Black Cat in new hands

Ownership of the Black Cat Cafe at the historic downtown train station passed from one family to another over the weekend when Michael and Patricia Daly acquired the popular luncheon spot, watering hole and music venue from Kinney and Jean O'Rourke.

A longtime bartender and restauranteur, Michael Daly was most recently general manager of The Crazy Gringo at The Weirs, where he had held the same position at Nothin' Fancy and Rita's Mexican Bar and Grille under prior owners. Patricia also worked at Nothin' Fancy for ten years. Daly said he contributed to turning Nothin' Fancy from a seasonal into a year-round business.

"We intend to keep it small and simple as another family operation," said Michael Daly said of the Black Cat, adding that their daughter Melissa would join her parents in running the business.

Daly said that he was on the internet, where he saw on "turn-key restaurant in the Laconia area" for sale. "I started looking into it and found it was the Black Cat Cafe," he said. "We thought it was doable for a couple, especially since it's right around the corner from our home on Holman Street."

"The name shall remain the same and we will continue with what the Black Cat in known for," Daly said, stressing "there are three keys — family, friends and food." At the same time, he said that "when we get our feet wet" there would be some changes, beginning with extending the hours to 10 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday and to midnight from the Thursday to Saturday.

Patricia said that with the extended hours, "we'll want to build the dinner business," which would mean adding a series of pasta dishes to the menu. "We'll also be offering appetizers for the bar," she said. Daly said that they would continue the catering business and explore the possibility of adding a delivery service.

The O'Rourkes owned and operated the Black Cat for one day shy of six years, serving more than 250,000 patrons. Althought the business changed hands, the O'Rourke's still own the property as well as the rotunda of the railroad station, both of which remain for sale.

Jean, who was among the Dalys' first customers on Monday, said that the change was "bittersweet." The couple had no immediate plans, but mutually ruled out opening another business. "We're still trying to decide what we want to be when we grow up," Jean said.

A former Gilford selectman, Kinney O'Rourke has been doing reporting work for The Daily Sun for several months now. The O'Rourke's now live in Laconia.