A truly epic bar is a slice of paradise—a place where worries slip away and warmth surrounds you, where your feet remember how to dance. The camaraderie and devoted clientele of Bacchus, in addition to its impressive menu, an even more impressive beer list (over 300 beers from around the world, including homemade brews), billiards room, and live music events, take Bacchus beyond the level of the average local bar—it is, indeed,
epic. Yet Bacchus held this status even in the 1970s, when the air was smoky and peanut shells on the wooden floor crunched beneath the feet of customers. With the addition of each new endeavor that has developed over the years, some regulars might have worried that the deep sense of heart and soul would fade. But thanks to the capable hands on the steering wheel, Bacchus has just gotten better.
The Chestnut Street building was erected in the late-1800s as a general store and home for the LeFevre family, whose ancestors helped to establish New Paltz two hundred years earlier. During the nearly 100-year period prior to Bacchus opening in 1974, the building housed a colorful string of businesses: a Chinese laundry, litho shop, taxi station, barber shop (they still have the original barber chair in the third floor office), café, and porn photography studio. In 1973, a self-described “Laurel and Hardy team”
put together about $4,000 and began turning the building into a neighborhood tavern, which they named in homage to the Roman god of wine and song. The partnership didn’t last, but the business did, with originator Wayne Bradford very much still at the helm. Linda (now Bradford) came on board in 1985. “I relocated here for college at SUNY New Paltz, fell in love with the area, and chose to make it home,” she says. “There is something magical about the
beauty of this area, both in the people and the surroundings, and it just feels like home.” She’s been running day-to-day operations since 1987. “I’m a somewhat balanced mix of business and social, a blend of crazy with a side of stress, topped with moments that are calm and relaxed,” she says. (Perhaps only a true-blooded restaurateur would describe herself like items from a psychological menu). “I genuinely love this business and enjoy interacting with the staff, the customers, the vendors, the sales people, and the day-to-day challenges of running the business. I always knew I belonged in a social job, and always gravitated to hospitality and service positions. I love being present, I love connecting with people.” In Bacchus, she found a home for those
“We have the nicest, most laid-back, easygoing, pleasant clientele anywhere, the best customers anyone could hope for.”
talents; in Wayne, she found a worthy collaborator. The two married in 1992, one of many lasting loves that got their start within these walls. “There is so much history here,” says Linda. “So many people come in and talk of how they first met at Bacchus, celebrating anniversaries, bringing their kids back, and sharing the stories of how they met and how it all began.… So many staff members have worked here over the past 43 years, and many met their spouses and/or lifelong friends here.” As you read this (assuming it’s not at 7am), there are probably former strangers striking up conversations in Bacchus that will lead to just that sort of bond. Linda and her staff set the mood, and the customers do the rest. “There is
“We create a comfortable atmosphere with the lighting, music, and decor. We serve great food and drink with the friendliest service in a warm and comfortable environment, and provide a place where the staff love to work, thus allowing them to function at their best.”
a Cheers sort of vibe at play … making connections with customers, knowing them, having fun with them, and making them feel at home within these walls,” says Linda. “And we have the nicest, most laid-back, easygoing, pleasant clientele anywhere, the best customers anyone could hope for.” Linda and her crew make it easy for people to let their best selves shine, and it starts with getting the right team together. Over the years, she’s developed a knack for hiring. “We expect and get a lot from our people,” she says. At the top of the list, we look
for people who are friendly, with good social skills and heart, and they have to genuinely like working with people. Our team is one big (at times, somewhat dysfunctional) family. We don’t take life too seriously, and we get that if the staff isn’t having fun, there’s a trickle-down effect and the overall customer experience will be less fun.” The varieties of fun on tap at Bacchus have expanded over the years. “Great food and incredible house-brewed beers, which are part of the best beer selection in the Hudson Valley; a full bar and a nice wine selection;
a billiard room with ping pong, foosball, darts, and video games; live music most Friday and Saturday nights; and front and back patios with outdoor dining,” is how Linda describes the basic ingredients. Then there’s the secret sauce: “We create a comfortable atmosphere with the lighting, music, and decor. We serve great food and drink with the friendliest service in a warm and comfortable environment, and provide a place where the staff love to work, thus allowing them to function at their best.” Working with the larger business community has helped this “constantly-evolving bar and restaurant” survive and thrive through the decades. “Collaboration is positive,” Linda says. “More is gained by working together than against each other.”
That said, both she and Wayne love the freedom that comes with captaining their own ship. “The freedom to grow and develop the business in varying directions is endless, creative, and fun!” she says. “Evolution is essential to the continued success of any thriving business. We believe in staying receptive to new ideas, change, and growth. It keeps the freshness in what we do.” What will happen next at Bacchus? Well, maybe you. Go shoot a game of pool, try a house beer with some tasty Tex-Mex, and be part of the celebration. But, as for the business, expect ... anything. “We do have plans in the works, but they’re still in development,” says Linda. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Bacchus
4 South Chestnut Street, New Paltz
845-255-8636
bacchusnewpaltz.com
