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Dooney’s offers downtown Youngstown, family friendly atmosphere.
NATALIE PEACOCK
Published: March 5, 2013
Dooney is back. Not Dooney the longtime business agent for the local Teamsters in downtown Youngstown, but a sports bar conceived in Dooney’s colorful image by his attorney nephew Chris Sammarone and fellow attorney J.P. Daliman.
A former BW3’s franchise that closed, Dooney’s Downtown Grill and Bar reopened Aug. 1, 2012 after the business opportunity was presented to Sammarone and Daliman.
“I represent clients who go into business ventures,” Sammarone said. “You have to look at the past performance and how the business fared at that location.”
After pouring over the last five to 10 years of the businesses history, the attorneys decided it would be a great opportunity. And they say the location couldn’t be better.
“Our law practices are located in downtown Youngstown,” he said “I have been downtown ever since I passed the bar.”
For Sammarone, that translates into 14 years of practicing law in the downtown area.
“It’s thriving, it’s coming back even more so than the last couple of years,” he said. “There have been a lot of new establishments that have opened, restaurants and retail and businesses that have relocated to downtown.”
Dooney’s underwent a second renovation over the 2012 winter holidays. The restaurant reopened with new paint, new bar stools and a newly created stage in order to have live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.
Dooney’s also has a new manager, chef and co-owner. Chef Anthony Palumbo, whose resume includes The Youngstown Club, describes the cuisine as bar food done properly.
“Our wings are brined in a mixture for 24 hours,” he said. “Then we bake them in our oven at a very low temperature and then we fry them. It’s a lengthy process but the wings are so good.”
Palumbo’s passion for fresh food is reflected in his commitment to make everything from scratch.
“We’re going to special bakeries for the bread,” he said “The chicken is hand breaded to order. The fries are fresh and all the wing sauces are unique and are all our own recipes.”
The restaurant’s new look also includes a homage to Youngstown’s yesteryear.
“We’re trying to locate pictures through the Mahoning County Historical Society of Youngstown during it’s hey day,” Palumbo said “We’re trying to add that old school Youngstown feel to the dining area.”
Sammarone said that he wanted to create an atmosphere that welcomes all ages.
“It’s family-friendly since we are very close to the downtown YMCA, which has a lot of kids programs. A lot of that clientele comes in after the various programs.”
Sammarone’s Uncle Dooney was a member of the nearby YMCA and is remembered fondly in the area as a funny, legendary character. He was active in sports and local athletics and it seemed only fitting that a sports bar should bear his name.
“We just thought that the name was unique and that his persona was perfect for this downtown market,” Sammarone said. “It has a nice little ring to it that you can remember.”
As first-time restaurateurs, Daliman and Sammarone don’t seem intimidated by the new challenge. Sammarone said being an attorney can also be helpful for running a restaurant.
“A portion of my practice is devoted to representing various business clients, so that kind of experience helps when you are now actually an owner,” he said. “I handle a lot of labor issues in my practice so you deal with that when you own a business. As far as the numbers and managing the employees, the experience of being a lawyer gives you a lot of help in those areas.”
Although the initial goal of any business is profitability, that isn’t what Sammarone names as the most enjoyable part of running the restaurant.
“To be honest, I’m glad that being from this area, born and raised and practicing downtown, that we’ve committed even more to this area by reinvesting in a business. By opening a new business, we’ve created employment opportunities. We have more than 20 employees there. I’m proud of that.”
As manager and chef, Palumbo said what he enjoys most about Dooney’s is making people happy with food.
“You want to do fun things that you can be proud of,” he said “Fine dining is great but I enjoy doing simple food done right.”
For more information on Dooney’s Downtown Grill and Bar visit www.dooneysdowntown.com