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It was 2017 and the bar and restaurant at Preakness Valley Golf Course in Wayne had long been owned and operated by someone else.
The customers were skeptical of change. They didn't like it, at first. They didn't want it, said Cavagliato, 41, and Mora, 47, of Bogota.
But over time, the customers warmed up to the new atmosphere, fare, and drinks. These days, In The Drink is thriving.
And so are its owners, who will be taking over The Cottage Bar — the Irish pub two doors down from their Teaneck deli after having closed this week — whenever the transfer of the liquor license is approved.
Their message to the new customers? "Don't fear change."
While Cavagliato and Mora know they have big shoes to fill at The Cottage Bar (which they'll be calling Pub 178), as they're well aware of the institution Mickey Dawson created over the past 24 years, the two have been longtime customers of The Cottage themselves.
And, they know other patrons as their own.
"A lot of Mickey's customers would start their days with breakfast here at Sol's Cafe and end it with beer at The Cottage at night," said Cavagliato, who goes by her middle name, Sol, from inside Sol's Cafe.
Cavagliato and Mora know to keep the elements of the bar that Dawson's customers value. For example, Pub 178 will be an official Liverpool Football Club Supporters bar. The karaoke nights are here to stay. And, of course, so is the Guinness.
But Cavagliato and Mora will be adding plenty, too: More sporting events to watch. A cocktail menu — because, after all, Cavagliato isn't much of a beer drinker.
Appetizers and entrees, like ribs and burgers, and additional lighting, to brighten the place up.
The idea isn't to bring an entirely new bar to 178 Cedar Lane, but to build upon what's been there all these years, Cavagliato and Mora said.
Just like what they did at In The Drink, and what they did with Sol's Cafe, when they took over Tony's Deli in 2010.
At the time, Cavagliato and Mora were living in the apartments a couple blocks away by the CVS, and Cavagliato had been an employee at the deli. She was in her tenth year living in the United States having moved from Argentina, and had seen its potential for years.
So when she and Mora took over, Cavagliato brought her dream for the place to life, little by little.
The idea to take over The Cottage Bar came to Cavagliato and Mora five or six years ago, when they noticed Dawson looking a little bit more stressed than usual.
It was around the time he welcomed his first child.
"I said, 'Hey Mickey, let me know when you want to sell me the bar,'" Mora recalled. "And he'd say, 'Yes, I'll let you know.'"
Sometime last November, Dawson broached the idea to the couple.
"We thought he was joking," Cavagliato said.
"But he said, 'No, for real. I'm tired, I have two kids at home. I want to focus on my family,'" Mora added. "'If you really want it, let's talk.'"
The sale of The Cottage went through in early 2024. Now, Cavagliato and Mora are just waiting for the approval of the liquor license to transfer.
The couple, who met in English classes years ago after he immigrated from Mexico and she moved from Argentina, recently took their 12-year-old daughter on a trip to Ireland.
There, they saw Taylor Swift perform, but they also drew on the Irish bars for inspiration, with visits to the Temple Bar, the Guinness Factory, the Jameson Factory, and of course, plenty of local watering holes.
Much like Dawson, the people of Ireland were friendly, easy-going, and happy, Cavagliato and Mora said.
The two feel ready to take over for Dawson, and certainly come prepared to put in the work and continue living for and working toward the American Dream that they both came to the United States looking for — Mora in 1995 and Cavagliato in 2000.
"Here, if you work, success comes," said the couple, who met in English classes just after they immigrated.
While Pub 178 is actually entirely Cavagliato's venture, Mora backs her entirely and is proud of his wife, and her female-owned pub.
"We help each other succeed," the couple agreed. "It's what we want to do."
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