Bistro ending its soulful reign
Bob's Southern Bistro, a South End hotspot known for its tasty soul food and nightly jazz and for years a magnet for the city's African-American community, is being sold to a new owner who wants to turn it into an upscale lounge for college students and young professionals.
The restaurant - perhaps better known by its previous name, Bob the Chef's - was for decades a hole-in-the-wall diner that once served the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson. Darryl Settles bought Bob the Chef's in 1990 and slowly transformed it into a stylish bistro with a new name and a more diverse crowd.
Settles, whose name has been associated with Boston's jazz scene over the past decade, told the Globe yesterday that he is selling the South End institution to Malcolm Aalders, a 28-year-old Cleveland native who recently moved to Boston from the Netherlands.
Aalders will take over the space in December and plans to rename it Night Town. The menu will feature American cuisine, and live musical performances will range from rock to funk to jazz to "whatever people want," Aalders said yesterday. "We'll have the best burger in the Greater Boston area," he added.
Yesterday, Settles, who is African-American, said he was "sad and disappointed" that he could not find an African-American buyer for the restaurant or, at least, someone committed to maintaining the restaurant's 50-year connection to Boston's black community.
"We tried," he said. "There wasn't a buyer out there. I'm not in a position to wait another six to 12 months to find a buyer."
For his part, Aalders said he doesn't think race should be an issue in the ownership of the restaurant.
"Just because a white owner comes in doesn't mean it's a white place," he said. "I don't see colors changing, just concepts. I like to think that Darryl is passing the pen on the story of this place," he said.
In honor of Settles, Aalders said he plans to continue the Sunday jazz brunch and name it after him.
Longtime customers were surprised and disappointed with the news.
"This is a tremendous loss for Boston; part of its African-American history will disappear," said Ron Homer, chairman of the Massachusetts Black Business Alliance, a trade association. "People are used to walking the Freedom Trail, visiting the African-American Meeting House, and then going to Bob's for dinner. I'm saddened that Darryl couldn't find a new Darryl Settles."
Ken Schaphorst, chairman of the jazz studies and improvisation department at the New England Conservatory of Music, called the closing a blow to the music community.
"I always had a feeling that Bob's was more than just a place; it was part of a larger project by Darryl," he said, referring to the fact that Settles also launched the South End Jazz Festival, now called the Beantown Jazz Festival. Settles is also a co-owner of the popular new South End jazz club, the Beehive.
Ironically, the success of the Beehive is one of the reasons why Settles decided to sell Bob's. He said that since the Beehive opened in May, Bob's has experienced a significant dip in business.
"I've seen about a 20 percent to 25 percent drop in sales and customers," Settles said. "You can't go to the Beehive any night without seeing some of my customers there."
Long hours have also been a factor. Settles said he has worked plenty of 80-hour to 100-hour weeks. "I don't regret it," he said. "It's been a great experience, and I learned a lot. I saw a lot. I met a lot of people.
"But I'm a man with two small toddlers," Settles said. "My time is limited. And you can't be an absentee owner of a restaurant or a nightclub."
There are other soul food restaurants in Boston, including Chef Lee's Famous Soul Food and Poppa B's Restaurant. There are other jazz clubs, as well, including nearby Wally's Cafe. But Bob's has a unique stature. Often, it is the place where entertainers and athletes stop by for fried catfish, collard greens, or red beans and rice.
"Donnie Wahlberg and the New Kids on the Block used to eat here six days a week in the '90s," Settles said. "Donnie was here two weeks ago.
"We have four professional basketball teams that we provide food for their plane ride out of Boston, including the Indiana Pacers. Bill Weld came in here when he was running for office and ordered some pig knuckles. We call them ham hocks. He ate them."
Robert and Dottie Morgan started Bob's in 1957 as a counter service at the Big M nightclub, one of the many jazz clubs that thrived in the South End in the 1940s and '50s. In 1968, the couple moved to the restaurant's current location on Columbus Avenue. Settles bought the business out of bankruptcy in 1990.
Settles, who will continue to operate a Bob's Southern Catering company, said the restaurant will close after a New Orleans-style jazz funeral brunch on Nov. 25. Meanwhile, he is looking at other potential business ventures.
"I've been approached by numerous people to do a number of things," he said. "Some of them are restaurants or are nightclub-related. It's a good spot to be in. I've paid my dues. None of this came for free."
Suzanne Ryan can be reached at sryan@globe.com. 