For the small town of Oswego, located in Upstate New York along the shores of Lake Ontario, the opening of Rudy’s Lakeside Restaurant is a sign that spring has arrived. Known by many residents as simply Rudy’s, the restaurant has become the staple of the town since its inception in 1946. Located right next to the lake, the restaurant provides customers with great seafood that ranges in variety and flavor, while providing a breathtaking backdrop for a view and a gentle breeze that helps cool down the temperature during the humid summer days.
It’s a tradition in Oswego to make it a point to visit the restaurant as soon as it opens in mid March, as it acts as a barometer for the onset of the vernal equinox, better known as spring. Throughout the years, the restaurant has maintained its enormous success in the area thanks to the hardworking individuals who make up its staff, but more specifically due to the family that has been responsible for making the restaurant a staple of the city.
The Livesey family has taken a small humble business and turned it into a successful family empire that boasts remarkable customer satisfaction thanks to the quality and variety of the food offered, but also a company that has become a huge part of a community which prides itself on a history highlighted by great moments and great people.
I had the privilege of sitting down with Carol, Jason and Allison Livesey who own and manage the family business and they offered tremendous insight on the key to Rudy’s success and why it has become such a huge part of Oswego.
Why is the restaurant named Rudy’s?
Jason: Rudy was my father’s second cousin. Rudy and Marie were the original founders of the business in 1946. Rudy’s father owned another business in Oswego and Rudy came to work for him, saw the location and fell in love with it as well as Oswego so he purchased the location under his name Rudy. It was originally called Rudy, a few years later it was changed to Rudy’s. Now we go by Rudy’s Lakeside, in reference to our location and for the idea of future expansion.
We do hope to have another location shortly. It would also be called Rudy’s, but then it would have a secondary name like Downtown or Westside.
Rudy’s by the numbers
Jason: We use approximately 100 gallons of ketchup per week, we give out over 2,500 small cups of tartar sauce per week and this past season we utilized over 3 million napkins in order to accommodate our customers.
Rudy’s signature Hot Sauce
Jason: Marie, Rudy’s wife, is the one who came up with the hot sauce. It was developed one winter while the restaurant was closed. She took an old family recipe and modified it a little bit before presenting it to a few of their close friends. They enjoyed it and thought it was something unique and different and they made the suggestion that they should offer it at the restaurant. The following season, Marie did just that. People started to enjoy it but it was a giveaway product; it was something just given as an add-on to the food. The next spring, Marie decided that she did not want to go through that work any longer, but the customers clamored for the hot sauce and that is where Rudy’s Texas Hot Sauce got its foothold and became a staple of the business. It was the customers who demanded the hot sauce and made it clear that they would be willing to pay for it.
Family Business
Jason: I have kids but they’re too young to be working, although both have worked shifts. They come in on the weekends and work a few hours. It’s to give them an appreciation for what work is and so they can see what pulls dad away so often. Part of being an entrepreneur is that you are married to your business. You definitely figure out how to balance things, but at the same time unfortunately, the balance probably is always slightly heavier towards the requirements of the business. Due to that, I wanted my children to be involved right from the beginning so that they have an understanding that there’s a reason why dad is absent on Saturday mornings for soccer games. But if you were to ask them, they would say that they hope to run Rudy’s one day.
The Logo
Jason: My sister Allison actually came up with it during winter while doodling and making sketches in 1979. She is artistic by nature and it precedes the infamous Phish logo which looks a lot like the logo that she came up with.
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How to be a great entrepreneur
Jason: It means that I’m constantly seeking out new information and attending seminars on social media, marketing, advertising, and managing personnel.
There are no guarantees in life; there are certainly no guarantees in business. Entrepreneurship is not something you’re born with, it’s something that has to be nurtured. It has to be learned and constantly updated and improved.
Wise words from mom
Carol: You have to have patience and hope in any business – you have to have consistency and you must learn from each situation and every customer. You can’t think of yourself 24/7. You must make decisions for the betterment of the company and make sure to involve the staff in certain decisions.
Challenges of running a seasonal business
Jason: It’s definitely getting harder and we’ve had to extend our season into the 3rd week of October in order to spur business. Each winter is a break in our routine and it’s not a vacation because you are always working, looking for new and innovative ways to make the business better for our customers. We must remain mentally sharp during the off-season and the winter is a time to come up with new and fresh improvements, while strategizing on how to live up to our customers anticipation the following season.
Breaking down to build back up
Jason: Each fall, we tear the building completely apart and put it back together piece by piece the following spring. It allows great maintenance to the building and we’ve been able to maintain some parts of the building for over 30 to 40 years.
Accomplishments
Jason: My father and mother took over Rudy’s when it was a roadside food stand and transformed it into an entity. They were responsible for the 15 additions made to the original building as my father was always interested in expanding. He was also interested in giving the public access to the lake front and my parents did a great job positioning the restaurant as close to the lake as possible.
Carol: I just love it when I’m out of town and someone mentions Rudy’s and starts talking about it before realizing that I’m the owner. When they find out, they often speak about the restaurant using such positivity that it really tickles me!
I also love the mentorship aspect of running the business. Many former employees have gone on to do great things here in Oswego as well as around the world and many return to let us know the positive difference that we made on their lives by employing them to work at Rudy’s. There are many success stories of people who started at Rudy’s and really took ownership and responsibility of their own lives in order to accomplish great things. I remember several former employees telling me stories about overcoming difficulties in their lives by asking “What would Carol do in this situation?” and I pushed a lot of responsibility on employees to force them to ask “What does Carol see in me?”. Rudy’s has always provided a positive environment that has enabled employees to grow and prosper.
Rudy’s future
Jason: We dream of opening up a 2nd and 3rd location in the near future but we’d like to see more development in the area in terms of more entertainment such as mini-golf or resorts.
Carol: The local government has been shortsighted about developing the area until recently, but we’d like to develop the current location and bring back the Oswego Beach so that there’s sand by the lake again. We’d also like to create more jobs in the area to help out the local economy.
DETAILS
What: Rudy’s Lakeside Restaurant
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Address: 78 County Route 89, Oswego, N.Y. 13126
Contact: 315-343-2671
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