Reality star Zach Erdem, who last summer clashed with Greenport Mayor Kevin Stuessi over village code violations at his ZErdem restaurant —and ultimately lost his liquor license there — was back before the Village Board last week seeking its support for a new liquor license at a different property.
It’s unclear if that support will be forthcoming. Mr. Stuessi said he is not inclined to favor a new license for Mr. Erdem’s 10-room Gallery Hotel, just across Main Street from the restaurant. While the New York State Liquor Authority issues liquor licenses, a letter of support or opposition from a local municipality can substantially impact its decisions.
Mr. Stuessi’s reticence follows a series of code violations and other infractions last June that prompted the village to obtain a court-ordered preliminary injunction temporarily shutting down the restaurant. (Mr. Erdem has said he has long-term leases on both properties.) According to Mr. Stuessi, the board also sent a letter last year to the SLA saying it “no longer supports the applicant after several violations.”
Mr. Erdem stars in ‘Serving the Hamptons,’ a reality show that follows staff and celebrity guests at Southampton’s 75 Main restaurant, which he also owns.
The violations at ZErdem included housing people in a trailer behind the restaurant, various safety hazards and the breaking of what Mr. Stuessi described at the time as a promise by the restaurant owner to officials and residents at a Village Board meeting weeks earlier that he would not play music outdoors on the restaurant’s patio.
“I’m not prepared to support a new application for this,” Mr. Stuessi said at last week’s regular Village Board meeting. “There were representations made to the neighborhood of how the building was going to be managed, maintenance issues, how the restaurant will be managed — and we found exactly the opposite.”
The mayor personally oversaw the temporary shuttering of ZErdem last summer after complaints that music was being played on the outdoor patio and a suspicion that the restaurant was violating its state liquor license. Mr. Erdem later denied that there were any violations of the liquor license, though it was ultimately revoked.
“I’ve personally held liquor licenses in New York and dealt with this at length in multiple states,” Mr. Stuessi said at the meeting. “And it’s a privilege in the state of New York to hold a liquor license. For me, fool me once, shame on you, twice? I’m not personally not prepared” to support the new license application. The sought-after liquor license would apply only to Mr. Erdem’s Gallery Hotel, and not affect the currently closed restaurant property.
At last week’s board meeting, Mr. Erdem said that, unlike the liquor license for his restaurant, which served dinner, the hotel café at the Gallery is planning to serve only breakfast and brunch. In response to a question from the board, he also said the hotel had no plans for live music, which would require his company to apply for a village entertainment permit.
Village Trustee Patrick Brennan asked Mr. Erdem if he had “anything to offer, as far as the mayor’s comments about past problems.”
“It shouldn’t be an issue,” the restaurateur replied. “It’s the past.”
Mr. Erdem said his company had settled ongoing litigation with the village over the code violations two months ago. He said the required fines had been paid and he was ready to move on from the events of last summer.
He concluded by saying he was “not sure” of Mr. Stuessi’s “vision and spirit in attracting business owners” to the village.
Mr. Stuessi replied, “At this point, I personally believe you should come and show the village good faith, especially because you’re looking to open a breakfast and brunch place. Come show the village good faith that you’re going to operate appropriately — and come back at a later date if you’re able to.”
Mr. Erdem, who was born in Turkey, complained that “summer is almost here” and that he expected it would take months to secure a liquor license once his application was submitted.
“Your purpose, your job, is to protect your local businesses,” Mr. Erdem said to the mayor. “I’ve been here almost a year, and I’m going to be here as long as I have 20-year leases on these buildings. I’m not going anywhere, but you’re probably going to be employed … [as a] one-term mayor. But we will be here. We would like to serve the village. We would like to be a part of this village.”
Deputy mayor Mary Bess Phillips began to interject but stopped, saying, “All right, I’m going to keep my mouth shut.”
Mr. Brennan stepped in and told Mr. Erdem, “I was trying to give you an opportunity to advance some management strategies or some management changes or something that would alleviate our concerns, rather than saying ‘the past is the past.’ Looking forward, I’m giving you the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, we’re doing this differently, we’re doing that differently.’ ”
Mr. Erdem said that he and his team “learned our lessons” and would be on “our best behavior to make sure the village and the neighborhood is happy with us.”
“We’re not here to make anyone miserable,” he said. “We would like to be a part of the village. We would like to serve the beautiful community here, the same as every other restaurant.”
At the meeting, the board also approved operation of a farmers market in Mitchell Park on Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m., from May 17 through Oct. 11. It also voted to authorize bonds for $700,000 to fix curbs and sidewalks, $1.3 million for sewer infrastructure repairs and upgrades and $4.5 million for emergency bulkhead repairs.