By Chris Falcone

The face and name of Monterey’s Sports Bar is about to change, providing University students with something fresh and new for their nightlife.

Monterey’s, located on Hempstead Turnpike, closed in late September 2004 and since then has gone through numerous changes in an attempt to launch an updated form of the previous establishment.

“We’re going to have a lot of cool things going on and our first priority is pleasing the students,” Cory Poccia, co-owner and a University alumnus said. “What we’re trying to do is risky, but it’s definitely time for something different.”

Poccia, along with Joe Signerino, both residents of Long Island, and a third partner purchased the bar in the beginning of October and quickly began some much needed renovations.

“We basically gutted the whole place,” Poccia said. “We gave it a big paint job and sanded the downstairs bar. The place was so beat up that it’s been closed since September for repairs.”

Other notable additions to the facility are the highly upgraded DJ system and a brand new stage built along the wall next to the DJ booth.

“We got rid of the jukebox and games and put in a 10 foot long stage for future contests and for the girls to dance on,” Poccia said.

The new owners said the building’s structural shape will remain the same; however, the décor of the place will be totally different to create a new type of atmosphere. The owners said there will be no problem recreating the past popularity of Monterey’s and turning it into the best bar on the strip.

What hurt Monterey’s in the past was the lack of proper promoting, which Poccia feels is vital for a business of this sort to be successful. The previous owners, some of the former University football players, ran the bar for approximately seven years and Poccia said they were ready to move on to something else.

Another aspect that hurt the former owners was their inconsistency in what direction to go with the bar, Poccia said. The age restrictions fluctuated frequently, ranging from 21 to 23 and then back down to 18. Due to these inconsistent age restrictions they also ran into problems with underage drinking, which is something any bar must worry about.

Rob Verderosa, owner of the new Dizzy Lizard Saloon and McHebe’s, said higher age limits are good for business because there are fewer headaches to worry aboutwhen dealing with an overage crowd.

“Ideally I would like to see all the bars go back to this policy,” Verderosa said. “I’m not a trendsetter or anything, I’m just thinking of what is good for business.”

Verderosa said students need options; they don’t want to hang out in the same bar as they did when they were freshman. Verderosa believes when juniors and seniors walk into a bar they do not necessarily want to see freshmen and sophomores.

In response to this challenge, Poccia said he and his partners will lean toward an upperclassmen crowd, as recently implemented at the new Dizzy Lizard Saloon. You will need to be 21 to get in the door and this will be done in an attempt to ward off freshman and sophomore students.

Although there is no specific date for the reopening, the owners say it will definitely be up and running before the end of the semester. They are aiming to open in the middle of the spring and are currently waiting on some licensing to go through.

Poccia feels confident that they can run a successful operation because of his feel for the industry. As a former University student and an employee of the old Monterey’s for five years, he knows what college students are looking for when they go out.

“We know how to cater to the average Hofstra student,” he said. “And we are going to concentrate mainly on helping Hofstra kids get jobs. We will be looking to hire college students from the area in general.”

Even with the construction of a new bar, other bar owners on Hempstead Turnpike are not worried about business.

“Any bar can succeed here as long as the owners do their homework,” Verderosa said. “They need to put their time in, but there is definitely enough room for everyone.”

“All the bar owners take it as a joke because we all know each other pretty well,” he said. “Plus there are over 4,000 students living on campus so there are more than enough people to go around.”

Poccia and Signerino said there will be celebrities appearing from time to time in the bar and they are also playing with the idea of guest bartending contests, which would play out over a few weeks or months and culminate in a grand prize of hundreds to possibly thousands of dollars.

Choosing to keep a good portion of their ideas confidential, including the new name of the bar, which will be under wraps until the grand opening, Poccia and Signerino want their new business to be nothing short of a surprise when patrons finally walk in the door and experience the bar for the first time.

“We definitely have some tricks up our sleeves,” Poccia said. “What we want to do is bring a slice of the city to the strip, model it more so after bars you would typically see in the city.”

Monterey´s Sports Bar is in the process of getting a makeover. The new bar will feature an upgraded DJ system and brand new stage. (Harry Tanielyan/The Chronicle)