SCHENECTADY Bombers could open in spring, owner says Restaurant and bar will join downtown lineup BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Lamendola at 395-3114 or lamend@dailygazette.com.
Matthew Baumgartner is pushing to get his new Bombers Burrito Bar open on State Street by spring, he said Tuesday. He secured $756,000 in bank financing in early January and immediately began renovating the interior of 447-451 State St., which he purchased last year. “We started Jan. 1. As soon as we got our building permit, we went in there and started busting things up,” Baumgartner said. He hopes to open the store this spring. The State Street store will be Baumgartner’s second Bombers Burrito Bar in the Capital Region. His first one is at 258 Lark St. in Albany. “We are not reinventing the wheel here. It’s the same thing we have on Lark Street. It is a burrito restaurant with beer,” Baumgartner said. But the difference is that the State Street operation will fill the entire three-story building, meaning it will be a bigger operation than the Lark Street site, he said. He opened the Lark Street outlet in 1997. The basement will contain coolers and dish washing equipment, the first floor will be takeout and a seat-yourself dining room. The second floor will be a full-scale bar and seating serviced by a wait staff. And the third floor will be a VIP private party room called La Playa. Baumgartner had hoped to open his second Bombers last year. But he had difficulty obtaining loans because of the financial meltdown. “It was a nightmare obtaining these loans. In the past, I would have gotten these loans in a week. It was so much paperwork,” he said. “But this is the best time to invest, when things are down. The economy is going to come back.” Baumgartner said he picked Schenectady over Burlington, Vt., because of the opportunities offered downtown with the movie theater, Proctors and other activities. Beside, he said, “Everyone likes burritos.” The State Street Bombers will remain open until 2 a.m. on some nights so it will become part of downtown’s arts and entertainment district, Baumgartner said. He expects to draw downtown offi ce workers and college students, as well as people who visit downtown for other entertainment events. Bombers was originally slated to go into 3,000 square feet on the ground floor of the Grant Building, several blocks west. That building, which was built in 1928, stands next to the more modern Center City complex. “The space was pretty cool, although a bit small, and we wouldn’t have been able to do a full bar or have a private VIP room. However, at the last minute, a building a few doors up became available for us to buy,” Baumgartner wrote in his blog on the Bomber’s Web site. The purchase and renovation of 447-451 State St. delayed the opening a year, Baumgartner said. He bought the State Street building, the former James’ Boxing Gym, from the Metroplex Development Authority for $500,000. He paid half the price at closing and must pay the remainder over the next 15 years at 5 percent interest to Metroplex rather than to a bank. Baumgartner also got $40,000 from Metroplex to install sprinklers on the three floors and to fi tup the restaurant, and a $75,000 facade grant. Metroplex Chairman Ray Gillen said the building’s 100-year-old facade requires a...........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01000
We're saved another gin mill going to open in the city, how long b4 it closes.
Hardly a gin mill! The Bomber's in Albany is a great place to lunch/hang out. Obviously, Albany and Schenectady are two very different markets, but the owners are the same hard-working, dedicated people. I hope that they are successful.
On a side note, visit their website...some neat history as to how they got started!
Wish Bombers well. They were treated very shabbily by the powers that be Downtown. The owner is a Union grad and the Union College students will make or break this. He needed other late night venues to open i.e.{The Big Hose}, then stumble over to Bombers for some after hours noshing.
VIP burrito room? Open to 2am? Let's not confuse Lark St which has a night life with lower State. He will do a great lunch trade but....
In much less time, the same owners have open smash hit Wolff's Biergarden in Albany. It's really funny watching all the usual cheerleaders jumping up and down like baboons about this. This will create 10 burrito rolling jobs! Front page news at the Gazetto!
All this will do is close other struggling lunch spots, that didn't get a Metrograft handout. With all the yack about "night life" and a "24 hour City" they still roll up the sidewalks Downtown at dusk. For good reason. The comparison to Lark St is a hoot. After Metrograft wasted $100 MILLION there is still no there there.
Our hours in Schenectady are going to be a little longer than our hours in Albany. W e will be open from 11am until 2am every day of the week…. even food!
2AM on State Street? Will they serve burritos and beers through grates on the windows and bars on the door?
Although I don't believe that we need yet another watering hole in downtown Schenectady, I wish the business owners luck in making a go of it. Most new businesses fail in the first 2 years of operations.
SCHENECTADY Long-delayed Bombers opens in time for Cinco de Mayo BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Lamendola at 395-3114 or lamend@dailygazette.com.
Downtown Schenectady’s newest eatery, Bombers Burrito Bar, will open at 11 a.m. today, offering food and drink specials to commemorate Cinco de Mayo. Owner Matt Baumgartner said he will be rolling burritos and pouring beer until 2 a.m. “I am really excited. It’s like a dream,” Baumgartner said. “It is fun to expand the brand and also to be able to set up a restaurant in a way that is efficient and sensible.” The Schenectady establishment, at 451 State St., is Baumgartner’s second Bombers in the Capital Region. He opened his first at 258 Lark St. in Albany in 1997. Mayor Brian U. Stratton said anticipation of today’s opening has been building ever since Baumgartner put up a white, red and blue neon Bombers sign last week in front of the store. “I have heard people talking about it. They know the legacy and it is all coming together. I look forward to proclaiming tomorrow as ‘Bombers Burrito Bar Day,’ ” Stratton said Monday. Jim Salengo, executive director of the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp., said he thinks the opening will be busy for Bombers. “We are really excited about it,” he said. Stratton said the addition of Bombers downtown “will bring a whole new element and twist to our nightlife, and it taps into the college student market. It is something students at Union College said they wanted.” The State Street Bombers is bigger than the Albany establishment and will be open longer hours. It will employ 65 full- and part-time staff, compared with 45 in Albany. It will open at 11 a.m. and serve food and beverages until 2 a.m. seven days a week. The Albany store stops selling food at 1 a.m. on Sundays. The new Bombers occupies a three-story building, which Baumgartner bought and totally remodeled. The first floor will offer take-out and tables, but no wait service. The second floor will contain a bar and restaurant. The third floor will feature a private banquet hall, which will open at a later date. Baumgartner said on his blog he fielded 400 job applications for positions at the Schenectady restaurant. He also said he had planned to open the place a year ago, but had difficulty obtaining loans because of the national financial meltdown. In January he secured $756,000 in bank financing and immediately began renovating the interior of 451 State St., which he purchased last year. “Thank you for your patience. I think it will be worth it. The inside looks amazing, and our staff is a great group of fun people,” Baumgartner said in his blog. Baumgartner bought the State Street building, the former James’ Boxing Gym, from the Metroplex Development Authority for $500,000. He paid half the price at closing and must pay the remainder over the next 15 years at 5 percent interest to Metroplex rather than to a bank. Baumgartner also got $40,000 from Metroplex to install sprinklers on the three floors and to fi t up the restaurant, and got a $75,000 facade grant. Metroplex Chairman Ray Gillen said the building’s 100-year-old facade required a complete makeover. Metroplex renovated the 7,620-square-foot building with skylights and new windows in 2007. ..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00303
They were discussing this opening on Paul Vandenburg's show this morning. Paul was mentioning that Metroplex sold the building for $500,000 after it was renovated in 2007. The Plex holds a mortgage loan for $250K at 5% and gave grants totaling $115K for facade and a sprinkler system.
As Vandenburg said, "that's a lot of burritos"!
He asked if the Bombers business will use the entire 7000+ square feet of space.
First I do wish Bomber's great success. For them and for the taxpayers.
However......
Quoted Text
Paul was mentioning that Metroplex sold the building for $500,000 after it was renovated in 2007. The Plex holds a mortgage loan for $250K at 5% and gave grants totaling $115K for facade and a sprinkler system.
How much did the renovation cost? How much did the plex (our tax dollar) invest to renovate this building BEFORE they sold it for $500K? And how long is the $250K mortgage for? And what I find somewhat questionable, is 'why' did the plex pay for a sprinkler system? Most businesses that locate to a building usually have to supply the code essentials themselves. The municipality (taxpayer) doesn't pay for it. I know someone who opened a restaurant in a building that did not have a sprinkler system. It was 'their' responsibility to pay for it. And they didn't even own the building....they rented it.
It's one of those...'why buy the milk when you can get the cow for free'! IMHO
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Logged
Wish Bombers well. They were treated very shabbily by the powers that be Downtown. The owner is a Union grad and the Union College students will make or break this. He needed other late night venues to open i.e.{The Big Hose}, then stumble over to Bombers for some after hours noshing. 
In much less time, the same owners have open smash hit Wolff's Biergarden in Albany. It's really funny watching all the usual cheerleaders jumping up and down like baboons about this. This will create 10 burrito rolling jobs! Front page news at the Gazetto!
