Celebrating 10 Years of Cowan’s Public with Skopos Hospitality

In this episode of Greetings from the Garden State, host Mike Ham sits down with Dean Maroulakos, co-founder of Skopos Hospitality, at Cowan’s Public in Nutley, NJ. Dean shares the journey of launching and expanding a hospitality empire in North Jersey, from the origins of Cowan’s Public to the recently opened Nomada in Verona.

They dive into:

• The history of Cowan’s Public and its deep-rooted family ties to Nutley.
• How Dean transitioned from theater to the restaurant industry.
• The inspiration behind each of Skopos Hospitality’s seven unique restaurant concepts.
• The evolving cocktail and food scene in North Jersey.
• How the team maintains quality, innovation, and a strong community presence across all locations.
• What to expect from their newest venture, Nomada, a vibrant new Mexican restaurant.

Along the way, they sip on some of Cowan’s signature cocktails, sample delicious menu items, and discuss the importance of creating not just a restaurant, but an experience.

Guest Info: Dean Maroulakos – Co-founder, Skopos Hospitality Website: skoposhospitality.com Instagram: @skoposhospitality

Locations Mentioned:

• Cowan’s Public (Nutley, NJ)
• The Barrow House (Clifton, NJ)
• Franklin Social & The Junto (Jersey City, NJ)
• Gus’s Last Word (Wood-Ridge, NJ)
• Parkside Social (Verona, NJ)
• Nomada (Verona, NJ) – Opening February 2025

Sponsors:

• New Jersey Lottery – Bringing you Greetings from the Garden State
• Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) – Visit mayoarts.org for upcoming events.
• Meghan Carroll of ReMax Elite – Serving Monmouth & Ocean Counties. Visit mcsellsbythesea.com

Links & Socials:

• Visit our website: greetingsfromthegardenstate.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @greetingsfromthegardenstate
• Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify!

Transcript

Mike Ham [0:00 - 0:43]: Foreign what's everybody. Welcome back to another episode of Greetings for the Garden State, powered by the New Jersey lottery. I'm your host, Mike Ham. We're here in Nutley today, so short drive for me, which is always appreciated. We're at Cowan's Public in Nutley, New Jersey, with Dean Maroulakos. Nailed it. I got halfway through and I was like, oh, my God, I'm gonna mess it up. So thank you for having me here. Of course. 

Dean Maroulakos [0:43 - 0:44]: Happy to have you. 

Mike Ham [0:44 - 0:51]: So this is Scopos Hospitality is the umbrella, basically, of all the different restaurants that you have. 

Dean Maroulakos [0:51 - 0:51]: Right. 

Mike Ham [0:53 - 0:56]: But Callan's is special because why? 

Dean Maroulakos [0:56 - 1:01]: It's our first project that we opened, my brother and I coming on 10 years on March 3rd. 

Mike Ham [1:01 - 1:02]: Okay. 

Dean Maroulakos [1:02 - 1:19]: So it's got a special place in our heart. Our parents are also from Nutley, grew up, and my father actually bartended here when it was the Nutley pub in the 70s while he was in college. So it goes back a lot of history. And so when we kind of had the opportunity to take over this space and reimagine it, it was a no brainer. And 10 years later, here we are. 

Mike Ham [1:19 - 1:29]: Yeah. And so before Cowan's, like, restaurant background, is that kind of what you guys come from? Or is it just like, hey, let's buy this bar? Cause that sounds awesome too. 

Dean Maroulakos [1:30 - 2:43]: That would be fun. But no. I originally had a background in theater. Went to Montclair State for that. Did that for a few years. I would freelance with a costume designer in the city doing odd jobs in between acting jobs. And around 2008, when the recession hit and acting kind of dried up, William Ivy Long, the guy I was working for, had opened up a bar in the East Village and was getting ready to open up a new one and us in to kind of do some design work and whatnot. And I was like, oh, I actually kind of like this. And it's a creative outlet. I stayed on with his business partner and kind of learned the ropes of operating a business. Started bartending, and then eventually helped him open up a third space called Kingston hall and ran those three locations for a few years. And then the opportunity came. My brother Tom was working out in Jersey. He was brewing for High Point Ramstein. We were doing craft beer. The space came available and he wanted to open up a little craft beer bar. Said, hey, do you want to come out and do this with me? Left the city. And as we started developing this, it was right at the cocktail resurgence in the height of that as well. And it kind of ended up Being a beer and cocktail spot and the rest is history. Kind of opened up 10 years ago, and then we started to continue to grow. So definitely have a background in the industry between both of us. 

Mike Ham [2:43 - 2:55]: Yeah. And so when you guys decide to open this or, you know, purchase this place, open this place and kind of reimagine it, I guess, from what it was to what it is now. 

Dean Maroulakos [2:55 - 3:34]: Yes, yes. So this was, you know, it was kind of had parquet wood floors and a shuffleboard. It was kind of like the neighborhood dive bar, if you will. And we started to kind of gut the walls, and we found out that this had been a pub since like 1935. So right after prohibition, there was a repeal. So we said, why don't we take it back to the 20s? As if there was a drop cloth left. And it's been shut for 80 years. And we kind of lifted it up. And then that's kind of what played into that whole cocktail program and the development of all that. And that's kind of what we do in our spaces, is either take the history of kind of what the building was or some type of historical thing to kind of give a narra and a story to it. So it's not just about the food and the drink. Those are key elements. But it's also about the space and how it makes you feel and the story it tells, for sure. 

Mike Ham [3:34 - 3:43]: And like, you know, obviously the space itself, being a pub for that long has longevity, but 10 years in the restaurant world is a really long time. 

Dean Maroulakos [3:43 - 3:48]: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Especially coming through Covid and trying to make sure that it was. It was definitely a challenge for a lot of people. 

Mike Ham [3:48 - 3:49]: Yeah. 

Dean Maroulakos [3:49 - 3:59]: But, you know, I think we really kind of created a nice model here. And, you know, it has its ups and downs through the years, but we have a. It has a really big heart and it's, you know, it's a gem of a little spot. 

Mike Ham [3:59 - 4:08]: Totally. So can we just run through the existing places that you have under the hospitality company? What are they? 

Dean Maroulakos [4:08 - 4:27]: So we have Cowan's public here. And then a year and a half later, we opened up the Barrow house in Clifton, which is a larger 230 seat American style farmhouse broken up into kind of different rooms. That property used to be a farm 100 years ago, so we kind of paid homage to that by kind of restoring it. Used to be it was Charlie Browns before we took it over. 

Mike Ham [4:28 - 4:30]: Other legendary spots. 

Dean Maroulakos [4:30 - 5:02]: Yeah. So we gutted that and kind of brought in a lot of reclaimed materials and whatnot for that. And then we have Franklin Social and the Junto in Jersey City. So like an American style tavern on the ground floor. And then there's a carriage house in the back that has a separate entrance. So there's a 28 seat cocktail bar hidden up there. Kind of speakeasy esque, but without password or anything like that. And that doesn't take reservations. It's first come, first serve and known for its dealer's choice. The bartenders ask you kind of what you want and they'll go back, back there and make something for you. 

Mike Ham [5:02 - 5:26]: That's cool. Yeah, yeah. I mean, so it's interesting because like all these places that you're talking about, they're very like unique, you know, and like they, like you said, they have a story, they have a, you know, a personality. It's not just like, you know, exactly, come on in for a drink, you know, it's. It's like a whole experience type of thing. Which when you were talking about Callan's, this actually, I think it is the first time I've actually been in Callens. 

Dean Maroulakos [5:26 - 5:26]: Oh, really? 

Mike Ham [5:26 - 5:29]: Which is surprising because I live in Bloomfield, but only for the last year. 

Dean Maroulakos [5:29 - 5:30]: Okay. 

Mike Ham [5:30 - 5:51]: But that's like the vibe that I get when I walk in, you know, so. Which is good. So you start like, what was the. You opened up this place, Cowan's first, and you said a year and a half later, Barrow House was Cowan's like out of the gate, just like a smashing success. And you're just like, let's just keep going. Let's get more of these things. 

Dean Maroulakos [5:51 - 6:46]: The opportunity kind of overlapped. One of our partners had purchased the building for Barrow House and was going to let them previous tenants run it until we were ready to develop it. And they ended up going out in the middle of us actually, like right as we were building out Cowans. So we were kind of developing that at the same time. It was a smash hit for when we first opened. You know, Tom and I always joked, like, it felt like it would never end. We would take like one day off each and we were here all night long. And then coming in during the day and you're like, when is this going to end? And then you finally, like, it levels out and you kind of get all the nuances and stuff like that. So once that happened, then I kind of went over to work on the design side of the new project. Tom did more of the day to day operations here to keep things running until we got ready to ramp up there. So it was kind of like unintentional doing two things at once. We probably should have given it, you know, a year or two under our belts, but. And to go from a, you know, a 75, 100 seat little pub to a 230 seat restaurant was quite the jump. 

Mike Ham [6:46 - 6:57]: Quite the jump. Can we talk about these cocktails? Because it's staring me right in the face and I don't know which one I'm smelling right now. I think it might be the Tater Tots, but, like, it's just like, it's so good. But let's do the cocktails first. Of course, let's talk about those. 

Dean Maroulakos [6:57 - 7:16]: So over here you have the Western Sour, which is a classic bourbon, falernum, grapefruit, little cinnamon cocktail. And then this is the Violets are Blue, which is a gin strega lemon cocktail with some butterfly pt, which gives it that purple color. 

Mike Ham [7:16 - 7:16]: Oh, cool. 

Dean Maroulakos [7:16 - 7:17]: It's a nice, fun little. 

Mike Ham [7:18 - 7:55]: Well, cheers. Sorry, I took my first sip. I was too excited to try it. It's delicious. So the other thing. The other question that I have too, and we've had a couple people on the show that have owned a lot of restaurants and all that, and I think one of the most interesting things about something like that is when you have your team, right? And like, if you have one restaurant, you have one team. If you have multiple, you still have, like, kind of one team, but sometimes they're spread out, you know, across different restaurants, you know, making sure that you have, like, the right people to maintain that quality across all your spots. I mean, that's gotta be like a really important thing for you guys as well, right? 

Dean Maroulakos [7:55 - 8:34]: Yeah, absolutely. You know, we've tried a couple different things through the years. From having a larger corporate team that kind of went in and kind of guided everyone to where we are now, where we really focus on. Each individual restaurant has a general manager and a chef that it's their show to help run. We put our insight in and input and whatnot. But it really helps keep the personality of each space unique. We found that when we came in and kind of made things more mainstreamed and whatnot, that the heart kind of got lost, especially in these spaces, which are so. They're so involved and we have so many different things and different demographics from each neighborhood, so it's hard to say some one thing will work across all areas that we're in. 

Mike Ham [8:34 - 8:46]: Yeah. Does that like, when you guys are, I guess, like, I don't know if this is the right word, like scouting a new spot. Is that, like, that comes into play too, right? Like, what can. What what can the personality of this place be like? Does it have a story already? 

Dean Maroulakos [8:46 - 8:46]: Right. 

Mike Ham [8:46 - 8:54]: Do we have to like inject something in there? I mean, that's gotta. I mean, just what you're describing to me for all these places, that's gotta be like a big piece of the puzzle. 

Dean Maroulakos [8:54 - 9:02]: Absolutely. And, you know, and sometimes you go in with an idea, you know, like, this gonna be a beer bar, whatever. And then we start taking walls down. You see exposed brick and this beautiful tin in the ceiling. 

Mike Ham [9:02 - 9:02]: Yeah. 

Dean Maroulakos [9:02 - 9:25]: And you're like, well, we have to reuse this. You can't, you know, and of the story kind of evolves a little bit. And then sometimes with our newest concept, Nomada, it was an old dry cleaners that's been vacant, damaged. So we had to basically gut the whole space to do a new Mexican concept. And so that was more bringing in a full, you know, experience that's different new materials, things like that, so that it kind of runs the gamut depending on, you know, the concept and then the neighborhood. 

Mike Ham [9:25 - 9:38]: So you beat me to it. So I was going to say that 2025, big year for Scopos Hospitality. Because this is the 10 year, 10 year anniversary of your first spot and opening up Nomada, next month, two months from now. 

Dean Maroulakos [9:38 - 9:45]: Next. Next week, actually. We're going to next week. We saw you next week. And then February 2nd, sorry, February 4th is going to be our grand opening. So. Yes, coming up quick. 

Mike Ham [9:45 - 9:46]: So let's dive into that a little bit. 

Dean Maroulakos [9:46 - 9:47]: Sure. 

Mike Ham [9:47 - 9:52]: So Nomada, where is it? You mentioned new Mexican. 

Dean Maroulakos [9:52 - 10:41]: Yes. Yeah, yeah. So it's going to be located in Verona, right next to one of our other concepts, the Parkside Social, which is more of an American style tavern. And then the buildings are right up against each other. So we were able to utilize the liquor license in both spaces. So it's basically, we're calling it Tulum meets acapulco in the 80s. So it's going to be kind of like a fun throwback with a beachy vibe. The ceiling is covered in bamboo poles or, sorry, eucalyptus poles and plaster walls and whatnot. And we have some elements of neon and pops of color. And so it's going to be kind of fun. We're going to do a lot of the classic things you'd expect. You have your tacos and your guacs and dips, and then we're doing some fun dishes like a tlayuda, if you're unfamiliar with. It's kind of, I say, the hybrid of like a Mexican pizza, where it's like a Big tortilla that's cut into pizza stripes. So it's like nachos, but where every chip has something on it instead of pizza, which we love. 

Mike Ham [10:41 - 11:04]: Yeah, exactly. That's like my biggest, like, so my fiance and I was getting, like, a. Not a fight. I won't say fight, but just, like, a disagreement. Because I'm like, nachos, to me, are great, but, like, why would I order them? Because the top is going to be whatever, and then by the time you get to the bottom, soggy. Thank you. That looks good, too. But something like this fixes that. 

Dean Maroulakos [11:04 - 11:05]: Exactly. 

Mike Ham [11:05 - 11:10]: You know, so she's always like, oh, we could never get nachos. And I love nachos. And I was like, yeah, but I don't know. It's just like, you missed that. 

Dean Maroulakos [11:10 - 11:12]: I'll eat the top, and then you can have a little soggy chip. 

Mike Ham [11:12 - 11:12]: Exactly. 

Dean Maroulakos [11:12 - 11:12]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [11:12 - 11:34]: You can eat the soggy chips with nothing on them. So you also mentioned something in there, too, that I think is interesting. And then we're gonna try the food after this. But Parkside Social, that's, like, now become kind of famous for, like, the Christmas decorations and all that. Do you just do that there, or do you do it at all your spots? 

Dean Maroulakos [11:34 - 12:09]: No, so we do it at four of the spots. So we do it here at Cowan's, at Parkside, at Gus's, our spot in Woodridge. And then Franklin Social does it as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's just like full tilt, full Christmas, you know, partner with miracle. It's. I say it's the feeling you had as a kid coming downstairs on Christmas morning, But now as an adult, you get to do it with really cool cocktails that are well crafted and it's grown each year and blown up. And it's amazing, and it's fun for us. We have a crew of, like, six of us that come in, flip each restaurant in a day and a half and get ready for Christmas. 

Mike Ham [12:09 - 12:13]: Yeah. Like, the putting up is one thing, I would imagine. Like, the taking down is like a whole other. 

Dean Maroulakos [12:13 - 12:25]: It's more like, we gotta take this down now. But it's actually. It's a lot easier to. To strike a Christmas project than to put it up, because we have. It's just, you know, you're ripping shit off the walls and making it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah. 

Mike Ham [12:25 - 12:32]: Okay. So we have a couple things here. Let's try them. We'll talk about them. Where do you want to start? Where do you recommend we start? 

Dean Maroulakos [12:32 - 12:50]: I mean, I think we should probably start with the app. So we have our street corn tots, and then our Valentine's Day special, which is a salmon tartare. Okay. And then here, I'll give you some. So some classic. New classic. I guess you'd say bar food. 

Mike Ham [12:50 - 13:03]: Yeah. Which, listen, I love a bar, and I love bar food. And so when you guys are. Well, I guess you said the chef kind of has, like, a little bit of, you know, or, like, autonomy, maybe not. Is that the right word? 

Dean Maroulakos [13:03 - 13:03]: Yeah, yeah. 

Mike Ham [13:03 - 13:04]: Over their menu and stuff. 

Dean Maroulakos [13:04 - 13:24]: Yeah. As long as it makes sense, you know, and we try to encourage them to push the boundaries. We'll throw in some ideas here and there too, you know, but, you know, we really want to see everyone have their creative juices flying and. And whatnot. So it's. It's. How do you take some things that are expected or, you know, you see all the time? And how do you make it a little bit more interesting for the guest? 

Mike Ham [13:24 - 13:32]: Oh, yeah. I really like cheese. I love tater tots, and I love street corn. It's like two of my favorite things. 

Dean Maroulakos [13:32 - 13:32]: Put them together and you. 

Mike Ham [13:32 - 13:33]: Yeah. And there you go. 

Dean Maroulakos [13:33 - 13:34]: Double. 

Mike Ham [13:35 - 13:53]: Because it's interesting, like, you have all these different spaces. Maybe I'll chew first. All these different spaces. Doing all these different things. And like, we talked about the quality before and, like, maintaining that over all the spaces, because a total. What's like, the total number of, like, with Nomada, it's going to be. 

Dean Maroulakos [13:53 - 13:56]: It's going to be seven, if you count the. Because the junto is technically a separate space. 

Mike Ham [13:56 - 13:56]: Okay. 

Dean Maroulakos [13:56 - 13:57]: Social stuff. 

Mike Ham [13:57 - 13:59]: Yeah. I mean, that's a lot. 

Dean Maroulakos [13:59 - 14:00]: Yes, it's definitely. 

Mike Ham [14:00 - 14:00]: Yeah. 

Dean Maroulakos [14:00 - 14:01]: It keeps us busy. 

Mike Ham [14:01 - 14:18]: Yeah. And. But just to like, have new, interesting things happening, both, like, in the space with the. The Christmas decorations and stuff like that, or whatever's happening seasonally and obviously, like, the menu, too, because, like, you could have, like, a nice cocktail or whatever, but, like, if the food stinks, like, who's coming back? 

Dean Maroulakos [14:18 - 14:18]: Right. 

Mike Ham [14:18 - 14:19]: You know what I mean? 

Dean Maroulakos [14:19 - 14:34]: We learned that lesson early on. I came from a cocktail background, so our cocktails and the beer program is always solid, but we, you know, the food kind of struggled through the years, but I think where we're at now, we finally, like, by allowing our chefs and whatnot to have that control. It's slowly growing. 

Mike Ham [14:34 - 14:50]: Yeah. Let's talk about. Because we're drinking. Keep drinking this. And it's getting better with each sip, and I'm feeling better with each tip. The cocktail programs at all these places are obviously, like, inventive, different. So take me through, like how those get put together at all these different spots. 

Dean Maroulakos [14:50 - 15:56]: Yeah. So we have a lead bartender at each location. We'll kind of talk if there's any specific brand of spirit or someone that we want to work with. We'll kind of help set that up. And then they go with their team and kind of workshop on cocktails. We'll do a couple tastings through the season until we get ready. So, like, right now they're starting to work on their spring cocktail menu flip. So probably in like two weeks, we'll do a tasting, make some notes. They'll kind of go back, make rework any that need to sometimes, you know, here at Cowan's, Chris and Dan, our leads are phenomenal. And we'll sometimes come in and taste six cocktails and have not a note. And so that's really what we kind of strive for. But it's really, it's really that letting the team kind of go with it. And, you know, I think we're having a lot of fun at Nomada because it's the first time we're really focusing on agave spirits, especially the other varietals of spirits that like so tall and whatnot and kind of working with the team on that. Like, how do you create a list that's all Mexican spirit based? The rum is from Mexico, the gin's from Mexico. So each cocktail kind of has that specific focus instead of. 

Mike Ham [15:56 - 16:34]: Yeah, yeah. The Mayo Performing Arts center is the heart of arts and Entertainment in Morristown, New Jersey. MPAC presents over 200 events annually and is home to an innovative children's arts education program. To see MPAC's upcoming schedule of world class concerts, stand up comedy, family shows and more, head to mayoarts.org or just click the link in our show notes. Looking to buy, sell or rent in Monmouth or Ocean counties, Meghan Carroll of ReMax Elite brings local expertise and personalized service. Meghan will make your real estate process smooth and stress free, bringing southern hospitality to the Jersey shore. Call Megan today at 7:30-250-87402 or visit her website at mcsellsbythec.com hey, we're using. 

Dean Maroulakos [16:34 - 16:36]: You know, London dry gin to make a cocktail that's. 

Mike Ham [16:37 - 16:59]: Yeah, yeah. And I like that because it's like, it's taking, you know, care of, like the brand, you know, overall and like all the places, like, they all have their own, you know, unique personality, but they all also have like a connection. Like there's like you said the story at the beginning, but making sure that, like Each detail is maintained throughout so that, like, when people come here, they get the full experience. 

Dean Maroulakos [16:59 - 16:59]: Exactly. 

Mike Ham [16:59 - 16:59]: Yeah. 

Dean Maroulakos [17:00 - 17:10]: From whatever you're touching, even the utensils, the plates, it's, you know. And again, like, how things look. The plating, it's a sensory experience, too. So if it looks good, it's gonna taste even better than if it was plated on, you know, just a simple white plate. 

Mike Ham [17:10 - 17:11]: Sure. Yeah, exactly. 

Dean Maroulakos [17:11 - 17:12]: Plated. Yeah. 

Mike Ham [17:12 - 17:20]: Yeah. At what point? Like, so obviously we talked about Cowan's opening 10 years ago. We talked about what was second place again. 

Dean Maroulakos [17:20 - 17:23]: Second place was Barrow House. 

Mike Ham [17:23 - 17:35]: Barrow. That's right. Barrow House opening a year and a half later. And then you said, like, at the beginning, with Cowan's being so busy at the. Like, and then kind of settling into the flow of things and, like, you know, having a little more of maybe, like, a system once you kind of get the workflow down. 

Dean Maroulakos [17:36 - 17:36]: Right. 

Mike Ham [17:37 - 17:51]: As you've continued to grow the overall business. Like, was there a moment where, like, hey, like, we're. We're actually, like, kind of onto something and we have, like, a good model that we can bring to these different places and get them set up, or is it just kind of like, hey, let's try this and, like, see what happens next, you know? 

Dean Maroulakos [17:51 - 17:54]: No, I mean, it's somewhere in between that, I think, you know, it's, you. 

Mike Ham [17:54 - 17:57]: Know, like, not like a blind confidence, but like a, you know. 

Dean Maroulakos [17:57 - 18:06]: Right. You know, you think it's going to be good. And then, you know, we. We were in the. You know, Franklin Social opened in end of November, early December 2019. 

Mike Ham [18:06 - 18:07]: Oh, perfect. 

Dean Maroulakos [18:07 - 18:51]: So we were. We went off with a smash, and then we did Miracle First January. We converted to Franklin Social, ran for two and a half months, and then, boom, we were shut down. So it was always. For a while, it was kind of like just playing catch up with these things and how do you keep these places alive and whatnot. But I think after that, once we did Gus's and Parkside, you know, it starts to get a little bit more formulaic, and now you have enough under your belt of mistakes you've made so what not to do and, you know, you know how you're going to design your bar, it makes all those kind of things easier so that, you know, now with Nomada's opening, you know, most. If this was five years ago, I wouldn't be able to do this interview right now because we'd be over there just trying to get walls finished and stuff like that, you know, where today people are coming. Exactly. So today we're just kind of like, okay, this is the punch list. Here's what we've got to do the next three days, stuff like that. 

Mike Ham [18:52 - 19:05]: And so I know maybe this is a hard thing to think about, but Nomada's coming. Are there other concepts that you have that you're thinking about, like, oh, you know, it'd be really cool if we did, like, a fill in the blank kind of thing. 

Dean Maroulakos [19:06 - 19:40]: There's at the moment, I think just because I've been so creatively focused on this, I kind of put things on the side. But, you know, I always say it'd be cool to do like a. You know, eventually at some point, I want to do some type of Greek restaurant just because. More like a taverna kind of thing. More cocktail driven, though, if we can, you know, and more like tapas style. And I think it'd be fun to do like, you know, more like a New Orleans kind of vibe or like a coastal kind of something, because we haven't focused on seafood yet. So there's always that. And then the other one that we, you know, talk about, but, you know, we'll get there eventually, I think is doing, like, an Italian concept or something. But there's so many around here. Like, I want to make sure if we're going to do something like that. 

Mike Ham [19:40 - 19:41]: We'Re in the spaghetti triangle right now. 

Dean Maroulakos [19:41 - 19:42]: Right. We have to nail it if we're going to do that kind of thing. 

Mike Ham [19:42 - 19:45]: You can't like, half ass that because you get laughed out of town. 

Dean Maroulakos [19:45 - 19:49]: Exactly. So that one's kind of like there, but when the time is right. 

Mike Ham [19:49 - 19:59]: On the way. Back burner. Exactly. Okay, let's try the tuna. I'm definitely gonna have more of these, like, once we hang up, you know. 

Dean Maroulakos [19:59 - 20:02]: Absolutely. Can't let it go to waste. 

Mike Ham [20:02 - 20:08]: Yeah. Okay. So you said that this was or is a new menu thing coming for Valentine's Day? Yes. Right. 

Dean Maroulakos [20:08 - 20:21]: And then if you. This is kind of how we run things. Well, chef will run some specials, see how they work, test it out, and if it's a hit, then it could be a new menu item as well. But this will definitely be featured for Valentine's week coming up. So if people like it, then we'll. 

Mike Ham [20:21 - 20:22]: Well, I'm gonna try it. 

Dean Maroulakos [20:22 - 20:23]: Yeah, please. 

Mike Ham [20:23 - 20:24]: I'll let you know if I like it. 

Dean Maroulakos [20:24 - 20:28]: There we go. I think you'll be the first one tasting it. 

Mike Ham [20:31 - 20:34]: Mmm. That's good. 

Dean Maroulakos [20:34 - 20:34]: Yep. 

Mike Ham [20:34 - 20:38]: I like whatever the green thing is underneath. I'm into it. 

Dean Maroulakos [20:38 - 20:40]: I think it's avocado. 

Mike Ham [20:40 - 20:42]: Yeah, it's got Like, a little kick to it. 

Dean Maroulakos [20:42 - 20:43]: Yep. Little heat. 

Mike Ham [20:43 - 21:13]: Yeah, I like that a lot. So Nomada's. That's what I'm gonna ask. So you're doing. Working on all these different concepts. You're doing these different things. Like, each place, I feel like, kind of has something that they're, or I would imagine, something that they're known for. Right. So, like, accounts, we're talking about, like, menu items, cocktails. Is there, like, a specific thing like, oh, this place is known for their fill in the blank. 

Dean Maroulakos [21:13 - 21:56]: It's definitely for the cocktail program. I think the Western Sour is actually one of our top sellers. We always joke about taking it off the menu, and every time we do or threaten to do it, people get up in arms. So that's something we're very well known for. And the teams seasonal flips, they really put a lot of thought into it, and they're great at pushing the boundary and trying new things, but not in a way that scares the guests away. That's kind of like, oh, I'm curious. I want to try this. So I think that's what we're really good for here. And then, you know, Chef Bogdan's food is always a great complement to that. So there's no specific dish, I would say. You know, I think these are. These are some examples of our more popular items. Yeah. But I think it's really. There's. What's good about this is there's always. There's something on the menu for everyone to pick on, but depending, you know, if you're a vegan, vegetarian, whatever, it's. There's options. 

Mike Ham [21:56 - 22:28]: Yeah. Do you think, like, being in, like, the. I guess, you know, Nutley, Verona? Like, I mean, I know Jersey City too, but especially, like, this particular area where, you know, Nutley in particular kind of just, like, so flooded. We were talking about Italian restaurants just before, and just, like, bringing some, like, new concepts and ideas to people's palates around here because, like, you know, everyone's just like, oh, it's. It's not, you know, whatever the pizza places are or whatever, like, you know, like that kind of stuff. It's just different, you know, and bringing something else to their. To the market here. 

Dean Maroulakos [22:28 - 23:14]: Yeah, it was. I mean, that's part of the reason we got into the Jersey scene with the food and beverage, you know? Cause I, like, go. I went to Montclair State, and we would go out, and, you know, you're hanging out at these bars and stuff like that, and, like, the drinks aren't good. I moved to the city. And I was like, why can't we have this just across the river? Like, everyone comes in to do this. So it's like, how do we bring some of those elements, but in that approachable way where it's not so pretentious, where people can come here? Like, we always tell the story. When we first opened, we had these two guys that would come in. They used to be old nutley pub. Guys ride on their motorcycle. They'd meet up, and they would come in. They liked craft beer, so they would come in and have craft beer. But they would always see our bartenders making, like, old fashions or negronis, and look at it. And one day, one of them was like, you know, let me try one of those old fashions. And so they both got one, and they were like, oh, this is actually really good. And then they came back in the next week and they tried another cocktail on the menu, and then they would switch to have their beers afterwards. 

Mike Ham [23:14 - 23:14]: Sure. 

Dean Maroulakos [23:14 - 23:26]: But that was kind of it. And that's what I think our mission has been since we've opened is how do you get people to try things, but in a way that doesn't feel like, you know, we're not the bartender with the tweezers and the suspenders. 

Mike Ham [23:27 - 23:27]: Approachable. 

Dean Maroulakos [23:27 - 23:49]: Yes. Make it approachable, make it accessible. And if you have a question, we're not gonna poo poo you. We're gonna say, oh, no, this is what it. Here, take a taste of this. Try the spirits so that you want to experiment. And, you know, to me, that's the most fun about going out. It's great to have your regular spot and your regular cocktail that you like. But, you know, I want to try new things and learn, and we want to share that excitement that we have about the food and beverage with our guests. 

Mike Ham [23:49 - 24:11]: Yeah. Because I think, like, that's like that. I mean, just for example, like, guys like that, that they'll come back forever just because of, you know, having that. Like, it'd be one thing. Anybody can go any place and get, like, craft beer or like a. You know, go to a brewery, go to a restaurant and get something interesting or whatever. But when you, like, get them out of their comfort zone a little bit and, like, develop that trust, that's the biggest thing. 

Dean Maroulakos [24:11 - 24:12]: Yep. And then we have. 

Mike Ham [24:12 - 24:12]: Yeah. 

Dean Maroulakos [24:12 - 24:31]: So now we have guests that come in and just say, make us whatever you're feeling. And that's kind of what led us to doing the junto's cocktail program in that direction, because it was like, we're seeing a lot more of it. And especially in Jersey City, you know, you have a much more open minded, I guess you say drinker, you know, just from the going back and forth to New York and stuff like that. 

Mike Ham [24:31 - 24:38]: So when people do that at junto, it's just like I like this, make me whatever. Like that's how that works. 

Dean Maroulakos [24:38 - 24:50]: Yeah, well, usually I ask them like, you know, do you want it stirred up on the rocks and do you want a boozy, sweet, citrusy. And we'll just kind of get a couple ideas from that and then the bartenders will go back there and that's cool. 

Mike Ham [24:50 - 24:51]: We're gonna have to check that out too. 

Dean Maroulakos [24:51 - 24:52]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [24:52 - 25:10]: Because I mean like that's my. I'm kind of like that way. Like I drink the same things all the time when I go out. Just because like A, I'm usually driving because Chrissy never drives. And B, I just like know what I like. Sure. You know, so if I'm gonna spend some money on a cocktail or whatever, like I'm gonna get what I know. 

Dean Maroulakos [25:10 - 25:11]: Right. 

Mike Ham [25:11 - 25:15]: But I do like, I do like to be pushed just like on my own terms, you know. 

Dean Maroulakos [25:15 - 25:38]: That's why DL Shores works great. Because you say these are the parameters I need to fall in and surprise me within that. So it's not like you're going to get like a spiked lemonade and you wanted an old fashioned or you know, something like that. So it keeps in those parameters in a nice way. And the space is small enough with it only being 28 seats that it kind of really has that personal feeling. And the back bar is this beautiful stained glass arch. Stained glass piece from like nice 1880s. 

Mike Ham [25:38 - 25:38]: Sure. 

Dean Maroulakos [25:38 - 25:43]: So it's almost like the church to the cocktail world, like that praising the. 

Mike Ham [25:43 - 25:52]: Altar of the, you know, of drinking, which I love. The other question that I have too is being from Nutley originally. Right. 

Dean Maroulakos [25:53 - 25:56]: My parents are. We grew up in Wayne, but so. 

Mike Ham [25:56 - 26:10]: So parents are from Nutley, grew up in Wayne. But then like being able to kind of basically like do all this at home, like that's gotta be a pretty cool thing too, right? To be part of that community that basically you've been a part of or your family's been a part of for forever. 

Dean Maroulakos [26:11 - 26:58]: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think it's a really special thing. You know, like I said, we, you know, I moved away just to, you know, part of it to have that experience of food and drink that you weren't getting in New Jersey. And you know, when Cowan's opened, that was kind of like just the beginning and now we, like, we talk with our team. Even just the amount of the way the season, the scene has changed, especially in North Jersey. There's more competition, there's more curiosity, more available products. So it's kind of, it's taken its time, but it's, I think, going in a really great direction. And I think it's really exciting to see, you know, chefs and bartenders that are working in New York saying, hey, I'm moving to Jersey. I want to come to New Jersey and I want to keep working in the industry and kind of bring what I know here. And there's excitement about it with our guests and it kind of really, it's amazing to see what happened over 10 years, how it kind of have evolved and to where we are now. And there's so much more growth, you know. 

Mike Ham [26:58 - 26:59]: Yeah. 

Dean Maroulakos [26:59 - 26:59]: Yet ahead. 

Mike Ham [27:00 - 27:21]: Yeah. And then, like, I mean, the relationship with, like, the communities that you're a part of, like, obviously people coming in here and, you know, buying something is one thing, but like, to maintain that like a 10 year relationship with a community is. It goes beyond, like the walls of the space too, right? Absolutely. And I think, like, that's got to be a big piece of it too. And, like, that community relationship is really important. 

Dean Maroulakos [27:21 - 27:52]: 100%. Yeah. Our managers are really great at doing outreach to different groups, from local softball teams that we sponsor to the PBAs and the Knights of Columbus, the fundraisers we do for the toy drives and stuff for the holidays and whatnot. We do a drag bingo once a month with the Nutley Pride alliance in town. So it's kind of reaching out to all those different areas and kind of working with them and saying, how can we be part of this community? You know, like you said, it's the food and drink only goes so far. It's that. 

Mike Ham [27:53 - 27:53]: Exactly. 

Dean Maroulakos [27:53 - 28:02]: And it's the hospitality and how the staff treats the guests when they come in and the conversations they have and, you know, remembering someone's name or their favorite drink or, you know, they had last time. 

Mike Ham [28:02 - 28:04]: Totally. Let's try the last thing that we have. 

Dean Maroulakos [28:04 - 28:05]: Yeah, of course. 

Mike Ham [28:05 - 28:06]: So what do we got here? 

Dean Maroulakos [28:06 - 28:10]: So this is our steak frites with the truffle fries. 

Mike Ham [28:10 - 28:17]: Okay. Cut one of these, actually, if there's a. Thank you. 

Dean Maroulakos [28:17 - 28:20]: You're welcome. Oh, there's some steak knives here too. 

Mike Ham [28:20 - 28:24]: Oh, they're on here. Thank you. 

Dean Maroulakos [28:25 - 28:31]: You're welcome. There's a little sauce if you. 

Mike Ham [28:31 - 28:37]: Do you have a favorite spot? Is that like picking between, like your kids kind of. 

Dean Maroulakos [28:37 - 28:48]: Yeah, yeah. Because they all Have a different special place. To me, yeah, it's really hard to say you don't own any of them. 

Mike Ham [28:48 - 28:55]: But you have to, like, you're going out and you're like, oh, let's go to. You can pick any one of them. Maybe it's like the mood that you're in. 

Dean Maroulakos [28:55 - 29:01]: But yeah, I think if I was, if I was just going for cocktails, I'd probably be the junto, because it's like right up my alley. 

Mike Ham [29:01 - 29:02]: Yeah, that's like your wheelhouse. 

Dean Maroulakos [29:02 - 29:36]: Yeah, up there. Have a. Have a quiet cocktail. Be on your own again. To come here just for that comfort of this place just makes you feel good. It's not a dive bar, but it's got elements of a dive. But you can have a nice cocktail. So I think that's Cowan's always has that special place. And on Parkside, honestly, their food is really on point. And our chef, Sabrina, who's also going to be running Namada Kitchen, and she's been really doing some really cool stuff over there as well. So again, I know it's not giving a definitive answer, but. 

Mike Ham [29:36 - 29:44]: Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, it's hard. It's like when people ask, like, what my favorite episode is ever, and I'm like, I've done 100 and this is gonna be like 162, I think. 

Dean Maroulakos [29:44 - 29:45]: Amazing. 

Mike Ham [29:45 - 29:45]: So that's a lot. 

Dean Maroulakos [29:45 - 29:46]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [29:46 - 29:47]: You know, how do I pick one? 

Dean Maroulakos [29:47 - 29:49]: Maybe we need it down to top 10. 

Mike Ham [29:49 - 29:56]: Which places Fed me, which places gave me something to drink, which places didn't? They're out. Yeah, that's it. There you go. 

Dean Maroulakos [29:56 - 29:58]: Easy way to narrow down. 

Mike Ham [29:58 - 30:28]: Yeah, I'm going to try one of the fries too. Excellent. So, Namata. Sorry, I'll ask this question while you chew. So Namada's coming. So that will make seven, you said. Right. So seven restaurants and then in a 10 year span is a lot. 

Dean Maroulakos [30:28 - 30:28]: Yes. 

Mike Ham [30:29 - 30:34]: Yeah. So like over the next 10, we should expect to be like 14 to 20, like somewhere in that range. 

Dean Maroulakos [30:34 - 31:18]: I feel like that would be nice. The goal before Nomada happened was to kind of just not pause expansion for a minute and just kind of really focus on the places and work out any little kinks and whatnot. But because of the location and the building going for sale next door, it just was like an opportunity that we said, you know, we've been really looking into doing a Mexican concept at some point or some type of something that wasn't American food. And it was just, you know, if we could use the liquor license. It kind of just made Sense. I think after this, you know, we will likely pause and focus on, you know, what we have and how do we make them even better. How do we get the hospitality up? You know, go through the menus, what little items can we tweak and just kind of to get those signature dishes that people come back for year after year? 

Mike Ham [31:18 - 31:39]: Is that hard to do? Like, especially, like, you know, we'll take Cowan's as an example, but, like, a place that's tried and true. Like, it's been here for a while, it has a reputation, but then to, like, obviously it has its base layer, but to, like, tweak that or, like, continue to tweak that. Kind of, like, keep up with the times, I guess, or tastes or whatever. Yeah. Is that, like, difficult at all? 

Dean Maroulakos [31:41 - 31:43]: It's. It depends. I mean, I think, like, you don't. 

Mike Ham [31:43 - 31:46]: Want to get, like, out in front of your skis, but you also want to make sure that you're. 

Dean Maroulakos [31:47 - 32:56]: How do you change enough things? You know, we've gone drastic where we've gone. We've gotten completely rid of entrees and just done bar food. And it worked for a little bit, but then, you know, that was during COVID and then people started wanting to go out and more composed dishes again, so we had to do a full flip of the menu. So now it's kind of more gradual. It's like looking at what's selling, what's not, and what you're seeing on menus elsewhere and what you see coming off. So, you know, certain dishes will have a year shelf life or just a seasonal life, and then things like the tots that they may be on the entire span of things. And there are dishes that we bring back and forth. For the 10th anniversary, we're planning a week of different events, starting with the Nutley St. Patrick's Day Parade Saturday, which comes here. Afterwards, we're gonna have a couple guest bartenders, which are former bartenders that are now working elsewhere, coming back and bringing back some of our classic dishes we used to have when we first opened, just like, a loaded fry with shaved ricotta and a basil aioli that was a hit. So we're gonna kind of bring some of those elements back that haven't been on the menu for five years or so. But like I said, you have to. Those things had to come off after a certain point for something else and to evolve with it so totally, I. 

Mike Ham [32:56 - 33:13]: Guess, events and different things. Like you mentioned, like, you know, people coming here after the parade, and, like, we talked about the Christmas stuff. Are there, like, other things that happen at some of these places throughout the year that are, like, significant, that kind of, like help give that, like that positive experience to people that are coming in here? 

Dean Maroulakos [33:13 - 33:30]: Absolutely. We will try to do certain, you know, we'll have our, like our drag bingos or drag shows, things like that. Special events at different locations. We do trivia, some of them on every weekly, on Tuesday nights. And then the bigger things are the dinners. We do tasting dinners. Cowan's has one coming up for Balvini. 

Mike Ham [33:30 - 33:31]: Okay. 

Dean Maroulakos [33:31 - 34:01]: Where our shuffle pair, three, four courses with different scotches. We'll do wine dinners. We have Barre House has a Spanish wine dinner coming up next month. So those are kind of the fun little things we do. And then we're looking at a couple other fun little programming things. You know, maybe doing like a pasta night on a Sundays kind of with like a rotating selection of pastas each week, stuff like that. So we kind of constantly try to think of, like, fun little things that are different. You know, we're in an era of experiences. Everyone wants a full experience. So it's not enough just to have. 

Mike Ham [34:01 - 34:03]: Good food these days. You know, it's gotta be like a whole thing. 

Dean Maroulakos [34:03 - 34:35]: We've partnered with, like, Hendricks. They do a flower workshop. We also will do, like, botanical floral cocktails and a floral engine with dried preserved flowers. So something that's not even going to die in a week, you have it for a year or two before the flowers start to fade. So we do, like, a lot of events like that as well, where, you know, people come out, it's an hour and a half long, and then you can stay for dinner if you want, or head out, but you have a cocktail, some nibbles while you're there. So it's kind of. Of doing those kind of things that for. Especially for our regulars who are looking for something different. And then, you know, so they come back and try new things. 

Mike Ham [34:35 - 35:01]: Totally. All right, so people listen to this episode, and I really appreciate having me out today and feeding me and giving me a drink and all that. This has been amazing. So thank you. So if people are listening and they're like, wow, these places sound really cool, but have they never been? Where would you start sending them to go? Learn more about all seven places, you know, the six existing places, and then this is going to come out. So Nomada will be existing. So all seven existing places, you know, to learn more about them. 

Dean Maroulakos [35:01 - 35:19]: Yeah, I think the easiest would be to go to our website@scoposhospitality.com or on Instagram scoposhospitality. You can also look up the individual locations like at Cowan's Public at the Barrow House. But I think the easiest is the website and the links to all of our social media and all the websites for the restaurant. 

Mike Ham [35:19 - 35:24]: Yeah. And then recommendations. Just come in and have a good time, right? 

Dean Maroulakos [35:24 - 35:42]: Yeah, absolutely. We take reservations through resi on all for all of our spots. So if you are someone that wants to know you have a spot and your seat reserved. The only space that doesn't is Juneto. That's first come first serve and then. But otherwise, you know, there's always. We always take space for walk ins at each location. So pop in. We'd love to see it. 

Mike Ham [35:42 - 35:45]: Awesome. Well, thank you again for having me. 

Dean Maroulakos [35:45 - 35:45]: Pleasure. 

Mike Ham [35:45 - 35:59]: This has been great and I can't wait to like eat more once we're done. Yeah. To eat in the mic is just like a hard thing to do. But really appreciate it. So Dean Maroulakos. Mike Ham. I got that right, right? 

Dean Maroulakos [35:59 - 35:59]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [35:59 - 36:08]: Yes, twice. So we were at Cowan's Public today in Nutley, New Jersey. We'll make sure we put all the links in the show notes. Just people just go click them. 

Dean Maroulakos [36:08 - 36:08]: Perfect. 

Mike Ham [36:08 - 36:29]: Link out to Scobos Hospitality. Good luck with the launch of Nomada and put greetings for the gardenstate.com in the show notes as well. So people just go click on all of our episodes that we've had come out over the last three and a half years at this point. So again, this has been the Greetings from the Garden State podcast powered by the New Jersey Lottery. I'm Mike Ham. Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next. 

Dean Maroulakos [36:40 - 36:46]: Tell me before you go all the way, do you wanna. 

Mike Ham [37:06 - 37:06]: Sa.