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Dean J. Poll (born April 18, 1957) is an American restaurateur based in New York and the founder of the Poll Group, former operator of Manhattan's Loeb Central Park Boathouse and owner of Gallagher's Steakhouse.
Born in Manhasset, on Long Island's North Shore, Dean Poll is the second of three sons of Alexandra and Dimitri Poll. He played center on the Paul D. Schreiber High School basketball team in Port Washington. On weekends and during school breaks he worked as a “water boy” in Pappas Restaurant, his family's high-volume, 250-seat seafood restaurant in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
Poll started working full-time after high school when he became the purchasing manager for the family's newest property, a 14,000 sq ft. food complex in Midtown Manhattan's Time & Life Building. It comprised Dawson's Pub, La Petite Brassiere, Bon Jour coffee shop and Southampton Caterers that served the office building-dense Rockefeller Center neighborhood.
Working in the restaurant's back-of-house trenches, Poll excelled at inspecting seafood in the legendary Fulton Fish Market, negotiating with meat brokers in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, and sourcing vegetables in the South Bronx's Hunts Point, the largest produce market in the world. [1]
In 1980, Dean Poll and his brothers, Gillis and George, recreated Pappas Restaurant in Williston Park, renaming it Riverbay Seafood Bar & Grill in 1989. [2] In 1986, they opened Bryant & Cooper Steak House and butcher shop in Roslyn. By 1997, The New York Times called Bryant & Cooper “arguably the best steakhouse on Long Island” and Riverbay, “Nassau-Suffolk's No. 1 seafood restaurant. [3] ”
Interested in expanding into Manhattan, Dean Poll dissolved his partnership with his brothers in 1998-1999. Dividing the assets, he retained ownership of Riverbay, while setting his sights on the Central Park Boathouse, a city-owned concession that was requesting proposals.
In June 2000, New York City's Department of Parks and Recreation awarded Dean Poll the concession for the Loeb Boathouse property, [4] one of only two restaurants in Manhattan's Central Park. It consists of a lakeside fine dining restaurant, a fast casual café and an event space.
In 2016, the city renewed the Boathouse's 15-year lease.
The Loeb Boathouse will shut its doors on Oct. 16, 2022. Poll, cited “rising labor and costs of goods,” according to a notice filed in July.
All of the Boathouse’s 163 employees will be out of work after it shutters, said Poll, who has managed the restaurant since 2000.
In August 2009, the Parks Department granted Dean Poll the concession for Tavern on the Green, the second of two restaurants in Manhattan's iconic Central Park. [5] A major labor dispute erupted between Dean Poll and the union representing Tavern workers. [6] The dispute resulted in Poll backing out of the deal and the union organizing a 44-day strike [11] at the Boathouse. Ultimately the two sides came to terms. [7]
In January 2013, Dean Poll bought legendary Gallaghers Steakhouse from longtime owner Marlene Brody. [8] Rescuing the 200-seat, Prohibition-era restaurant 14 days before it was scheduled to close, [8] Poll began a strategic 7-month renovation that the New York Post's Steve Cuozzo likened to “stirring the resurrection of a classic. [9] ” In February 2011, Gallaghers reopened to rave reviews [9] that celebrated Poll's success restoring its vintage horseshoe bar, iconic glass-encased meat locker.
In December 2017, Poll's resurrection of Gallagher's was the subject of a New York Times article by James Barron. [10]
Dean Poll and his wife Linda, whom he met in 1980, are parents of two sons. He is on the Board of the Boys’ Club of New York [11] and has served on the board of the New York Athletic Club.
An active member of New York's Greek-American community, Poll served as parish council president of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity from 2013 - 2016. The Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch named Dean Poll an Archon, [12] [17] Nomophylax, one of the highest civilian honors given by the Greek Orthodox Church.
A steakhouse, steak house, or chophouse refers to a restaurant that specializes in steaks and chops, found mainly in North America. Modern steakhouses may also carry other cuts of meat including poultry, roast prime rib, and veal, as well as fish and other seafood.
Ruth's Chris Steak House is a chain of over 100 steakhouses across the United States, Canada and Mexico. On May 22, 2008, the company underwent rebranding and became part of Ruth's Hospitality Group after its acquisition of Mitchell's Fish Market. The group's headquarters are in Winter Park, Florida.
Landry's, Inc., is an American, privately owned, multi-brand dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Landry's, Inc. owns and operates more than 600 restaurants, hotels, casinos, and entertainment destinations in 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The company also owns and operates numerous international locations. The company is owned by President & CEO Tilman Fertitta.
Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse are a chain of buffet/steakhouse restaurants that are a part of Homestyle Dining LLC based in Plano, Texas. Its menu includes steaks, seafood, and chicken entrées, all of which come with their buffet. A lunch menu is also served.
Cameron Mitchell Restaurants is a restaurant group headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It owns restaurants under various names, many of which are located in Central Ohio.
Gallagher's Steakhouse is a steakhouse restaurant at 228 West 52nd Street in the Theater District in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in November 1927 by Helen Gallagher, a former Ziegfeld girl, and wife of Edward Gallagher (1873–1929), and Jack Solomon, a colorful gambler with a large loyal following from the sporting element. These were the days of Prohibition and Gallagher's was one of the first speakeasy gathering places for gamblers, sports figures, and stars of Broadway. There is now a location in the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Sparks Steak House is a steakhouse restaurant in New York City, located at 210 East 46th Street in Midtown Manhattan.
Tavern on the Green is an American cuisine restaurant in Central Park in Manhattan, New York City, near the intersection of Central Park West and West 66th Street on the Upper West Side. The restaurant, housed in a former sheepfold, has been operated by Jim Caiola and David Salama since 2014.
Smith & Wollensky is the name of several high-end American steakhouses, with locations in New York, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Houston, Miami Beach, Las Vegas, London, and most recently, Taipei. The first Smith and Wollensky steakhouse was founded in 1977 by Alan Stillman, best known for creating T.G.I. Friday's, and Ben Benson, in a distinctive building on 49th Street and 3rd Avenue in New York, once occupied by Manny Wolf's Steakhouse. Many of the restaurants have a wooden exterior with its trademark green and white colors. The individual Smith and Wollensky restaurants operate using slightly varied menus. In 1997, Ruth Reichl, then-restaurant reviewer for The New York Times, called Smith & Wollensky "A steakhouse to end all arguments." Smith & Wollensky is owned by the Patina Restaurant Group.
Michael Jordan Steakhouse, founded by retired American basketball player Michael Jordan, is a fine-dining restaurant group. The main location was in Grand Central Terminal, New York City, though locations exist in Uncasville, Connecticut; Ridgefield, Washington; and Chicago.
Charlie Palmer is an American chef, hospitality entrepreneur, hotelier, and author. He is best known for Aureole, his flagship restaurant in New York City, which has earned 13 Michelin stars and two James Beard awards. Considered a “pioneer of progressive American cooking,” Palmer has received over 20 Michelin stars and consults 15 F&B outlets through the Charlie Palmer Collective.
Hawksmoor is a British steakhouse and cocktail bar chain.
The Hilltop Steak House was an American restaurant located on Route 1 in Saugus, Massachusetts. Founded in 1961 by Frank Giuffrida, it was one of the busiest restaurants in the United States during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The Hilltop closed in 2013.
Wolfgang's Steakhouse is a steakhouse whose flagship restaurant is located on Park Avenue in Manhattan where patrons are encouraged to tip in $2 bills. The restaurant is owned by former headwaiter at Peter Luger Steak House, Wolfgang Zwiener. Wolfgang's has been frequently ranked as among the top ten steakhouses in New York City. Notable patrons include Jimmy Fallon, Brain Malfettone, Mike McDonald, Tom Schlobohm and attorney Alexander M. Dudelson. The staff has been described as "more efficient than warm" and the atmosphere as "gruff", by Frank Bruni of The New York Times.
Gambaro is an Australian hospitality group headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland founded in 1953. The group was passed from founder Giovanbaptista Gambaro to sons Michael and Domenico, who opened the Gambaro seafood restaurant in 1974. It is the oldest established restaurant in Brisbane. Currently the Gambaro Group comprises businesses including the Gambaro Restaurant, Black Hide Steakhouse, Persone and the Gambaro Hotel, MG Bar and Function Centre.
The Old Homestead Steakhouse is a steakhouse established in 1868 whose flagship location is in Manhattan, New York City. The restaurant is the oldest continuously operating steakhouse in the United States.
Pearl Tavern was a sports bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District, in the United States. The restaurant was started by former American football player Joey Harrington, bartender Ryan Magarian, and ChefStable restaurateur Kurt Huffman in December 2016. Intended to be more casual than a steakhouse, the family-friendly Pearl Tavern served various cuts of steak, fried chicken, fish, and risotto, as well as bar snacks and other options for brunch and happy hour. The interior had dark leather booths and multiple widescreen television for sports viewing, and the servers wore plaid. Three percent of profits benefitted Harrington's non-profit organization.