The place
The Lantern is a coffeehouse in the daytime and a listening room at night, in Rochester's East End. It opens at eleven every day and closes at midnight Monday to Saturday and at eight on Sunday. In the afternoon people come to work: comfortable chairs, power at the seats, wifi that works, coffee and light fare, and nobody hurrying them. At five the lights come down and the bar opens. Early in the week a film goes up on the screen at six. Thursday and Friday are performance nights, short sets you can still talk over, with the performers paid from a basket. Saturday is the weekend, with something on that doesn't take over. Sunday the lounge runs until eight, with the game on in season.
There is no cover at the door on any night. The business earns on what it serves to people who keep coming back. Special nights, a band that draws its own crowd or a touring comedian, happen when they suit the place, and they are announced as the exception. The rest of the time, the rule is that you can hear the person across the table.
The food is light fare from a small prep kitchen: sandwiches, simple soups, pastries and small plates. There is no line kitchen and no dinner service.
The job
You would run The Lantern. That means the bar and the coffee program, the staff and the schedule, ordering and inventory, cost control, opening and closing, the relationship with the liquor authority and the health department, and the hundred small decisions a day that decide whether a place feels looked after. You would hire the team with us before opening and run it after.
The owners are Regis Joseph Acosta and Erin Tepesch Acosta, a husband and wife who live in Rochester. They both keep their jobs and work in the business part time. Regis holds the programming, the brand and the community. Erin bakes the pastries. Neither of them has run a licensed bar, which is the reason this job exists. On most days and most nights, you are the person in charge.
What we are looking for
- You have run a licensed bar or venue in New York, or been the person who actually ran it under someone else's title. You know what a temporary retail permit is and what an inspection looks like.
- You like a quiet bar. You can keep a busy Saturday comfortable, and you would rather a place be full than loud.
- You can run a coffee counter as well as a bar. Half the business happens before five, and the daytime has to be as good as the night.
- You look after regulars. The business depends on people coming back several times a month, and the person behind the bar is most of the reason they do.
- You are organised with numbers. You will see the monthly figures, and the lender will too.
Timing
We are aiming to open in spring 2027; the date depends on the lease and the licence. We would like the general manager on board early enough to shape the fit-out and hire the team, which means talking now.
Pay
The role is salaried and full time. We will talk about the number in the first conversation rather than here. If the right person wants to talk about a stake in the business, that is a conversation for after The Lantern is open and working.
Getting in touch
Write to founder@thelanternroc.com with where you have worked and what you would do with a place like this one. A few paragraphs is plenty. The prospectus sets out the plan as it stands, and we will send the fuller business plan to anyone we are talking to seriously.