Brasserie Americana, a French style bistro restaurant located inside the Inn at Great Neck, has made significant changes from the restaurant that previously occupied the space, according to its inn general manager Franklin Manchester.
But, Manchester said, the restaurant still has some work to do in letting the public know about the improvements that have been made.
“I don’t think people realize how hard it is to have people realize that change has happened,” Manchester said. “It’s like turning a battleship around in Roslyn Harbor.”
The restaurant opened last October, Manchester said, replacing the Draft Room, which had been run by a third party.
“[The Draft Room] had done quite well for some time,” Manchester said. “But then they started to not perform up to the standards of the hotel itself. A lot of our internal guests weren’t coming in.”
Manchester said after the Draft Room had closed, he and his staff considered whether they should keep the space or sell it to another third party.
“We asked ourselves how could we use the space to serve our hotel,” Manchester said.
In the end, Manchester said, he wanted to keep the space for the hotel and turn it into something guests at the Inn could appreciate.
“We said let’s change things to appeal to our guests,” he said. “Our guests are the people we listen to the most.”
Manchester said more important than the cosmetic changes made to the restaurant, he wanted to make sure the food tasted good.
“Food comes first and foremost,” he said.
To ensure the restaurant had a quality product, Manchester brought on Robert Stancati as the executive chef.
Stancati, who previously worked at the Vienna Hotel, said he grew up in Great Neck and that he had a “general idea of what the people might want.”
Stancati also said items on the menu, though labelled “American” food, have an international twist on it. He said the twist was inspired by the many cultures living in the village.
“Growing up in Great Neck, I always knew what an immigrant community it was,” Stancati said.
But what’s on the menu right now, Stancati said, may not be there in a few weeks.
“We’re mixing it up so people don’t get tired,” he said. “You always have to reinvent yourself.”
The menu is also changing from time depending on what ingredients are in season, Stancati said.
Manchester said the restaurant is also promoting itself through a social media campaign, which includes allowing people to make reservations on Open Table.
“We have seen business increase because of that,” Manchester said.
No matter how much business grows, Manchester said, he’ll always keep trying to make it even better.
“You’ve never arrived,” he said. “When you think you’ve arrived, you have to keep reinventing.”
Stancati said the restaurant’s goal was to not only be the best place in Great Neck, but all over the New York metro area.
“You’re competing with all restaurants in a 20-mile radius,” Stancati said.