We’re all wondering: what’s a Wogies?

Old Firehouse Building in Katonah

By JEFF MORRIS

The Old Firehouse Building at 156 Katonah Ave., Katonah, has been a subject of intense speculation since a sign went up in the window a year ago announcing the imminent arrival of Wogies.

But that sign was the only activity at the site, leading to lots of questions.

Now, after months of dormancy, Wogies is finally on the threshold of becoming a reality. Aaron Hoffman, the owner, tells The Recorder that he anticipates being ready to open in April. But the question remains: what is Wogies?

“Wogies Bar and Grill is named after my dad, William Styer Hoffman,” Hoffman writes on the Wogies website, wogies.com. “No one but my mom, affectionately known as Krazy Kate, is sure why he was nicknamed Wogie (Whoa-gee) and she isn’t telling.”

Hoffman went on to explain, “Growing up outside Philadelphia, Pa., my dad loved a great cheesesteak. And while he lived his entire life near Philly, his favorite city was New York. Wogies is my way of remembering my dad by making a great Philly Cheesesteak in the greatest city in the world.”

The first Wogies location opened 20 years ago, at 39 Greenwich Ave. in the West Village. It was later joined by a second Wogies at 44 Trinity Place in the Financial District. Hoffman lived in the city and ran both restaurants. Then in 2020, in search of better schools for his kids, he happened upon Rippowam Cisqua and moved to Bedford, pre-COVID. There, he discovered that many of the parents of his kids’ friends were old fans of Wogies. And he got to know Chris and Allyson Pachios — the owners of the Old Firehouse Building.

Originally, in March 2022, a plan to transform that building into a ground floor restaurant with a rooftop lounge was granted both preliminary and final site plan approval by the planning board. The proposal had been before the board since the previous November, and it was greeted positively, but then had to go before the zoning board to work out some parking issues. Enthusiasm for the proposal did not diminish in the interim, and chairwoman Deirdre Courtney-Batson, who initially called it, “an exciting proposal,” said in March, “I think most of us can’t wait to see it open, frankly.”

Chris and Allyson, the building owners and applicants, had confirmed that they had been working with the team from Purdy’s Farmer & the Fish, and that they were partners on the project. But then … crickets. In August 2022, town Supervisor Ellen Calves said she had heard that Farmer & the Fish had pulled out of the plan.

Fast forward to 2024, and the Wogies sign appeared — but then, more months of nothing. So what happened?

According to Hoffman, the original plan was for a much more elaborate restaurant than what he runs, including not only the ground floor restaurant and a rooftop lounge, but a wine cellar. His concept was for a much simpler establishment, following the same successful formula he has at his two existing locations. He scaled down the plans somewhat, removing the costly elevator that was supposed to run to the roof, among other things.

What Hoffman didn’t realize was that modifying the plan would require starting the approval process all over again. “We thought we were walking into a great situation because it was already approved as a restaurant and everything was ready to go,” he says. As a result of attempting to simplify the proposal into a family-style sports pub, new applications had to be made to planning and zoning, and a new parking plan approved.

“Everybody was really lovely,” he said. “We had no problems, no issues, everybody was like ‘Hurry up and get open,’ and we were like, ‘We’re trying, we’re trying!’” He said everybody they’ve dealt with and the approval boards have been “delightful” — but it still added months to the process.

Then there was the connection to the Katonah sewer system, and finally getting the OK from Con Edison for a gas supply after that utility’s earlier moratorium on new hookups.

The good news is, with water, sewer and gas now all set, Hoffman says it appears they have overcome all the big hurdles and Wogies will most likely be ready to open in early to mid April. He is now splitting his time between running Wogies one and two and working on the new Katonah location. This one is a lot closer to home.

Hoffman says the menu will initially be identical to the New York City locations, but he has plans to add special salads and more healthy options. And he wants to go ahead with the rooftop lounge at some point, but was hesitant to make that a priority at the start. “Let’s get open and get some money coming in first,” he said.

The essence of Hoffman’s vision for his pub appears to be encapsulated in an excerpt from a review by “NYC Food Guy” on the Wogies website: “Wogies is the kind of place you wish every neighborhood had. It’s a friendly, no frills restaurant with good music, a welcoming bar and food devoid of pretension.”

Katonah is anxiously waiting.

A Wogies original "Pookie" sandwich includes buffalo chicken fingers and melted provolone. Krazy Kate's wings come in six varieties. Screenshot wogies.com