// SCOOP Bar Fight As Former P.J. Clarke’s Bartender Opens His Own Saloon Two Blocks From The Tavern That Fired Him Scoop sees that Doug Quinn, the beloved bartender who helmed P.J. Clarke’s for nearly a decade, is gearing up for war. “I want to create an army of Doug Quinns,” says the barkeep, who was fired from Clarke’s in June 2012. Rather than retreat after an unceremonious ouster, the tapster has gone on the offensive. Last month, he opened his own Midtown East Saloon, Hudson Malone, in a two-story space at 218 E. 53rd St. It sits a mere two blocks from the original Clarke’s at 915 third Ave. “This place will be a ‘New York joint.’ I don’t think they really exist so much anymore,” Quinn says. Countless fans have followed Quinn to Hudson Malone. After all, he’s become something of a mythical creature among the city’s most elite and discerning drinkers, famed for his uncanny ability to remember every customer’s drink and life story. Also, for being able to pour a dozen cocktails at once, all while keeping a firm eye on
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ies Joe Allen and Elaine Kaufman hang on the walls alongside a chalkboard scrawled with “Quinn’s Laws,” which include “Stand Tall. Choose Sides,” and “I’d Rather Die on My Feet Than Live on My Knees.”
“Listen some people say I’m gifted,” says Quinn. “But I also work hard, too.” If customer loyalty is any indication the hard work pays off. “I was building a brand at Clarke’s and maybe, in some respect, they didn’t want me to be the brand,” says Quinn.
the door. “Listen some people say I’m gifted,” says Quinn. “But I also work hard, too.” If customer loyalty is any indication the hard work pays off. “I was building a brand at Clarke’s and maybe, in some respect, they didn’t want me to be the brand,” says Quinn. In October,
34 • January 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Doug Quinn, the beloved bartender who helmed P.J. Clarke’s for nearly a decade, is gearing up for war
he purchased the spot where Hudson Malone now sits; previously home to a succession of all you can drink dens of debauchery. Then he simply spread the word. “I didn’t realize how many thousands of people I know,” Quinn says. “I’ve been everywhere in the world, and where I go, people will say ‘Hey, Doug Quinn.’ People tell me how something, I did touched their life,” he says. While at Clarke’s, he introduced at least 10 men to their future wives. His new joint is an old-schooled saloon (jukebox included) where Quinn’s bow-tie collection hangs behind the bar, men outnumber women 60 to 1 and portrait of bar-owning luminar-
Tri-State Buffalo Wings Ink Pepsi Deal Scoop notes that in an unusual deal that goes far beyond the soda wars, PepsiCo has announced that it is unseating Coca-Cola as the beverage supplier to one of the Tri-State’s hottest restaurant chains Buffalo Wild Wings. The deal, which will start with the introduction of Pepsi, Mountain Dew and other drink brands in the new year, is the biggest sign so far of how PepsiCo is deploying its thriving snacks business and Quaker, which it also owns, to offset declines in its traditional soda business. “You’ve got to get in the door with great beverages,” said Kirk Tanner, president of PepsiCo’s food service businesses, which supplies restaurants and other institutions with the company’s products. “But what this partnership does is give Buffalo Wild Wings a full access