A Flatiron seafood restaurant is re-emerging as one of New York City’s hidden gems despite reopening amid the pandemic.
Sagaponack has been a staple for seafood in New York City for around 12 years. However, like many restaurants in the Big Apple, Sagaponack found its future in jeopardy when the pandemic first started in 2020.
Kyung Lee came on board five years ago as the manager of Sagaponack. When the restaurant closed down in 2020, Lee took the opportunity to reopen Sagaponack.
“When [Sagaponack] permanently closed during COVID, one partner decided to reopen with me,” said Lee. “When I first used to manage Sagaponack, the restaurant doubled in revenue.”
Lee initially had no intention of getting back into the restaurant business during the pandemic, but when the opportunity to bring back Sagaponack came up in September 2020, he couldn’t turn it down.
“When it fell in my lap, I decided to just go and not really think about it. It was very stressful and exhilarating, a mix of 1,000 emotions at once,” said Lee. “I wasn’t new to restaurants, but I was new to operating during COVID. There was a lot to think about. What’s gonna happen to the business, do we just offer take-out? Since we were new in general and have 3 weeks to open, on top of things that weren’t grounded, thinking of new ways to survive was very hard.”
With three weeks to open, there was a lot of planning to go into such a short period of time. Sagaponack had previously been known as a popular happy hour spot in Flatiron, and Lee took this reopening opportunity to transform the restaurant’s image, and for that to succeed, Lee needed some help.
Lee tapped into his network of people to bring on employees and was able to bring in Joseph Yi as the head chef.
“Someway and somehow I met Chef Joseph Yi, he is a friend’s younger brother. We brought him on and built a team around that,” said Lee. “When bringing on a chef with the caliber of fine dining, it’s hard to override that perception. It wasn’t hard to override the perception of being a happy hour spot, it was a blank canvas. We stuck with the theme of seafood and built around that.”
With Yi in place as head chef, Lee worked with his team to create a seafood menu that incorporates quality ingredients at an affordable price. A look at their menu shows a variety of options that could please any palate, even those who may have their own hang-ups about seafood. The menu has options including many oysters to try, including raw, dressed and roasted, mussels, clams, and several other seafood dishes, many of which can be tried on Sagaponack’s tasting menu. For land-lovers, the menu also has some meat and pasta options to enjoy as well.
While planning the menu was handled, Lee also had to consider what it would take to reopen amid the pandemic.
“We spread out the tables beyond the CDC recommendation so people could feel safe. We wanted to make it a pleasant experience and have people feel good about it. We couldn’t handle that many people because we didn’t have a big team, so we would do four tables in one section, two in another,” said Lee.
Sagaponack reopened to the public officially in October 2020. With the safety regulations in place, the restaurant slowly started to pick up some steam. However outdoor dining proved to be a challenge for the Sagaponack team.
“We only had a tent, and during the really cold times, no one wanted to eat outdoors. We closed during that time because outdoor dining wasn’t warm enough and it was just too high in labor cost,” said Lee. “We rebuilt outdoor dining to be a better experience by having the tables separated and adding heaters, it kind of helped but was not good for business. It just became our goal to build our momentum and reputation at that time.”
Lee says that Sagaponack had several ebbs and flows in terms of bringing back diners, particularly when a new variant would emerge. However, the time when it was slower was sort of a good thing for Lee as it allowed Sagaponack to learn and grow as a new restaurant.
“It was a good time to practice and fix all the kinks,” said Lee. “It was a blessing in disguise in that sense. If we were fully open, we wouldn’t have been able to handle a larger crowd.”
Lee says that the reopening overall has been mainly positive, not just from regulars but new customers alike. The clientele has been very patient with the Sagaponack staff because of all of the pandemic-related changes, but the feedback has Lee very hopeful for the restaurant’s future.
“We are making improvements as often as possible, and our regulars are giving positive feedback. Our neighbors have dined at the old restaurant and they come back and say ‘Wow,'” said Lee. “We’re really under the radar. A few times in reviews and in person, people say we are a hidden gem. That makes me feel proud, not many people know about us but it makes me feel good that guests feel good dining in our restaurant.”
Lee hopes that not only customers love the new Sagaponack, but that the team can learn and grow as well.
“As a new restaurant owner, I want to empower staff to get creative and give them more autonomy, which is something that this industry doesn’t do much,” said Lee. “At the end of the day, if the restaurant fails, if the staff can grow with the team that is more important to me. But we also want to be a neighborhood restaurant where locals can dine in, but be better than the average neighborhood restaurant. I want us to be known for what we’re trying to do, which is offer approachable, quality seafood.”
Sagaponack is located at 4 W 22nd Street. For more information about Sagaponack, visit saganewyork.com.
