Editor’s note: This story was published in March 2020, before pandemic hit. The Standard Rec work has since been delayed with an opening now expected in 2021.
Patchogue’s Public House 49 is being totally revamped, renamed and will be opening later this year as The Standard Rec — with a menu that’s still being developed, according to the owners.
Public House 49 closed in January after 11 years on East Main Street.
Owners Frank Bragaglia and Brad Wilson had planned to re-open sometime in late March or early April, but the date has been put off due to the statewide coronavirus containment measures.
“That’s our plan,” Bragaglia said, “as long as things are lined up, or maybe just after” the measures are lifted.
“We ran strong for a long time,” he told GreaterPatchogue. “After 11 years we sat down and realized competition is going up, and Public House 49 isn’t our identity anymore like it was when we were 27.
“We needed to change, I’m 38 and he’s 41. We are going to attract a different crowd … We [had also] evolved as owners as far as our product and the cocktails we produce.”
The pair also own The Brixton in Babylon, which opened to fanfare in early 2017.
About The Standard Rec
At their new venture, Bragaglia and Wilson said they want to welcome guests with a focus on quality food paired with a fun experience.
In addition to offering different types of games, like at a rec hall, “our food element is going to be all scratch kitchen, and like The Brixton, our menu will be seasonally changed.”
So, the craft cocktails in Babylon will be making their way to Patchogue.
Take The Mexican Fire Squad from The Brixton, which is a Margherita with a little bit of a flare.
“Everything will be fruit infused,” Bragaglia said.
The full menu is also going to available late night on weekends, something that is new to ownership.
There will be board games and Ping-Pong, but the rest of the attractions the owners wanted to keep close to the vest until opening day. They said the place will be “something different for a date night, a lot of interactive stuff.”
Bragaglia said the vibe of The Standard Rec will be “casual, great quality. We’ll be able to educate people with the cocktails, but on a cool level. We’ll sell high-quality stuff but still keep it casual.”
looking back
“At 22, I was going to Dowling College to teach special education, history and bartending on the side at a place called Butcher Boys Bar & Grill, a complete dive,” Bragaglia recalled. “I was bartending until 4 in the morning and had to be up for an 8 a.m. class.”
Wilson worked at the Irish Times in Holbrook as a bartender before opening Public House 49, located at 49 E. Main St., in 2009.
Public House was previously Hazy Moons, a sushi place, before Wilson and Bragaglia took over the space. As young, driven bartenders, they wanted to make a statement on Main Street — before the transitional period even began.
“I think I have an idea for a place, I texted Brad,” Bragaglia said.
He said Wilson was someone “who could compensate for all of my weaknesses.”
When they opened Public House 49 in 2009, Bragaglia said. “We were there 24 hours a day when we opened, putting our hearts into it.”
Sipping coffee with Greater Patchogue at Roast Coffee & Tea Trading Co., the coffeehouse next door, he talked about keeps him going in the industry— and motivates him and his team to be better every day.
“I like people,” he said. “That’s what got me into this industry; I enjoy talking to people. I love the food. I love the cocktails and everything that goes with it. But what got me into it … was the people.”
Taylor Hayes is a 23-year-old Journalism student at Suffolk County Community College who lives in Bayport.
