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Irving opened Eleven Central Bar and Restaurant in Midland Park last November, with his partner Paul Rosen, a longtime restauranteur.
"We're really looking forward to serve the local community," Irving, a Ramsey resident, said.
Eleven Central serves up delicacies like burgers, sandwiches, wings. Irving stresses that every ingredient they use is fresh.
"We're not using frozen beef," Irving said. "We make our own salad dressing. All of our dipping sauce is made in-house."
The restaurant hosts live music on Saturday night and sometimes during the week and also hosts trivia night on Tuesdays.
"We want this to be a place where if someone comes with their family or it's a husband and wife, they are going to feel comfortable," Irving said. "We're a place where women can get together to have lunch and dinner or guys can hang out and watch sports. We want to be a place for the community."
Irving has known Rosen for 15 years and always enjoyed dining out. Irving and Rosen found a spot that closed during the pandemic, and Irving decided it was time to take the plunge.
"I liked the idea of creating something people enjoy coming to," Irving said. "That's what really drove me to do it."
When he's not running a restaurant, Irving has spent the last 25 years running his own printer supply company.
"This is quite different, but the principles are the same," Irving said. "It involves great customer service and making people feel welcome."
Since opening, Irving said Midland Park and other nearby towns have welcomed them with open arms.
"People are fantastic," Irving said. "They tell us they were waiting for something like this to open. They like having a local place. We've been seeing some of the same faces."
Customers have raved about the burgers, Irving said, as well as the chicken sandwiches.
When it comes to cocktails, Eleven Central offers up the Boulevardier.
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