‘It’s one of the greatest cities in the world – I love it’
Tom Mills, who was born and raised in Oldham, has opened his own sports bar in New York(Image: Central Park Tavern)
A man from Greater Manchester has opened a new bar more than 3,346 miles away that pays homage to his hometown.
Tom Mills, who was born and raised in Oldham, moved to America after being invited to take part in a lucrative football scholarship. Having played for Oldham Athletic FC’s youth team as a schoolboy, he was released and made the move to Pennsylvania at the age of 17.
Having stayed in the United States after the scholarship and his football career came to an end, Tom has since earned a Master’s Degree in Business. Having spent some time in California, he relocated to New York about nine years ago and hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve actually been in America for more than half of my life now,” Tom, 33, tells the Manchester Evening News. “I come home two or three times a year, but I just love it here and I’ve stayed here ever since.”
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The ‘elevated’ sports bar is situated within New York’s Billionaire Row(Image: Central Park Tavern)
Last month, Tom opened his very own venue, Central Park Tavern, in Manhattan, in an ideal spot overlooking the very same iconic and historic 843-acre park it’s named after. Inspired by New York’s ‘golden age of taverns’, the Hell’s Kitchen sports bar, on 327 West 57th Street, will also feature many references to Tom’s hometown.
“It’s not a Manchester-themed bar per se,” he explains. “But there are certainly some subtle nods throughout the place. There’s a cocktail called A Charming Man, there’s a signed Anthony Crolla glove, and some signed Manchester United shirts on the wall.
“In terms of the decoration, there’s the bee logo, as well as the Industrial Revolution and the textile industry. But it’s not a tacky bar – we’ve managed to find the line where it’s not cheesy.
It’s an elevated sports bar, so you can go to watch live games, order chicken wings and drink a cold beer. We do things like a Guinness and Oyster Happy Hour, but there’s also an unbelievable cocktail menu too.
As well as cocktails named after famous The Smiths songs, there is also United memorabilia on the walls(Image: Central Park Tavern)
“We’ll be screening all the NFL, NBA, and Major League baseball games. We’re also going to do Premier League mornings and there will definitely also be the Manchester United games.” He jokingly adds: “We’ll screen the City games too, but we’ll probably show those in the back!”
The venue even sells cans of Manchester’s own Boddington’s for authenticity purposes. “It costs us a fortune to import the stuff and we don’t make any money on it,” Tom laughs, “But I like having it, it’s like having a little part of home right here with me.”
Tom said his time of working in pubs and bars as a teenager in his hometown of Chadderton have helped him to be able to understand how to operate a venue and what customers should expect.
“When I was younger, I was working in pubs all over Manchester,” he said. “I’ve washed dishes at The Rose Of Lancaster and The Church Inn on Chadderton Fold.
“I’d always been working in pubs and stuff, and really enjoyed it, and it never really felt like work. With a business degree, it felt like my natural progression was just to put the two together again really.”
Tom says he loves the uniqueness of the New York bar(Image: Central Park Tavern)
A former pupil at North Chadderton School Tom said he first visited New York as part of a school trip, but had never imagined he would find himself living there until visiting years later. “I just knew that this was the place for me,” he says of his new home. “It’s got the energy, it’s so alive. It’s one of the greatest cities in the world. I love it.”
Tom says that despite being so far away from home, he is still reminded of the impact Manchester has had on culture, music, and other things around the world.
“It’s crazy to me how much influence Manchester sort of has everywhere,” he explains. “I play The Smiths and The Stone Roses in the bar and everyone always really loves it. It’s wild how much of a widespread influence it has.”
Central Park Tavern is part of the Pmacs hospitality group, who also look after proclaimed New York venues like Vida Verde, Tanner Smith’s and The Mean Fiddler. Tom says it means he has the backing to do things that can help it stand out.
“New York has over 10,000 liquor licences so there are a lot of places serving alcohol,” he explains. “We’re not without options. What makes us different is the uniqueness of the people who own it.
The sophisticated venue screens he latest sports games, including matches from Manchester United and Manchester City(Image: Central Park Tavern)
“There’s me, with the nods to Northern hospitality, and my business partner Kim is from the Bronx. She knows what the locals want, and how to be authentic. It’s a really good combination.
“There’s also not many northerners out here in New York that are running bars, so I like to think that’s quite unique in itself too. But, that being said, I’ve bumped into a few people from Rochdale and Salford in New York since opening, so we certainly get about!”
Asked if he has already noticed any differences in bar culture between the UK and the USA, Tom said there are a few examples of things he’s seen.
“There is a big focus here on having a social or work happy hour,” he explains. “Over here, people will literally go out every day for a corporate happy hour all on the company dime and it’s almost mandatory in some places. New York has its own micro-climate, it’s not bad if you can get it.
“There’s also a big non-alcoholic scene emerging here. Mocktails are a really big thing, it’s actually quite mental.”
‘There’s often an unwritten rule that there’s no politics in a bar. It’s time for people to cut off from the outside world, and come together'(Image: Central Park Tavern)
Asked what it’s like to be living in the States during what is perhaps best described as a tense and unpredictable era for the country, Tom says he understands the role his bar can play in the local neighbourhood right now.
“It is quite a mad place to be and it can be very polarising at times but I also think that’s where a bar like this can come into play,” he believes. “There’s often an unwritten rule that there’s no politics in a bar. It’s time for people to cut off from the outside world, and come together.
“New York is such a melting pot and I hope that I can create something here where people can feel safe and comfortable and not let different opinions on things divide us all.”
With the first few weeks of Central Park Tavern so far proving to be a hit, Tom says he is ‘super proud’ of what he’s achieved – even if the story is a little mad.
“I can’t believe I get to say I own a bar on 57th Street,” he laughs. “It’s actually called Billionaire’s Row here – that’s how it’s known. I’m obviously nowhere near a billionaire, but I think it’s quite ironic that a lad from Chadderton has opened a business there. It’s really amusing to me!”
You can follow Central Park Tavern on Instagram.
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