NINE: The Interview
Joe Concha

Bars come and go in Hoboken all the time, but a different kind of establishment just opened on Washington Street that stands out from Hoboken’s other 70+ drinking establishments in the form of Nine. Realhoboken.com’s Joe Concha sat down recently with one of its owners, 36-year-old Mike Suppa, to learn more about arguably the Mile Square’s most chic place in town.

Concha: Besides the prospect of making money, what inspired you to create Nine?
Suppa: Nine was created because there are so many successful lounges in New York City and Hoboken was lacking a true city type resturant/lounge. The town of Hoboken's landscape has changed with all the high end condo's going up and I thought the town needed a upscale place to go.Our hope is to keep a percentage of those people that would normally go to the city to stay local with the same ambiance.

Concha: If someone or a group wanted to start a bar in Hoboken, what advice would you give them?
Suppa: My advice would be to make sure that you get a good location and that you surround yourself with investors and staff who live and know Hoboken.Hoboken is a very small community and you don't want to be outside of that community.

Concha: What makes Nine different from other upscale bars in Hoboken?
Suppa: I think the main reason that separates Nine is our seating environment.It's a great place to take a date or go with a group of people and have an opportunity to eat and drink in a comfortable setting. You can actually have a conversation without someone getting hassled with crowds and loud annoying music. Nine is a great venue for private parties and corporate happy hours. We have four different rooms and each has a separate look to them which makes us unique.

Concha: Will Nine be serving anything besides alcohol?
Suppa: We are serving a tapas menu with a Carribean Asian Fusion. Our plates are geared for sharing with a small group of people.We also have a great dessert menu as well.Some of the dishes we are currently serving are Coconut Shrimp,Calamari salads,Hummas,satays as well as personal pizza's to name a few. You also don't want to leave without trying out cheesecake lollipops.

Concha: What kind of drink specials do you have?
Suppa: Tuesday through Thursday we’ll be offering 1/2 price specialty drinks and martini's.

Concha: Where does the name Nine come from?
Suppa: Our name really comes from our address. The address is 333 Washington Street and we basically added our address up.

Concha: Do you think there will be more bars like Nine popping up around Hoboken?
Suppa: I definately think there will be more bars opening up in Hoboken like Nine simply because the culture has changed. There is a large population of people in town that enjoy dressing up and going to a upscale establishment to drink and eat. The addition of the W Hotel will draw other investors to the community.

Concha: Do you believe Nine will be successful in a town full of bars and pubs in Hoboken?
Suppa: I feel that the clientele in Hoboken has changed from the young post college town to the successful career oriented porfessionals. The price of living has priced out the early 20's crowd and replaced them with the early to mid 30's crowd. We have a unique place that I feel will attract an older more successful crowd than your local irish pub or sports bar. They will finally have a place to go rather than make the trip into NYC. The pubs in Hoboken will always do well but Nine gives the residents an alternative.