The New Year is bringing some big changes to a seafood restaurant that has been operating on Wolf Road in Colonie the past three decades.
A new owner, a new chef and a $1 million renovation to the restaurant comes as Aliki Serras purchases Reel Seafood Co. from her 68-year-old father, LeGrande Serras.
“I’ve obviously grown up in this restaurant in particular and the industry in general, and it’s something that I’ve gravitated towards. It’s something I generally enjoy,” said Aliki.
The 28-year-old wasn’t always sure she wanted to own and operate a restaurant like the three previous generations of her family, but the industry pulled her in. She has been working full time at the restaurant for the past five years and worked her way up from hostess to general manager. In the summer of 2011, she told her father that she hoped to take over the restaurant.
“I’m excited. I never thought one of my children would be in this business and representing the fourth generation for us and for my family. I think it’s tremendous,” said LeGrande.
When the restaurant first opened in 1983 there wasn’t much competition on Wolf Road, with only a dozen other restaurants. Now there are 55.
“Every one that opens — and I don’t care if it’s Chipotle, Texas Roadhouse — every one of them takes three, four or five customers. Bonefish, obviously more,” said LeGrande. “That gap has got to be bigger, and that’s where we have been all these years. In order for us to differentiate ourselves, we’re going into the next two steps up, maybe three steps up.”
In order to keep things fresh and to stand out from the other seafood restaurants, Aliki has planned a major renovation.
“It is very nice in here and has that warm feel to it when you walk in, but you know it’s important to give it that facelift, so to speak. So we are putting about $1 million (in) and looking to put in a raw bar and highlight that and the bar area in general,” said Aliki. “We will be going from 16 to 32 bar seats. Then just overall giving it a more contemporary feel, little bit less clutter, clean lines and we’re going for a different color scheme. So, it will be a Mediterranean/Aegean style with lots of whites and blues.”
The renovation won’t be the only major change. A new master chef, Dustin Aipperspach, has been chosen to spice things up. Aipperspach is a former Colorado restaurant owner who served apprenticeships under Master Sushi Chef Atsushi “Ted” Minami and French-certified Master Chef Andre LeDoux.
“He was introduced to us through a friend of a friend in the industry, and we started discussions with him in early December. Through a series of tastings and multiple discussions, he proved he was going to be able to bring us to that next level, which is very exciting. I think everyone should wait with baited breath for his menu because it’s truly remarkable,” said Aliki.
While there are many changes taking place at the restaurant, some things will remain the same because there is a reason Reel Seafood Co. has passed the test of time that causes so many other restaurants to fail in their first year or even their first 10. LeGrande said he has shown Aliki the importance of quality leadership, and one of the key ingredients to quality customer service is a happy, well-trained, loyal staff. Not many restaurants have had members of the staff stick around for 15 or 20 years like they have at Reel Seafood.
“It’s really important in what my father has displayed to me is the necessity to never ask somebody to do something you wouldn’t do or haven’t done or aren’t willing to do side by side,” said Aliki.
Through his various ventures in the restaurant business and over the course of his life, the biggest thing he LeGrande said he’ll miss is the staff.
“Fifteen of our people have been here over 25 years, another 10 or so have been here over 15 years. We have a tremendous amount of loyalty here,” said LeGrande. “It’s the influence you don’t realize you have. When someone comes back years later in a suit and tie and says, ‘Mr. Serras, I want to thank you for the opportunity I had here.’ Now he’s a big-time lawyer, and that is the kind of thing I’ll probably miss the most, having that positive influence on other people. “
LeGrande doesn’t plan to just go into retirement mode and disappear. He will take time to visit family in Greece for a month or two, but he will still be part of the business. Never afraid to get his hands dirty when things get busy, he’ll bus tables or help out wherever he is needed.
The Serras said that another thing that sets Reel Seafood Co. apart from other seafood restaurants is that the food comes from the sea to the restaurant in a day and isn’t frozen. Their supplier gets the freshest food possible, and they only buy enough to last a couple days, ensuring it’s a fresh as possible.
While the restaurant is closed from Jan. 6 to 20, the staff will be undergoing training on the new menu items, what to pair them with and a basic refresher course to ensure they provide the best possible service. There will be a grand reopening on Jan. 25.
“I’m excited to give Wolf Road a kind of new act in town,” said Aliki.