The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Johnny Canoe’s principal has returned to the restaurant business with venture that has created 20 jobs, telling Tribune Business he aimed to make it “just as good and hopefully better” than the well-known eatery where he made his name.

Mike Pikramanos said Naughty Johnny’s, located in the Old Fort Bay Town Centre, had yesterday attracted “two times” the number of patrons seen during its Monday opening.

Emphasising that his new business was one-third the size of Johnny Canoe, at 70 seats compared to that restaurant’s 200 seats, Mr Pikramanos told this newspaper he had spent some time “sitting on my hands” before he elected to take the plunge and return to the restaurant business.

He explained that Naughty Johnny’s, a play on the song of the same name by Eddie Minnis, which has permission to use, also linked the business to his former restaurant while simultaneously providing some differentiation.

“We had to try and be able to continue the legacy,” Mr Pikramanos told Tribune Business, referring to his 15-year run with Johnny Canoe, which finished in 2007 when Baha Mar decided to close its location at the Nassau Beach Hotel to make way for its $2.6 billion project.

“We’re just trying to bring it back a bit, trying to elevate it a bit, food wise, make it a little different and more funny,” he added. “Everywhere I went people spoke about it, and as much as they talked about it, I said let’s bring it back and make it more interesting. We’re getting good reviews, good reaction.”

Acknowledging that he had invested “quite a bit” to make Naughty Johnny’s a reality, although he declined to say how much, Mr Pikramanos conceded that after Johnny Canoe closed “I was sitting on my hands for a while”.

It took him 12-18 months to get his new venture operational from the time he decided to return to the restaurant frontline.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to go back into it,” Mr Pikramanos revealed. “But I said: “Let’s give it a try. I enjoy the business, the people, it’s fun, and I think it’s important to have a positive outlook for whatever you do. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be in the business.”

He told Tribune Business that he was surprised on Monday by the number of customers who “couldn’t wait for it to open”, given the lack of pre-publicity and advertising.

“Today was two times’ what it was yesterday,” he told Tribune Business of the customer footfall, “and I hope we do well as we go along.

“It’s a different feel. It’s a small restaurant, one-third the size of Johnny Canoe. Johnny Canoe was a monster, this is a little monster. We’re 70 seats, Johnny Canoe has 200 seats.

“It’s a different recipe, a little bit more upscale. I’m starting to have an interest in creating new things on the menu, and keep it at a higher level than we had at Johnny Canoe. Johnny Canoe was good, and hopefully we will make this just as good and hopefully better.

“I’m absolutely enjoying it. I enjoy the business, I enjoy the attraction, the food, the environment. I like being around the restaurant environment,” Mr Pikramanos added.

“It’s all a matter of having fun and making some money. No money, no fun.”

Mr Pikramanos said he had been attracted to Old Fort Bay Town Centre by the increasing population and business movement to western New Providence, coupled with the presence of affluent communities in the area.

The Venetian West development and second Meridian School are being built behind Old Fort Bay Town Centre, and he added that Naught Johnny’s would provide a restaurant alternative to driving to downtown Nassau or Cable Beach.

Emphasising that his new venture was a full service restaurant open from 11am to 11pm, Mr Pikramanos said it would open on weekend mornings to serve brunch.

And among the new dishes created for customers are a Bourbon-glazed port chop and Lamb Kebab with yoghurt sauce, plus multiple seafood offerings.