Industry Insiders: Neighborhood Bonding with Nick Atkinson

It's only 7:30, and I've managed to escape the throngs of my addictive job and head to happy hour -- once cut from my budget, but thanks to Bond St's efforts to scale back for their loyal customers, this hour earned a second chance with my pocketbook. Bond St. lounge manager Nick Atkinson agrees. "I have certainly seen a lot of the same faces on a reoccurring basis here in the lounge. I think people are spending their money on quality, on things like atmosphere and food they already know is very good -- basically, on their favorite things." Luckily, Bond St's new lounge menu is filled with just that. For a pared-down price, loyalists can choose 15 of their most popular items -- the sesame crusted shrimp roll included -- for just $9 a pop. Instead of skimping on portions to cover the cost, the downtown sushi spot uses the same-size plates as the main dining room, for exactly half the price. Atkinson says this move was made to focus on dining in the lounge's casual, friendly atmosphere. While New York mag and the rest of the blogosphere brands recession grub tres chic, Atkinson focuses on bringing a neighborhood vibe to the downtown restaurant. Here, the congenial Aussie talks about untrending food, his history with Bond St., and the local craving for the spicy tuna roll.

You were telling me before that restaurants are on the upswing. Why do you think this?
We’re getting a lot more turnover then we had before. We have a lot of old regulars coming back. Then we’ll get people that keep coming back because they know they’re going to get quality, and it’s always consistent. And they would rather spend their money somewhere they know will be up to standards, rather than blow it at one of these new places that might appear fabulous. I think people are a little more cautious on how they spend their money.

You’ve been seeing this in the lounge as well, which usually seems to be a waiting space for those with reservations in the main dining room upstairs.
Around here we’ll get lots of people who will come in for an informal business meeting. And then they end up having so much fun that they end up just coming back. I think that people are under a lot of pressure with their work, and they’re stressing about their finances. Once you’re out and about, you just want to relax and have fun and put your feet up.

How would you describe your job? How did you get your start?
I have always worked around hospitality. My parents, my stepmother had a fantastic restaurant on the river in Australia, where I grew up. So I grew up folding napkins. All my parents—I have two sets of them--are all really good cooks. Mum was always throwing amazing cocktail and dinner parties for family and friends, and that’s where I first learned about the Aussie art of hospitality and entertaining. She was just reminding me the other day about the ‘garage discos’ I used to throw in our garage for all the kids in our neighborhood in Perth when I was a teenager.

So, from garage discos to Bond St.?
Well, before I came to the States I was working for Kylie Kwong, an amazing Chinese-Australian chef in Sydney. I picked up a lot of her passion towards food. She actually taught me to treat guests as you would a guest in your own home.

Based on your own expectations for hospitality and service, what are you favorites spots in the city?
I live in the West Village, so I love The Spotted Pig and The Rusty Knot, to just hang out and play pool. I also love the Rainbow Room at sunset. It’s pretty spectacular. I love all the old school bartenders that have been around for years.

Is there anybody that you look up to in the industry?
You know what? I have been at Bond St. since I moved to New York six years ago, and immediately started with the lounge. The staff here are really talented. They’re a really great group of positive people, who, at our lowest point when the economy first collapsed, worked together to save each others’ jobs. They took shift cuts instead of having to lay off people. They’re really inspiring.

How did the staff become so close?
I think it happened when we had a major fire back in April 2007 and were closed for six weeks for repairs. After a few tears, everybody just rolled up there sleeves and got things back in order. There was even an online blog some of our regulars had started where people could express how much they were missing the place, how desperately they were craving a spicy tuna roll.

Why do you think you have such a following with the neighborhood locals?
We get lots of people who just swing by on their own. It’s a good place to meet people. Most of the staff has been around for three or four years at least, and they have lots of friends that keep coming back. So if someone is out on their own, or they’ve been stood up on a date, they’ll end up spending all night just hanging out at the bar. Our staff is very fun and entertaining. Then again we also have the neighborhood itself. I’ve seen fabulous apartment complexes coming up. We’ve got great little boutiques and hair salons and we’re one of the only restaurants on the street, so we get a lot of neighbors coming in.

What is the big difference between the lounge and the main dining room? For the record, I am a huge fan of Bond St., but I’d never had dinner in the lounge before the other night, and I’d like to report that it was one of the most relaxing and fun dinners I’ve had in a while.
I guess I’ll start with the similarities. People actually come into the lounge and think they’re not going to be able to get the same dining experience as upstairs. Actually, we have the same menu in the lounge—we still offer the sea bass, steak, and the chicken—but we do them on skewers in the lounge rather than the entrée-sized portion. If people have a favorite dish in the restaurant, we can still order it for them. We aim for the service to be the same experience as upstairs, but it’s a little more relaxed and informal than up in the restaurant.

As the lounge manager, what do you focus on?
I manage the lounge, but I’m also in charge of all the bars and bartenders and our cocktails. We’ve won awards for our cocktails, most recently the Saketini. We try to keep our cocktails as simple as possible. It’s that simplicity that makes it so good. You don’t want to end up with a whopping hangover because you’ve had so many things in one drink.

What is your favorite drink?
My favorite cocktail is a Manhattan, but I also love our Asian Pear cocktail, which is a simple blend of Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Asian Pear, and sparkling pear cider.