Justin Kazmierczak got the idea for Stogotz Tapas Restaurant and Piano Lounge while he was vacationing in Aruba.
Three of the five days of his trip he went to “The Sopranos” Piano Bar, which had a piano player nightly that would take requests.
“We had such a great time,” Kazmierczak said Thursday. The piano player there had “the whole place involved and everybody was singing,” he said.
Kazmierczak decided to bring that same concept to Worcester but take it one step further by adding a tapas restaurant with a revolving menu.
The Worcester native went before the Worcester License Commission Thursday for a restaurant all alcohol license, common victualer license and entertainment license, all of which he received.
He told the commissioners the restaurant will cater to people aged 40 to 70.
The restaurant is still under construction and Kazmierczak told MassLive he hopes to open by late October.
While the menu will revolve based on food prices, he said it will always have homemade stuffed breads and egg rolls.
A potential menu Kazmierczak has drawn up includes mac and cheese bites, potato skins, soft pretzel bites, fried mashed potato balls, crab rangoon, homemade kibbee, grape leaves, calamari and more.
The restaurant will also feature specialty cocktails, according to Kazmierczak.
The name of the restaurant is a nod to the HBO series “The Sopranos” — its two letters off from the name of lead character Tony Soprano’s boat.
The name of the boat is an Italian term that translates to a word, “that doesn’t mean something good,” according to Kazmierczak. So he went for a variation.
“When I want to go have a cigar, I call them Stogotz, so that’s where I came up with the name,” he said.
Though the restaurant is still under construction, Kazmierczak has already started hanging paraphernalia to honor its namesake, with photographs of the cast of “The Sopranos” on the wall.
While the front room has the artwork, as well as black and white checkered floors and tables set up, a back room still has concrete floors with orange spray paint designating where a bar and kitchen will go. Kazmierczak is renting the space from Cutler Management and said it just received the building permits to put up a new ceiling and floor.
Stogotz will mark Kazmierczak’s first sit-down restaurant, but his family has owned nightclubs and bars in the city for years and he just sold his food truck, Order Up, so he could purchase the 120 Stafford St. location.
His family’s previous businesses included Surfside Sam’s on Main Street and City Lights on Grafton Street. Kazmierczak’s said he and a partner also opened up The Krazy Horse on Main Street.
While he ran the food truck, he said he was also working full-time for National Grid.
“This is probably the largest thing I’ve ever done,” Kazmierczak said. He said one of his nightclubs sheld 400 people, but he had partners, whereas now he’s opening the restaurant himself.
He said he’s hoping Stogotz will have a 100-person occupancy.
He said he expects his family will be involved in the business, with his 20-year-old daughter already expressing interest in bartending. His 16-year-old son will be a busboy.
Some of his cousins will probably end up working at the restaurant too.
“Everybody wants to help,” Kazmierczak said.
He’s also looking to hire outside of his family. He said he has open positions for wait staff, kitchen staff and hostesses. Those interested can inquire at the restaurant, he said.
Greg Asadoorian, who has worked as a piano bar entertainer for more than 15 years, will be booking the entertainers for Stogotz and may perform there himself, according to Kazmierczak.
The entertainers will have a set list, he said, but will take requests every night.
Once he opens, Kazmierczak said he’ll be open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays from 3 p.m. to 12 p.m., Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.
When he thinks of customers experiencing his restaurant and lounge, Kazmierczak said he hopes “they enjoy the food and the entertainment and come back.”
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