While most places in Syracuse’s Armory Square are quiet on Monday, one waffle music joint is continuing to strum tradition.
Syracuse, NY (NCC News) — Every Monday night, you can expect Funk ‘n Waffles, a music venue that serves breakfast food all day, to be packed with regulars for the venue’s approximately decade-long tradition of Grateful Dead Monday nights.
It all started back when owner Adam Gold and his college band would throw house parties, play music, and serve waffles to their friends. After proposing this business plan in a competition and performing well, Adam stayed in the upstate area after school to pursue the idea of a waffle restaurant with live music.
Funk ‘n Waffles, which has been open for 8 years, started on a Monday night with a Grateful Dead cover band playing. Over time, it’s become a fan favorite. Charley Orlando, the venue’s music director and talent buyer, came up with the idea.
“This place is a cornerstone in this town”, said Orlando, who travels the country with his band.
Orlando and his band, Pearly Baker’s Best, began playing on Monday nights when this location opened, and continued to play every Monday for about seven years, creating tradition and keeping the Dead’s music alive.
“This town needed something fresh, and Funk n Waffles moving down here, this became an actual real venue where you could pull bands in from all over the country.”
Things haven’t always run so smoothly for Gold and Orlando, as the business is still recovering from a pandemic that wiped out small local businesses. The venue had to change from being open seven days a week pre-pandemic to five post-pandemic.
“The pandemic crushed so much, it changed the way people interact with each other and how they go out to enjoy life. Everything is different now.”
After an 18-month stint of legally not being able to run the bar, because of COVID restrictions, the venue was able to resume its normal practices. However, there are long-term effects the pandemic had on the business.
Funk ‘n Waffles isn’t the same late-night hangout spot it used to be. Shows used to run from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., but now they run from 8 to 11 p.m. With last call at 2 a.m. in New York, the area has seen fewer people staying out late post-pandemic.
“It has a serious effect on the business. We are doing half as much bar business as we did pre-pandemic today.”
However, one thing Gold and Orlando can always rely on is a busy Monday night. While the weekly event has also seen a dip in attendance, partially due to the pandemic, it is still the venue’s most popular night, attracting fans from all demographics.
With events scheduled almost every night, they plan on doing everything they can to attract more people to the restaurant because, at the end of the day, it’s more than a restaurant. It’s a place where tradition and community continue to thrive against all odds.
“I don’t think there’s anything like Funk ‘n Waffles anywhere in the country; it’s a very unique place.”
