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| Tony Harper’s Pizza and Clam Shack Eyeing Late March Opening for New Lowville Location March 02, 2019 04:30 p.m. By: Nick Altmire |
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Street in Lowville, as owners anticipate an opening by late March. We were invited in on Tuesday to see the progress and sat down with owner Lisa Murphy for a preview of what the community can expect from the new venue. First, for a little background, Tony Harper’s started in 1992 at their original location in the Hamilton county hamlet of Raquette Lake, nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, as Tony Harper’s Pizza and Subs. “My father started the original Raquette Lake location,” Ms. Murphy said, “The restaurant was in the former cabin of Tony Harper, a longtime resident of Raquette Lake. When my dad was looking for a name for the restaurant. I suggested we call it Tony Harper’s, and that is how we got our name!” Ms. Murphy took over the Raquette Lake restaurant in 2001, rebranding it as Tony Harper’s Pizza & Clam Shack, enclosing the porch to create a dining room and adding a roadside Tiki Bar that still operates today as a seasonal business. In 2009 Ms. Murphy expanded the business, opening the year-round Tony Harper’s Pizza & Clam Shack in the heart of downtown Old Forge, NY. The location quickly became a popular spot with tourists and locals alike, offering two styles of pizza, “world famous” wings, steamers, popular lunch and dinner specials, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and entertainment. “Our new Lowville location will be similar to our place in Old Forge,” Ms. Murphy told us, noting the Lowville restaurant will operate seven days a week, year- round. Dine-in and take-out menu choices will be similar, and the famous “Working Man” lunch special- a hot lunch and soft drink for $6- will be offered every weekday. “That’s a very popular feature in Old Forge,” said Ms. Murphy’s son Chris, who is managing the design, construction and rollout of the Lowville restaurant. All three of Ms. Murphy’s children (Chris, Brian, and Melissa) play a role in the operation of the three Tony Harper’s locations. The Lowville restaurant is located on North State Street, between the Community Bank and Dollar General, in the three-story building formerly home to the Wildroot Bookstore and Wayseekers Studio. The building was heavily damaged in a February 2011 block fire that destroyed the former Times Block building that was located next door (and is now a small parking lot shared by Community Bank and Tony Harper’s). The Murphy’s purchased the building at an auction in late 2011. Renovations on the upstairs apartments were completed by DE Murphy Constructors a few years earlier, which will be available for rent. Plans are to use a section of the shared parking lot for seasonal outdoor seating. The area has been enclosed with temporary cement barriers, with an outdoor bar that will serve drinks through the window from the indoor bar on the other side. Inside, there will be seating for approximately 60 guests, with both high-top and table seating available, in addition to the bar. There will be five large screen televisions with surround sound, featuring NFL games and other sporting events. The bar features a ten-tap glycol system, focusing on craft and domestic brews, in addition to wines, liquors, and bottled and canned beer options. The restaurant plans to open daily at 11 a.m., with the Murphy’s still deciding on a closing time and entertainment features. “We want to be what the community wants us to be,” Ms. Murphy said. “We’re still deciding how late we be open, and if we will have different closing hours for weekends and weekdays. I can say, we will stay open until at least 10 p.m.” The Murphy’s plan an open-mike night and karaoke night, similar to the Old Forge location, and potentially live weekend entertainment if the demand is there. The Lowville restaurant will feature many of the same homemade menu options as available in Old Forge. Tony Harper’s makes their own sauces for their chicken wings and homemade boneless wings and offers two styles of pizza crust- traditional and the thin, crispy Broadway option. Along with pizza, wings and steamers, the restaurant also serves steaks, burgers and many other options- including gluten free and vegetarian items. Daily lunch and dinner specials will be offered, with a $6/$8/$10 lunch special menu. Every Friday there is a fish fry special and Saturday’s always feature a prime rib special. Online ordering will be available through an app, and a loyalty point program will be instituted. Although delivery will not be immediately available, the Murphy’s plan to have that option in place soon after opening. The restaurant wasn’t quite photo-ready during our visit on Tuesday, but we’ll be back prior to the opening to give you an inside preview of the location. The Murphy’s anticipate the opening of the Lowville restaurant will take place shortly after St. Patrick’s Day. Stay tuned for the grand opening announcement! The restaurant initially plans to employ between 15 and 20 people. For more information on Tony Harper’s you can visit their website, or the Tony Harper’s Lowville Facebook page. |
