{"id":13392,"date":"2012-08-27T10:35:55","date_gmt":"2012-08-27T14:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2012\/08\/carl-rs-cafe-open-25-years.html"},"modified":"2017-11-08T11:13:48","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T16:13:48","slug":"carl-rs-cafe-open-25-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2012\/08\/carl-rs-cafe-open-25-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Carl R’s Cafe, Open 25 Years, Strives To Be Place Where Good Food And Fun Meet"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"carlrsdesantisdemas1.jpg\"\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n

Joe DeSantis, an owner of Carl R’s Cafe which celebrated its 25th anniversary recently, stands with Cindy Demas, a server and bartender since the beginning.<\/em>\n<\/div>\n

Carl R’s Caf\u00c3\u00a9 restaurant and bar had its 25th anniversary celebration in October and its ownership sees many good years ahead.<\/p>\n

“It’s named after my dad,” said Joe DeSantis, who opened the business in 1987 with his brothers, Carl and William, and with the involvement of his parents as well. “He’s been in the restaurant business since 1953. He got us started in the business. He started Carl R’s but it was basically for us. We came up with the concept. He put us in business.”
\nLocated at 124 Main St., Queensbury, the menu is known for its Mexican food offerings, as well as a variety of other dishes. It has also become a popular gathering place and night spot for people in the community.<\/p>\n

In the late 1980s when the idea was being developed for Carl R’s, “Mexican food was just getting hot nationwide,” DeSantis said. “It was the hottest food in the country at the time. We decided we were going to jump aboard and do a Mexican menu, but not a restaurant. Our thought was part of the menu would be Mexican, but we didn’t think it would support a Mexican restaurant. So we just did one part of our menu as Mexican and the rest American. It took off.”<\/p>\n

His father, Carl, began in the restaurant business in the 1950s and at one time owned six Howard Johnsons facilities, as well as the Red Coach Grill in Glens Falls. The family also ran Mohawk Station in Herkimer.<\/p>\n

“We were in the restaurant business. This was just another concept,” said DeSantis. “This was our ninth restaurant. We were raised in the restaurant business … We were trying to come up with a concept we thought would work and decided to try it.”<\/p>\n

As for the Mexican dishes, they are recipes established by the family and battle tested. “If someone comes to work at Carl R’s they do our recipes,” DeSantis said. There are some specials offered at the restaurant that can change. “That’s an outlet for creativity (for the cooks). But the base menu … We’ve had recipes for 25 years. We make everything here. They’ve stood the test of time.”<\/p>\n

While the Mexican dishes proved to be popular, DeSantis said it’s more than the food that brings people to Carl R’s.<\/p>\n

“Here’s out niche, which is why we think it works,” he explained. “It’s bands and dancing for people between 30 and 80. The reason we think it works is because we start it early. The bands start at 8. They end at 11. People can have dinner. They have a good time. It’s a good group of people. By 11, we’re done and they go home … It’s dancing. It’s music and a good time out for middle-aged professionals.”<\/p>\n

At other night spots for the younger crowd, bands start much later and the establishments run into the early morning hours. That’s not the intent at Carl R’s.<\/p>\n

“The thing that makes it so much fun is we have a very good clientele. They always talk about a ‘Cheers’ type of restaurant,” said DeSantis, referring to the popular television sitcom.<\/p>\n

“I think Carl R’s really is that. It’s local people that come here several times a week. Everybody knows them. They know us. It’s very comfortable. We try to keep the prices reasonable for that reason, because people will come here two three or four times a week … That’s been the game plan. We’re the Cheers of Glens Falls. A very comfortable family restaurant.”<\/p>\n

Another key to success “is the help,” he acknowledged. “You have to hire nice people. And that’s what we do. Then you teach them your system. You can’t teach nice.”<\/p>\n

“It’s relaxed,” he added. “We try to have a good time here. Everybody knows you have to work. Everybody knows you have to produce. But the one thing we try to do while we’re working is have a good time. It makes the day go by. It makes your job more enjoyable and everybody does a better job because of that.”<\/p>\n

The restaurant is open Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m to 11 p.m.; Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sundays, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

Carl R’s can be reached at 793-7676.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joe DeSantis, an owner of Carl R’s Cafe which celebrated its 25th anniversary recently, stands with Cindy Demas, a server and bartender since the beginning.Carl R’s Caf\u00e9 restaurant and bar had its 25th anniversary celebration in October and its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nCarl R's Cafe, Open 25 Years, Strives To Be Place Where Good Food And Fun Meet - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2012\/08\/carl-rs-cafe-open-25-years\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Carl R's Cafe, Open 25 Years, Strives To Be Place Where Good Food And Fun Meet - 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