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Since opening in 2012, the West Madison Avenue barbecue spot in Dumont has remained largely the same. The menu, the ambiance, the people.
That changed on Friday, April 26, with the grand opening of Bar 26 BBQ & Grill.
"It’s healthy to reinvent yourself every once in a while — make sure you're feeling your best," said Samantha Matthews, 28, a New Milford native who's been newly-promoted to her role of assistant general manager of Bar 26, after nine years working in various roles at Fink's.
"We'd been very stagnant for a very long time... and that's not the best way to grow and expand our customer base."
Fink's was founded by its pit master, Dave "Fink" Finkelstein, in 2012. Four years later, he opened Fink's sister restaurant in Suffern, NY.
Sometime last winter, the three owners of Fink's decided it was time for a rebrand. They brought in general manager, Dirk McConnell, who has experience in the industry having worked at several bars in Rockland County, and made Matthews his sidekick.
"Dirk came in and had a whole bunch of ideas for things that he thought would make the restaurant and the bar a lot more fun, carefree and inviting than it was before," Matthews said.
Starting with the overflow dining room that's been converted into a lounge, complete with a pool table and comfortable seating. Next came the menu, which Matthews said was largely curated with patrons' help, whether they knew it or not.
"We wanted to make sure that the customers we've amassed over the years didn't think we were abandon them and creating something completely different," Mathews said. "We care a lot about what our customers have to say and take everything they give us: The good, the bad and the ugly. And we made sure to keep a list of those ideas."
Like, "Brisket Wednesdays." Customers have requesting brisket be offered more than once a week. Now, at Bar 26, they'll get just that, with one of the owners in the kitchen as executive chef, Matthews said. Patrons had also been requesting non-smoked options. Matthews said there's more of that, too.
While lots of changes have happened at Bar 26, one of the biggest things that remained the same is the staff. All of the Fink's team stayed on board, which Matthews says is a testament to how much everyone cares.
"It was very important to us to create an environment based off of recommendations from the staff and implement changes they all wanted to see," she said.
"Transitions are always awkward, trying to navigate this new field," she said. "But customers have been so patient, kind, and giving us different ideas they want to see. It’s really so incredibly heartwarming and speaks to the strong characteristic in Dumont. It's such a friendly community, and so caring. You can feel it. They wanted to see us succeed."
After all, Matthews knows a thing or two about rebranding. She joined the Fink's as a hostess in 2015, around the same time she was starting college. Four years later, Matthews graduated from Ramapo College with a degree in social science and concentration in community mental health.
Instead of trying to land a job in the field she'd studied, she said staying at Fink's felt natural. Fulfilling. Long-lasting.
"Your desires don’t always have to immediately fuel your career," Matthews said. "And I was lucky enough to have a multitude of different things that interested me. I found working in restaurant hospitality was just as intriguing to me as anything else. So I figured I'd stick around for a hot minute."
And she's glad she did. Today, Matthews says Bar 26 is a testament to how much its employees care.
"I like this company, I like my bosses, and I wouldn’t have been here for the last nine years if I didn’t," she said. "To see all of these changes and how excited the rest of the staff is makes me really proud, because we did so much of this work ourselves."
As for Dave Finkelstein? He wished Bar 26 the best on Facebook and added he'd be at Fink's in Suffern, NY, if anyone felt like stopping by.
"No bad blood," Matthews said. "It was just time to establish a new identity."
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