The owners of the Guido Restaurant Group will open a new eatery at the site of the former Redwood at 63 North Front St. in Uptown this June, a release stated Tuesday, April 23.
Frank and Mark Guido signed a 10-year lease with building owner Neil Bender in recent weeks.
Mark Guido said the restaurant will be called the Front Street Tavern and showcase an eclectic menu and raw bar on the roof deck. The new venture marks the family’s fourth restaurant locally. They also run Frank Guido’s Little Italy in Midtown and Port of Call in Catskill. Their cousin, Sal Guido, operates Mariner’s Harbor in Kingston.
The new 6,000-square-foot facility, which has a rooftop deck, is the site of two short-lived restaurants, most recently Redwood and the former Frogmore Tavern. It had previously housed the Parent Teacher Store.
Mark Guido said because the space is in good shape, very few renovations will be required. Other than closing the open kitchen, changes will be purely aesthetic. “We’ll put our touches on it, but it will be minimal,” he said. “We’re really excited about being in Uptown. I think this is probably the only place in Kingston with a roof deck, so we’re looking forward to offering that for our guests.
Mark Guido, who runs Little Italy at 14 Thomas St. in Midtown Kingston, said he expects Front Street Tavern to create between 15 and 25 jobs. He said he has already begun hiring and training for key positions.
The family employs about 60 people between Little Italy and Port of Call. Mariners has close to 40 people on staff during the busy summer months.
Guido described negotiations with Bender, who’s bought a number of properties in the Stockade District in recent months, as “professional and cordial.”
“They offered us a great deal. It was fair to both of us. We wanted to be there, and they wanted us there,” he said. “We love being in Kingston. It’s doing phenomenally. We’re in Midtown, Downtown, and now in Uptown. We look forward to being part of Uptown and working with the different groups and business owners.”
Mark’s father, Frank, founded the Guido Restaurant Group. Over a 50-year period, he has operated more than 20 restaurants, including the once-famed Long John’s at 33 John St. and Mariner’s Harbor in Highland.
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