call for the accumulating event business while satisfying the regular patrons of the restaurant, the new setup offers lunch during the weekdays and dinner Monday through Saturday, with a six-course tasting menu offered on Friday and Saturday.
The priorities for Goncalves and his crew are “taking care of people, first off. And second of all what are we going to eat because that”™s really why they”™re coming.”
Doing more events and having a smaller restaurant have helped narrow the lens on food and experience, which Goncalves said he hopes make 42 a more memorable time for each person who visits.
“If you”™re here for lunch or you”™re here for your wedding, it”™s going to be really special,” he said. “That”™s what we set out to do.”
