{"id":38497,"date":"2023-03-13T14:08:23","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T18:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=38497"},"modified":"2023-03-13T14:08:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T18:08:23","slug":"landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Landmark Saratoga Springs Restaurant, Sperry\u2019s, Is Sold To Yet Undisclosed Group"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The group that owns Sperry\u2019s Restaurant on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs has sold the establishment. It will remain a restaurant but new owners are as yet undisclosed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Paul Post<\/p>\n

Scott Johnson and partners have welcomed guests to Sperry\u2019s Restaurant since 2010 when they reopened the iconic Spa City landmark, which had been closed for about a year.<\/p>\n

The popular eatery entertains a \u201cWho\u2019s Who\u201d list of horse racing industry celebrities each summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody who\u2019s anybody has eventually ended up at Sperry\u2019s,\u201d said Johnson, an attorney and former three-term (2008-13) Saratoga Springs mayor. \u201cIt would be easier to tell you who hasn\u2019t come here than who has.\u201d<\/p>\n

But after 13 years, his group is handing stewardship of the establishment to new undisclosed owners. He declined to identify the party\u2019s identity pending completion of the sale, but said they\u2019re experienced restaurant owners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sale is under contract with a closing date on or before April 15.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for me to start downsizing what I deal with on a regular basis,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe restaurant was one of those things. I decided it was time to sell. We\u2019ve been approached before by people who showed interest. The timing wasn\u2019t\u2019 right. This time around was different.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve been assured that the Sperry\u2019s name will continue and key staff will hopefully stay on board,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking at buying a restaurant like Sperry\u2019s with its longstanding history and reputation, you\u2019d be foolish to do away with what\u2019s worked for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sale is for two separate entities, the restaurant business and the property at 30\u00bd Caroline St., owned by JMO Partners. Johnson is managing partner of both.<\/p>\n

He bought the restaurant with his wife, Julie, and partners Bob and Cheryl Ohanesian.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t have bought Sperry\u2019s Restaurant if the real estate wasn\u2019t included,too,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI\u2019m a big believer in controlling my own destiny. We didn\u2019t want to be at mercy of a landlord.\u201d<\/p>\n

First opened in 1932, Sperry\u2019s was originally owned by Chubby and Cappy Sperry, which previously ran it as a Prohibition-era speakeasy before transitioning to a restaurant and bar. After Chubby Sperry\u2019s passing, his wife ran things until 1979 when she sold it to John Rockwell and Ridge Qua.<\/p>\n

Later, Qua became sole owner and eventually sold Sperry\u2019s to Johnson\u2019s group.<\/p>\n

It is still the city\u2019s second-oldest restaurant. Only Pennell\u2019s, which recently celebrated its 90th anniversary, has been in business longer.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s group worked hard to maintain the site\u2019s historic character, one of its most attractive qualities, while serving exceptionally fine fare in a casual, yet elegant atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur history hangs on the wall,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of period photographs that go way back. We wanted to preserve the tradition and ambience when you first walk in the door, with the original black and white floor tiling and art deco lighting. We added red booths to make it more traditional looking.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the main dining room was kept the same, renovations to two other dining rooms, including one overlooking the back patio, have a more contemporary flair.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s group also expanded the patio and had a 12-foot high acoustical wall built to keep noise out from nearby sources, so guests can enjoy themselves in a relaxed, outdoor setting.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for the restaurant industry and Sperry\u2019s wasn\u2019t immune to such difficulties.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we survived and stayed open except for the time New York State forced us to close,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWe followed the guidelines to reopen and eventually got back to 100 percent capacity. Some diners are still apprehensive, but the pandemic\u2019s biggest impact has more to do with a shorter labor supply.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPreviously, we were always at full capacity (about 85 employees) during the peak track season. The last couple of seasons we\u2019ve been unable to fill all the positions because people just didn\u2019t come back to the industry, they went elsewhere or the unemployment insurance was too good.\u201d<\/p>\n

In winter, Sperry\u2019s has about three dozen workers.<\/p>\n

However, Johnson said business has become more steady year round as Saratoga Springs\u2019 popularity has grown as a four-season destination with a full slate of ongoing events on the calendar.<\/p>\n

Johnson said COVID wasn\u2019t the main reason for deciding to sell. He simply wants more time to pursue other interests such as partnering as co-owner of a small horse racing stable. \u201cIf we make money it will probably be lucky,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful hobby. That\u2019s part of what Saratoga is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Post Scott Johnson and partners have welcomed guests to Sperry\u2019s Restaurant since 2010 when they reopened the iconic Spa City landmark, which had been closed for about a year. The popular eatery entertains a \u201cWho\u2019s Who\u201d list of horse racing industry celebrities each summer. \u201cAnybody who\u2019s anybody has eventually ended up at Sperry\u2019s,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":38498,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\nLandmark Saratoga Springs Restaurant, Sperry\u2019s, Is Sold To Yet Undisclosed Group - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Landmark Saratoga Springs Restaurant, Sperry\u2019s, Is Sold To Yet Undisclosed Group - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Paul Post Scott Johnson and partners have welcomed guests to Sperry\u2019s Restaurant since 2010 when they reopened the iconic Spa City landmark, which had been closed for about a year. The popular eatery entertains a \u201cWho\u2019s Who\u201d list of horse racing industry celebrities each summer. \u201cAnybody who\u2019s anybody has eventually ended up at Sperry\u2019s,\u201d […]\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-13T18:08:23+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/03\/sperrys-hc-sm.png\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"717\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/\",\"name\":\"Landmark Saratoga Springs Restaurant, Sperry\u2019s, Is Sold To Yet Undisclosed Group - Saratoga Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/03\/sperrys-hc-sm.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-13T18:08:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2023\/03\/landmark-saratoga-springs-restaurant-sperrys-is-sold-to-yet-undisclosed-group\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/03\/sperrys-hc-sm.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/03\/sperrys-hc-sm.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":717,\"caption\":\"The group that owns Sperry\u2019s Restaurant on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs has sold the establishment. 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