Wobbly Olive Makes a Splash with its Bottle Service

Long Island socialites tired of wading through overcrowded bars are finding out a Manhattan trend has popped up at a Hauppauge gastropub.

in the Hauppauge Industrial Park is one of less than a dozen venues to offer its patrons the option of a bottle service on Friday and Saturday nights.

Vincent Manghisi, one of The Wobbly Olive's co-owners, said they had intended to create a classy, sophisticated nightlife featuring live performances from the latest out of New York City and Long Island. He and co-owner Vinnie Montenegro spent months visiting a handful of other restaurant/bars with bottle service and decided to introduce the concept to Hauppauge.

"You need a certain kind of place or a certain kind of atmosphere for it to be successful," Montenegro said. "We have it."

Patrons have the option of calling in advance to place a reservation for a small group, for example 8 to 15 people, and place a reservation to attend Friday or Saturday night performance, according to Manghisi. The group will be reserved one of five private sitting areas in prime areas of The Wobbly Olive's dance space to have drinks and relax.

"If you know you are going out at night to see a band, that it is going to be crowded and want some real estate, that's what we're offering," Manghisi said.

A bottle service, a trend among Manhattan socialite, offers patrons the chance to buy an entire bottle of hard liquor and mix their own drinks. It means no wading through lines at the bar, no special requests, just pour and mix your drink.

"We give them the bottle, glasses, ice, mixers. It's like being at your own place, you can make your own drinks," said Vinnie Montenegro, also co-owner of The Wobbly Olive.

There is a minimum $250 required purchase for the reserved space and personalized wait service. It's easily met by ordering a bottle of Absolut vodka ($200), Johnnie Black ($260) or Captain Morgan rum ($175).

Manghisi said bottle service might sound like a crazy concept in this economy, but the reservations for bottle service are increasing at The Wobbly Olive. The average bottle will last at least 10 drinks, even when using a bit more than the standard shot.

"People like to go out and feel like they have a reservation and home base," Manghisi said. "It's meant to make them feel special with VIP service."

The Wobbly Olive for business in May, serving up with a unique twist. At night, the restaurant is rearranged to create a dance floor and theme nights such as 70s disco and the latest, country music night.