The autographed jerseys, photos and Happy Hour antics may be familiar to many who frequented the now-closed Konrad’s Sports Bar, but the owner of Planet 505 says he is just looking for some new business.

Since the beginning of the year, a new look and drinking specials have had many Planet 505 patrons wondering whether they were back on Marshall Street. Until now, Planet 505 was mostly known among students for its live music.

Joseph Riccardi, the owner of Planet 505, said the bar is simply going in a new direction – not abandoning its place in the Syracuse University social scene.

‘We’re just going for a new look, a sportier look,’ Riccardi said. ‘This bar was a really popular bar back in the day. I’m just trying to bring it back to life.’

Comparisons to Konrad’s are likely the result of informal involvement by John Cadorette, the former owner of the Marshall Street bar.

‘(Riccardi) is a friend of mine who asked me what he should do to increase his business,’ Cadorette said. ‘I told him to offer the same specials and hire some of the SU students we used to have. That’s what he did.’

By offering a Happy Hour and specials more in the tradition of Konrad’s, Riccardi said his business has increased on Fridays, and resulted in a number of new customers at the bar.

‘I’ve seen some different faces, just at Happy Hour,’ Riccardi said.

Cadorette advised Riccardi to cut down on the number of bands that play the bar, but Riccardi said live music would still be offered Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

But students said that the look and feel of the establishment had changed, pointing out similarities to Konrad’s.

‘It wasn’t the same (as last year’s Planet 505) – the sort of Konrad’s feel of the place had more or less taken over the bar,’ said Billy Shipman, a junior psychology major. ‘There (are) not a lot of places you can go on campus where people are really into the vibe of the place.’

Meanwhile, bars on Marshall Street couldn’t be happier.

‘We don’t want the wrong mix of people in here. We try to cater to Syracuse University students,’ said Dirk Oudemool, the owner of Darwins Restaurant and Bar. ‘(The people who formerly frequented Konrad’s), as far as I was concerned, weren’t the kind of people I wanted in here anyway.’

And biding its time is Operation Prevent, whose organizers may have set their sights beyond traditional targets on Marshall Street, such as Chuck’s Caf.

‘We’re well aware that Konrad’s has effectively moved to 505,’ said Lt. Shannon Trice of the Syracuse Police, and head of Operation Prevent. ‘And if there’s underage drinking there, they can expect a visit from us.’

Riccardi said the bar is now requiring three forms of identification from its patrons, which he said will ensure that no underage drinking occurs. The bar’s over-under nights, he said, are more of a concern.

‘If we do an over/under thing, we’re constantly watching the crowd,’ Riccardi said.

‘Everyone is concerned with it because you never know if someone is going to give a fake and get through the door.’

The efforts of Operation Prevent have recently been directed at grocery stores and restaurants, Trice said. The police just finished a new campaign against underage drinking where they sent underage people into targeted establishments to see if they could purchase alcohol. However, Trice said, the bar raids will continue.

‘We go where the complaints are,’ Trice said. ‘Certainly if it influences students to not go to bars while underage, then we’re happy with that.’

Published on September 14, 2004 at 12:00 pm