The new owner of a Williston Park bar is looking to create some new memories, but not forget the old ones.
Joe Pereira of Mineola is revamping the menu and touching up the building at Memories, the Hillside Avenue tavern he bought from his friend and employer earlier this year, before its grand reopening June 17.
“It has the potential to be one of the better establishments around town,” said Pereira, 51. “Only time will tell. The previous owner did an excellent job with this, so I hope I can continue the legacy.”
Pereira, the brother of Village of Mineola Trustee Paul Pereira, bought the bar earlier this year from lifelong Williston Park resident Al Oliveira, under whom he worked as a part-time bartender at Memories for six years, he said.
Oliveira, 55, said he sold the bar after 16 years to focus more on singing with his band, Ipanema, and pursuing other business ventures.
While he’s confident he’s leaving Memories in good hands with Pereira, Oliveira said he will miss the place.
“I love what I created here,” he said. “It’s like a Cheers, you know?”
Pereira has been in the restaurant business for 25 years and owned Cafe Sport, the Williston Park Portuguese restaurant at 361 Hillside Ave., for 12 years until he sold it in 2008, he said.
Pereira is changing the Memories menu to include fresh, “made-to-order” dishes with healthier organic ingredients while keeping the price range the same, he said.
The “diverse” menu will include salads, paninis, wraps, steaks and a raw bar, Pereira said. Entrees will cost between $21 and $23 and other items will cost between $11 and $13.
Pereira is keeping Oliveira’s live music and karaoke, but will put more of an emphasis on sports by screening major games live with surround sound, he said.
Pereira has also hired a new chef and additional wait staff and is giving the restaurant a new sign, he said.
“There’s a great mix here of having kids out of college here and having somebody who’s retired or about to retire,” he said. “You’ve got a good mix of patrons.”
Pereira has more time to devote to running a restaurant since his children have gotten older, he said, “so I thought, why not take another stab at it?”
“This is what I’ve done my whole life,” Pereira said. “This is what I’m good at.”
Oliveira said the Williston Park community “treated me like family” in his time running Memories.
He worked hard in recent years to make it a comfortable hangout for middle-aged patrons, he said, and he hopes Pereira will maintain that atmosphere.
Memories is closed until June 16, when Pereira will have a reopening party for friends and family before opening to the public June 17, he said.
The restaurant will be open from noon to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from noon to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Pereira is offering a coupon for 25 percent off lunch and 15 percent off dinner Sundays through Thursdays until Sept. 1, he said.
