See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Daily
If at first you don’t succeed, reinvest and hope for sunshine.
The culinary artists and entrepreneurs attempting to open a Mexican eatery called Jumpin’ Bean on Emmons Avenue faced a serious setback when their restaurant was flooded by Sandy days before it was set to open — but five months and another $100,000 later, they’re ready to give it another shot.
“The place was all ready to go and then we got hit with eleven feet of flood water,” explained Phyllis Colucci, the restaurant’s general manager. “It was a big, big mess. We were just about ready and then we got slammed. We lost everything.”
The hapless eatery had to replace all the appliances, furniture, and decorations after the storm’s terrifying floods.
“I’m sure over $100,000 has been spent just to redo the restaurant after Sandy,” Colucci said. “The whole kitchen was wiped out, everything was floating around and nothing could be reused. Every little bit of rust had to be replaced, you know how the Board of Health is.”
Four months and a considerable reinvestment later, the kitchen has been redone, licenses reacquired, and the restaurateurs are once again poised to reopen — hopefully by April 1.
When that day comes, Jumpin’ Bean will infuse the hard-hit strip with some much needed spice, according to Colucci.
“This neighborhood is just dying a slow death, so I think [Jumpin’ Bean] is going to be a wonderful place for neighborhood people,” she said.
The restaurant, which Colucci described as, “bigger than Applebee’s,” will seat 130 patrons, and it features a kid’s room, a party lounge, a bar, a private room, and — wait for it — a disco floor!
One thing Jumpin’ Bean still lacks, however, is a cabaret license to allow dancing, so locals will have to wait before they can party like it’s 1979.
Currently, there’s a dearth of Mexican joints in southern Brooklyn, and those that do exist aren’t too classy, according to Colucci.
“For tons of miles, there’s only one real Mexican restaurant and it’s disgusting,” she said.
“I found a wonderful female chef who goes above and beyond. We’re going to be kid friendly, party friendly — we’re going to do something for Cinco de Mayo, and we’re gonna bring some fun back into the neighborhood.”
Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.