Rockville Centre could get Lucky’s

A new restaurant, which would cater to a more grown-up Rockville Center crowd, is making its final case to the Board of Zoning Appeals this week to open on Sunrise Highway, complete with a rooftop dining area.

The restaurant, which would be called Lucky’s, would be the latest venture by restaurateur George Voutsinas Jr., who owns Pop’s Seafood Shack and Grill in Island Park and Chateau La Mer in Lindenhurst. It would be located at 273 Sunrise Highway, where racing equipment store SK Speed used to be.

“We’re focusing on good cocktails and great food,” Voutsinas said. “It’s fine dining, but it’s fun dining.”

Voutsinas said his plan is for the basement of the location to house the kitchen and restrooms, leaving the entire first floor open for dining. There would also be a split rooftop area, he said: half of the space would be occupied by another indoor dining room, and half by an outdoor dining area that could be closed off in bad weather.

Though he plans to have music, Voutsinas said, he doesn’t want his new establishment to be another nightclub. His plan is to focus on food.

“There will be music; there will be entertainment,” he said. “But it’s not a club. It’s not going to be a place where we have rock bands and techno music playing. The music will be fun music. We’re going to entertain people of all ages, but certainly not frat bar type of stuff.”

Voutsinas has been immersed in the process of applying for permits to build the restaurant since the beginning of the year. He has been working with the village and addressing all of its concerns, he said. One of the main ones is, of course, parking.

“We’re going to provide valet parking,” he said, explaining that customers would use the municipal lot behind the restaurant. He added that the restaurant would not offer lunch and would not open until 5 p.m., so nearby parking lots would, he hopes, be less crowded. “The parking during the day doesn’t support lunch,” he said.

He understood village officials’ concern with making sure the restaurant would “fit,” Voutsinas said, not only at the location but also in the village as a whole. “The village is very concerned with having the right mix of businesses and its residents being happy,” he said. “And we addressed many of their concerns. I think that’s what made their feeling toward [the restaurant] more positive. We want to be good neighbors and a good addition to Rockville Centre.”

The name Lucky’s evokes an image of casual dining, Voutsinas said, while the interior will be more luxurious. It’s a dichotomy that he was aiming for, something he likes to do in his restaurants. The name was inspired by his father, George Sr. “It comes from what my dad used to say: The harder you work, the more luck you get,” he said. “My father was my friend and mentor. Though he’s passed, he’s always in the front of my mind.”