WCEC Storming Back Stories: Riverside Cafe Thrives During Summer Season After Sandy Damage

Michael Parziale of the Riverside Café & Restaurant in Manasquan wanted to preserve the restaurant’s original look and menu after Hurricane Sandy caused 1.3 million dollars in damage.  Seven months and many long hours later, he and his team of workers rebuilt and added one design flourish: the wall of the café is now adorned with a line of colored tile, marking the height of the Hurricane Sandy’s floodwater.  Restaurant patrons now stop and take photos by the waterline.

The Riverside Café & Restaurant, which has been in business for 45 years, is one of  several Jersey Shore businesses that have reopened with lines marking the name and date of the storm.  Water stains are being transformed into memorials, created with paint, tile and decorative molding, illustrating both the wrath of the hurricane and the massive task of rebuilding.

"The water was up to four feet,” Parziale recalls.  “Waves crashed through the doors and shattered the windows, depositing wet muck throughout the building.” The brightly colored eatery now has a special spot near the front entrance marking that dark October day.  For the past several months, the work that he did 24/7 to recover from Superstorm Sandy has been incredible.  “It has been intense.  We’ve seen the best of humanity during times you wouldn’t believe, and the volunteers came by the bus loads to help us.  The town of Manasquan and local efforts from relief groups and The American Red Cross and The National Guard were simply amazing.”  

Parziale only had one goal in mind after Sandy devastated the Manasquan beach: opening the restaurant for the summer season.  “We are back and stronger than ever.  The support from visitors has been heartwarming and every day, people stop in to welcome us back.”    

“Business is good and really a lot better than I thought.  It is not anywhere where we have been in other summers, but I am optimistic.  All the businesses in Manasquan have worked really hard to re-open for the summer.“

In recalling Hurricane Sandy, Parziale says, “It was an historic event," said Parziale.  "We have never had water flood the restaurant from other hurricanes.   People didn’t think we were going to make it, but we’re here.  Almost every person that comes in has asked how bad the storm was, so we now show them pictures of the devastation. ”   Some restaurant patrons cannot believe Sandy was even here.  The Riverside Café & Restaurant has been completely rebuilt in seven months.

The Borough of Manasquan spent every day cleaning the beaches, rebuilding the boardwalk and getting the beaches ready for the summer season. “Getting back to business was our driving force,” he adds.  “We want everyone to know we are open and Manasquan is a great place to vacation.”

To learn more about this business and others affected by the storm, please visit http://bit.ly/19EYgjm. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the WCEC’s “We’re Storming Back” Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Program provides free workshops, training, and resources to New Jersey businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy to help them to recover and thrive.

About The WCEC

The WCEC, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit corporation, is a U. S. Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Center.  The WCEC provides the tools for individuals to successfully own, operate and grow their small businesses, thereby investing financially, intellectually and emotionally in their communities. The WCEC provides more than 150 classes, seminars and individual consulting sessions each year for more than 5,000 participants. For more information please visit hwww.wcecnj.org/.