GRAMERCY — After working in the FDNY for more than 20 years, Mike Meyers teamed up with two other firemen to open his first bar in New York City.
Gramercy Ale House, a new Irish sports bar at 272 Third Ave., started as an idea that was tossed around during an idle moment at the Ladder 4 firehouse in Times Square, where Meyers is an FDNY chief.
“It’s the dream right?” said Meyers, who lives in Long Island with his family. “We just kind of talked about it one day, and then...found a good deal. It’s our first foray into the bar business.”
Meyers turned the dream into a reality by working with two of the firemen he supervised at Ladder 4, Andrew Sheridan and Dan Beyrer, and two Irish men named Trevor Kelly and Martin Prior. They soft-opened the bar in June and just recently put up a sign outside and added a food menu.
“We’re trying to take it slow and get it right,” said Kelly, who worked as a plumber and bartender before starting the bar.
Gramercy Ale House, which used to be Copper Door Tavern, offers a variety of local brews from New York, Vermont and Rhode Island, and serves American fare including burgers and pulled-pork sandwiches.
The best-seller so far is the potato nachos, made with waffle fries topped with jalapenos, olives, guacamole, sour cream, bacon and melted cheddar cheese.
The pub is brighter than its predecessor with new floor-to-ceiling windows in the front and a skylight in the back seating area.
The owners plan to incorporate tributes to law enforcement in the decor, including a display of FDNY, NYPD and U.S. military helmets and original steel parts from the World Trade Center towers, Meyers said.
“Juggling full-time work with a bar can be pressing at times, but I’m learning a lot," he said. "I'm learning how to work together with four people and how to find a common ground.”
