WILLIAMSBURG — This month, as Second Street American Bistro celebrates 40 years of operation, it reflects on the past while looking to the future.
The restaurant is co-owned by brothers John and Mickey Chohany, who have been in the industry for more than 40 years. Born and raised in Williamsburg, they took over the restaurant in March 1985. After finishing college and leaving Williamsburg for their careers, mostly in the restaurant industry, they came back to town and took over the restaurant from its previous owners.
While they have had other projects over the years, Mickey says Second Street is the one that has always been the cornerstone for which they’ve been known.
“There’s an article I read not too terribly long ago where I said — not long, maybe a month ago — that was shortly after we had opened the restaurant, and it was an interview of me, and it’s is so uncanny what I said then is what I still say today,” Mickey Chohany says. “If you stay true to some of your background and what made you successful that that tends to always bode well to continue that forward.”
He continued that three things really compose a restaurant: food, service, and atmosphere, adding he believes their greatest strength has been the culture and the restaurant’s people. The restaurant has always sought to reinvent itself , notably making a shift in 2007 to flip the restaurant from casual to upscale casual. Chohany adds they’re also focused on upkeep on the property to make sure that it doesn’t trend itself into being irrelevant.
“Many times, when you say you’re a 40-year-old restaurant, or you’ve been around that long, that usually means you’re outdated without reinventing yourself, but we’ve done a great job with our crew and their understanding of relevance is really important,” he said. “In town, we’ve become iconic as it will be, but also ever pushing our team and talents to make sure that we don’t get lazy, and whether it’s looking at new plateware or a different decor thing to enhance what we do on a regular basis, it then becomes really important to us.”
“The biggest part of our business has always been about relationships with our team, our customers, our vendors, and our service providers,” he adds. “We value what they do and we just never take any of that for granted. Because I think once you do, you start to lose a genuine appreciation for any of those and it’s so very important.”
During this anniversary month, guests can expect a throwback menu featuring highlights of Second Street’s past. There are also t-shirts available for purchase that are reminiscent of the restaurant’s early days when it was still a casual setting.
Second Street American Bistro is located at 140 Second St. in Williamsburg. To learn more about the restaurant, visit its official website.
