The restaurant originally known as The Revelry will have its last service on Aug. 1 after 13 years of business.
The longstanding brick building at 1290 University Ave. is currently home to the full-service Rev BBQ, a bifurcated business that launched last October. A companion counter-service joint called Rev BBQ Outpost, which opened at the same time, will remain open within the same complex.
The Southern barbecue concept was a longtime aspiration for co-owner Josh Miles, who hails from South Carolina. But “having it split like that didn’t work like I wanted to,” he said. “That space has served its purpose in its community and time. It’s time for someone else to breathe new life into the space.”
The closing of the former Revelry is significant because it’s the restaurant that launched the husband-and-wife team of Joshua and Jenna Miles as major players in Rochester’s restaurant scene.
The closing marks a milestone
When The Revelry first opened on University Avenue in 2013, it featured a jaw-dropping transformation of a spacious two-story building within the former Huther Brothers saw manufacturing plant. Its initial focus was an upscale take on Lowcountry South Carolina cuisine, something the city hadn’t seen before, and it was among the first wave of bars in Rochester to feature craft cocktails.
It was wildly popular from the beginning.
“I think we really gave Rochester hospitality they had not seen before,” Miles said. “It was a special moment in time … it was really impactful and dramatic and special.”
He believes The Revelry was a catalyst that spurred other restaurants in their city to up their game. “The food and beverage scene grew over the past 13 years to something that is very robust for a market of our size,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of great dining.”
Within a year of opening the Revelry, Josh and Jenna Miles opened Branca in Bushnell’s Basin (now called Branca Basin) and Buffalo Proper in Buffalo. They eventually sold both businesses. They also ran the food and beverage operations at The Strathallan for over eight years.
“There was a period of rapid growth,” Josh Miles said. “Some of it stuck and some of it didn’t.”
Now the couple is at the helm of The SCN Family of Restaurants, which includes Rev BBQ, Branca Midtown, Bitter Honey, Velvet Belly, Ziggy’s and Patron Saint, all distinct restaurant concepts located within the city of Rochester.
While he has a sense of nostalgia about the closing of The Revelry, Miles said things change quickly in the restaurant business, and it’s important to know when to pivot.
“Thirteen years in one community is a very long time for a restaurant,” he said. “It’s been important to a lot of people,” noting that many people had first dates, engagements and weddings there.
“At the end of the day, the Rev was one of the most special experiences of a restaurant that I have ever been a part of,” he said, remembering both its employees and its guests fondly.
When he first started the company, Miles’s slogan was “changing lives.” He’d tell employees that people visiting restaurants arrive at various points in their lives, and they can find sanctuary within the restaurant’s walls.
‘You never know what they’re coming from or what they’re dealing with,” he said. “That place, without a doubt, unequivocally, changed lives.”
What’s next for Rev BBQ
The Rev BBQ that was formerly known as The Revelry will be open regular hours until Aug. 1. DJ Pepi will be on hand for its final celebration on Aug. 1.
The counter service Rev BBQ operation will remain open in the same complex on University Ave., but will lose the “Outpost” in its name. It will serve lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and a liquor license is planned. It will also focus on takeout, private events and full-service catering. Gift cards for Rev BBQ, Reve BBQ Outpost and The Revelry may be redeemed at Rev BBQ.
Tracy Schuhmacher covers Rochester’s food and drink scene. Notice something opening or closing in your neighborhood? Send tips to tracys@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: A restaurant trendsetter in Rochester to close after 13 years
Reporting by Tracy Schuhmacher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tracy Schuhmacher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
