Why Red Sky won't be back in Wildwood
While working on last week's Cape Cuisine column on the new Wildwood Boardwalk restaurants, I noticed the building where Red Sky Cafe was located for the past two years was vacant. Here it was Friday of Memorial Day weekend and a major restaurant is closed? Red Sky's original location on Route 9 in Seaville is open daily year-round. So what happened? I called chef/owner Jeff Schwartz, who had signed a two-year lease in 2006 to expand into Wildwood. He was buying into the movement toward more upscale restaurants and businesses now that all these luxury homes and condos had popped up all over the island. Another upscale restaurant was JP Prime, and the buzzword around the island was upscale, upscale, upscale. And for some, like Sand Jamm and Sam's Pizza,their investments into upgrading their exterior and interiors has paid off handsomely. Stewart's and Boyd's BBQ followed suit on the Boardwalk this year.
John Paxton (JP Prime, Juan Pablo's, JP's Cafe) said during a restaurant tour last week that he thinks he's six or seven years ahead of the curve, meaning the island and its visitors aren't quite ready for such upscale places. And that's exactly why Schwartz didn't re-up when his lease expired.
"It was not worth the aggravation," he told me.
He went on to detail some nightmarish experiences in his Wildwood restaurant, things that have never happened in 10 years in Seaville. Once, he was even punched in the gut by a lady--using extreme flexibility with the word lady--who was asked to leave his restaurant. This "lady" walked into Wildwood Red Sky on a Taco Bar Night that Schwartz ran for his bar patrons. Have a couple drinks and make yourself a taco during happy hour. Only this woman killed the happy in happy hour by showing up with seven children. They park themselves in the bar area, she orders one soda, and they start chowing down on tacos like seagulls on a bucket of Curley's Fries.
Schwartz politely says to the woman that the children are not allowed in the bar area, and that if they want dinner, they're more than welcome to sit in the dining room and order from the menu. She calls him a racist, he tells her she should leave the restaurant, and she hauls off and belts Schwartz in the stomach. If you know Jeff Schwartz, you don't need to worry if he was hurt because Jeff is a big dude. Police were called and the woman was charged, but that's not the point. Would this happen in Stone Harbor or Cape May? We know Wildwood isn't interested in being Stone Harbor or Cape May, but no one, regardless of whether it's Wildwood, North Wildwood or Wildwood Crest, wants this happening in their town or in their place of business.
"They're all trying to say things have changed down there," Schwartz said, "but clearly they haven't."
That's probably an overstatement from a frustrated guy who had a bad business experience. Others on the island would say -- rightfully so -- that they've never had such problems in The Wildwoods. But it just goes to show you can't snap your fingers and things change. It takes time, and a lot of help and commitment from an entire community. Police need to rid the area of gang activity. Boardwalk merchants need to band together to police some of the offensive junk being sold in stores up there. If you have a 14-year-old boy or girl, would you let them walk the Boardwalk with friends at night? Maybe you would. But some parents still will not the way they do in Ocean City. You might not like to hear it, but it's true.
Things are getting better because there are people who have the made the investment both in money and energy to improve things. But let's not kid ourselves. All we have to do is watch the next couple of weeks as the Senior Week kids take over some motels and turn them into dens of drunken debauchery. As long as we continue to turn our heads for the sake of some short-term money, things will not change for the better.
Although I cannot comment on whether or not the incident as described by the owner actually happened, I can tell you the reason his restaurant failed was because he did not serve the high quality food that his other restaurant did. I tried his Wildwood location several times and the food was deplorable. There was none of the fresh, and tasteful food that is served at the mainland location. Instead, everything served tasted like it had recently been frozen and microwaved.
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Great article! Integrity is not born overnight, and Wildwood is proof.
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Red Sky like Maureen's before it was not open year-round to allow the locals (myself being one) to try the restaurant out during the off season. Investing in the area and in the changes that we all hope will come and stay, means not being here just for the "money season". But, I agree with the article - we do have a way to go and the current real estate downturn hit the center of town first. Wildwood was moving along at a decent pace and with the stoppage of building, that has slowed things down again. North Wildwood and the Crest are holding their own and still selling and developing and the Pub Area on Old New Jersey avenue is a great place for everyone to enjoy. With the addition of the three new restaurants that are being built on Pacific Avenue we are experiencing a Restaurant Renassance. My husband and I love to go try the new restaurants in our town, not over in Cape May, Avalon, Stone Harbor or anywhere else --- OUR TOWN. We like having choices. Red Sky is in a tough, transitional area but I can't believe that one incident would have changed their minds about staying - there's more to it than meets the eye. I am sorry to see them pack up and go but I will try the new restaurant that is taking their place "Jersey Girl". I love my town but what took years and years to defile it won't correct itself overnight. The cheap boardwalk stores with their disgusting slogans on the shirts and the kids carrying on during Senior Week will take some time to get rid of. We adults, with the money, have to stop buying from the stores that have those items out in the open for all to see and we have to stop giving our kids the money to come down here and wreck havoc. We aren't Ocean City and never will be and that's what I like about the Wildwoods.
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From what I know about the "big guy" at Red Sky, the lady was probably justified in socking him one.
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As all of the residents know, the plan by the administration is not viable as a medium for change in Wildwood. ET and his followers thinks knocking down historic buildings and building 25 story (potential section 8) high rises with million dollar Condo-Tel units and high priced restaurants in the city is the panacea. Wrong! We need clean and safe streets, well-managed services, cost control throughout the island and a single island infrastructure and government, just to mention a few. People don’t want 100 tee shirt stores, body piercing stores, as well as a boardwalk that is decaying at an alarming rate, taxes through the roof and services which cost more in Wildwood than in some extremely affluent towns within NJ.
We are decades away from this and it is obvious by vacancy signs and the 2000 pieces of property that can’t sell, regardless of the economy. The motel owners know that the late fall, winter and early spring doesn’t support their expenses. Why do most carry mortgages that are paid in conjunction with the season income, three, four or five months of payments?
Lets see if an investor really wants to spend 200 to 300 million to build a 25 story Condo-Tel in Wildwood. If they look at the demographics they will see Wildwood, the island, just doesn’t support it for those and other reasons.
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I love Red Sky in Seaville and was thrilled that they were opening in the Wildwoods. I have to be honest, though, that the Wildwood restaurant was never as good as the main restaurant. It was almost as if they just could not make the leap to a full fledged restaurant.
Sorry they had a bad experience, but I think they had some significant problems of their own that contributed to the negative experience.
Keep up the good work in Seaville - we will make the trip when we can.
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You have it right, Wildwood has to clean up it's act to become a more classy resort.
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I tried Red Sky twice and was very disappointed. Not close to the food of the original restaurant.
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Schwartz's resturant was not all that I had dinner in there twice. Service was poor. The food was fair the first time. Bad the second. I only went back because my grandaughter loves Southwestern. I don't think it is fair that he blame all his problems on Wildwood. Also from you I'm sick of hearing about Ocean City. Kids are kids no matter were they are when Mom and Dad aren't watching. I think everyone knows now a days you have to be careful when your kids go out anywhere.
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Let me tell you the red sky has no one to blame but themselves for the Wildwood rest. There quality of food went right down the drain the 2nd year.
The first year they had different chips,and the food was GREAT! The 2nd year the chips were different and the food was not nearly as good. This is not just my opinion, I own 3 homes in Wildwood and rent 2 of them. My friends a neighbors have all agreed The Red Sky did this to themself by lowering there quality. They can blame Wildwood all they want but it was there fault.
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This article was right on the money and totally unbiased.Things are better in the Wildwoods now but we still have lots of work to do.We will never move forward if we are not honest about our problems and our progress.
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I feel for the gentleman who tried to expand his business into what he thought was a new and upcoming market. But, it is his own fault. He saw an opportunity to try and cash in the "Ocean City-fying" of Wildwood. Wildwood is in a state of flux. The idiots who ran in, built 1000's of condos and can't sell them are truly suffering and I am glad. Instead of trying to create another Ocean City, Sea Isle City or even LBI for people to purchase McMansions in, these same individuals could have used that capital to improve things in the existing city, purchased and rebuilt/modified the landmark motels/hotels and tried to improve rather than replace. I have eaten at Red Sky Cafe. The food was good, the service friendly, but it is not right for the "Doo Wop" Island. Sorry. Next time try Sea Isle City.
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