The Emporium music hall in Patchogue will be moving forward with plans to divide the building for a steakhouse and a much smaller space for live performances. The space currently holds 1,100 people.
Emporium co-owner Vincent Trimarco told GreaterPatchogue on Tuesday the ownership is going to build a “grand steakhouse.”
“It’s going to be exciting for the area and very unique, but that’s all I can say right now,” he said.
Trimarco said The Emporium wasn’t exactly ready to make public its restaurant plans were getting underway, but bands that had announced their shows were being cancelled fueled rumors the venue might be closing altogether.
“We are just slowing down our shows for the renovations,” he assured.
Last year, the owners explained to the village Planning Board that cashflow from a restaurant that’s open seven days a week would allow them to get away from large, national acts that drive their business — one last year involved shots being fired after a concert in 2016.
The new configuration would also The Emporium to book more catered affairs.
“This is a massive building. The nightclub industry is fading and we want to keep up with the times,” Trimarco, a Smithtown attorney, told the village in April of 2016.
The Emporium opened in September 2012.
Trimarco reiterated Tuesday that the nightclub industry “is dead.”
“There are no more nightclubs,” he said. “And Patchogue’s culture is different. People want a place where they can eat and hang out; they’re not looking for a nightclub scene. The genre of acts we were booking I wasn’t thrilled with, but those were what was making money.”
He said lesser-known acts that only draw a few hundred people don’t work either for the massive space. “But there’s live music at almost every restaurant in town; we need to stay competitive,” he said.
Trimarco said the plan is to get construction started early this summer, with the hope to open the restaurant and new live music space around Labor Day.
He repeated that the idea is to introduce a concept that no one could experience anywhere else on the island. He said additional details will follow on the plans, but all charitable events, such as the military pack-outs for Boots on the Ground NY, and private events such as Sweet 16’s, will remain as-scheduled.
