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It Don’t Mean a Thing,
If It Ain’t Got That Swing
Future of Jazz Club
Uncertain After Van Dyke Gets New Owner
Van Dyke Café is
known for serving up hamburgers, omelets and live jazz. Photo by
Angie Hargot.
“A lot of places have opened and closed, but the Van Dyke has
been open 365 nights per year unless there’s a hurricane.”
By Ryan Brown
The landmark Van
Dyke Café, a restaurant that has also been the staple for live jazz
in Miami since it opened in 1994, is getting a new owner.
The new ownership
will consist of a partnership between current proprietor/operator
Mark Soyka, who owns venues such as News Café in South Beach and 55th
Street Station in Miami’s Upper Eastside, and Graziano Sbroggio, who
also has several restaurants, including Tiramisu on Lincoln Road.
According to
Soyka’s assistant, Ryan York, Sbroggio will take over day-to-day
operations at the Van Dyke beginning Jan. 1, 2007, but Soyka will
remain president of the company. Big decisions affecting the Van
Dyke will be made by Soyka and Sbroggio together.
York also says no
large-scale changes will be made to the Van Dyke in the immediate
future, physical or otherwise.
“Graziano may make
menu changes, but for now, that’s all,” says York.
This isn’t Sbroggio
and Soyka’s first venture together. They also own Segafredo Café at
the Colony Theater on Lincoln Road.
The question of
whether Upstairs at the Van Dyke will continue to be a jazz club
remains unanswered by both parties. Asked if there would be any jazz
shows at the Van Dyke in 2007, both York and Sbroggio declined
comment. (Sbroggio also declined comment for this story.)
“It’s a place where
all the jazz musicians in town would love to play,” says Don Wilner,
the club’s jazz director and regular bass player. “It’s the
longest-running jazz club in Miami to date. A lot of places have
opened and closed, but the Van Dyke has been open 365 nights per
year unless there’s a hurricane.”
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