The Bayside Pub could be making a comeback

WEBSTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – The Bayside Pub forced to close after being open for decades, earlier this year, could be making a comeback.

The owners have submitted a form to rebuild a new bayside as the state and town begin an $11.1 million park improvement project.
As part of the project, earlier this year the town of Webster wanted to hear from restaurant owners interested in opening up a spot in Sandbar Park and they got one submission and it’s a familiar one.

“So we put that expression of interest out to restaurants, tours, bar owners. We had a lot of activity on that through questions that came from those restaurant tours,” Webster Town Supervisor Tom Flaherty said. “At the end of the day, when the formal submissions came in, we did get one submission and it was from the ownership team that was the previous The Bayside Pub.”

In January the pub was demolished as part of a town-led project to prevent future flooding near Lake Road and revamp the 12-acre Sandbar Park.

Co-owner Rob Buono said they never gave up and we’re shocked that they were the only ones who submitted a formal application.
“We’re excited,” Buono said. “We don’t have to compete because that was probably one of the saddest parts of our whole project down here, is being here for 25 years, then getting kicked out and then having to compete against other people to come back so knowing that we don’t have to compete, we’re very, very elated.”

Buono said winning the proposal is the first step.

“Let the people that know what they’re doing run the business and let the government do the government things. Buono said. “And if we have maintained a relationship like that, it’ll be very, very successful for both of us.”

Flaherty said the town owns the land and the building that’s constructed so it’s a landlord-tenant situation, where both the restaurant and the town will need to work together.

“If the town went in, indebted themselves through bonds or got grants to build a building like that, we owe it to the citizens to make sure that we’re getting that money back, the rent payments and any capital investment of any restaurant who’s coming in there as the tenants,” Flaherty said.

He said while bayside is the only one interested right now, there are more steps and he is optimistic it’ll work out for everyone.
“I think it’s fantastic if they can work out that their proposal makes sense,” Flaherty said.

Flaherty said right now they are going through the process of vetting Bayside’s proposal and should have an update to that in the next few months and hopes the actual project is done in the next few years.