Januelle Rzepa, operations director, and Chris Malloy, owner (Photo by Matthew J. Mowry)
For a year, people were curious about the new bookstore opening on Rochester’s Main Street, but that curiosity exploded into a social media buzz when it was revealed that the bookstore was just a guise for a new art-deco-inspired restaurant and cocktail lounge with a speakeasy vibe.
The Scenic Lounge opened on March 1, a year to the day when owner Chris Malloy received the keys to the front door. Black and gold adorn the intimate space, along with plush seating, feather décor and a long marbled-top bar. Waiters and bartenders in white shirts with black bowties, pants and vests add to the chic 1920s
prohibition motif.
The Scenic Lounge is not just a nod to the fashionable days of The Great Gatsby but also to Rochester’s past. The name is derived from the long-closed Scenic Theater that used to operate next door and the staff uniforms were inspired by the tuxedos worn by the theater staff, Malloy says.
The 45-seat restaurant and cocktail lounge serves up a variety of small plates, including a Mayan Tuna Stack, Korean Lettuce Wraps and Lobster Ravioli, as well as flatbreads, salads and main dishes that include Duck Cassoulet, Butternut Ravioli, Braised Beef Short Rib, Smothered Chicken and Roasted Salmon. The bar offers craft cocktails, mocktails, and night caps.
Diners have been flocking to the new hot spot, and it has quickly developed a crowd of regulars, says Operations Director Januelle Rzepa. “Demand has exceeded expectations,” she says.
The Scenic Lounge is the brainchild of Owner Chris Malloy, who runs Malloy Events, an events production company, also located in Rochester. While Malloy takes pride in the experiences he creates for his event clients, the fact is they are ephemeral and must be torn down at the end of night. He yearned for a more permanent outlet for his creativity to craft an “unforgettable experience” that people can return to.
He recruited Rzepa, who has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 15, to lead operations and Chef Ethan Kramer, who previously ran the culinary operation at Arrowheads Estate in Maine. “We connected philosophically on how to develop a great hospitality experience,” Malloy says.
“My objective on the operational side is to teach our staff to make every customer feel welcomed so when they leave, they are already thinking about when they are coming back and who they are bringing,” Rzepa says.
And the community has been responding. “We have multiple reservations every night and the weekends are almost exclusively reservations. The reception has been fantastic,” Malloy says. “The people of Rochester have been so welcoming.” Adds Rzepa, “We see the potential Rochester has” noting they wanted to get in at the start of the city’s growth wave that already washed over Portsmouth and Dover.
Malloy is leaning into his event production experience to develop specialty events for the restaurant, including a recent Kentucky Derby-themed night. He wants to eventually open more niche restaurants in other communities, each providing their own unique experience. For more information, visit thesceniclounge.com.
