The Daily OrangeThe smoking room
Two SU football players team up to create Marshall Street hookah bar
By Daniel Bortz
Posted: 11/13/08, 1:14 AM EST Section: Feature
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That meeting took place this past summer. Now, almost three months later, the two Syracuse University students - both players on the SU football team - are preparing for tonight's grand opening of Hollywood Hookah, their smokehouse brainchild.
The lounge, located at 171 Marshall St. above J. Michael Shoes, will open its doors at 8 p.m. today. And after last Saturday night's soft opening, during which more than 600 people stopped by throughout the night, Rechul and Marinovich said they're expecting an even larger turnout.
Marinovich, a 20-year-old freshman and defensive end from California, said he has been going to hookah bars since he was 16 and has learned the ins and outs of running that type of business.
"Since I've been to so many, I know what to do, what not to do, what's good hookah, what's bad hookah," he said. "And between being on the football team, practicing every day, and then handling school, a lot people think, 'Oh, Mikhail, you don't have time to go out and have fun.' And then we took on this whole thing of opening a hookah lounge."
The 2,000-square-foot hookah bar boasts leather couches, wireless Internet and 42-inch flat-screen TVs - even ones for the bathrooms. As for the hookah and the tobacco itself, Marinovich and Rechul said the bar only serves Al Fakher Shisha brand tobacco because of its high quality.
Hollywood Hookah's menu offers 32 tobacco flavors, including banana split, vanilla coke and apple pie - so far the fan favorite among customers.
"We're students ourselves, so we know what students are looking for," Rechul said.
The co-owners operate the business with the help of about 12 people on staff, including servers, waiters and hosts.
As a freshman, Marinovich said he thinks the bar's location on Marshall Street will provide students under 21 with another type of entertainment.
"When you're under 21, you don't have that many options," he said. "Sure, you can go bowling - but that gets old. You can go to the movies - but how many movies can you see?"
Marinovich added that he and Rechul set out to reinvent the campus social scene by offering a place where college students of all ages can come, relax and interact in a welcoming environment.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 22
Jane
posted 11/13/08 @ 10:47 AM EST
Because this is what our football team should be doing. Not concentrating on winning games, but opening a place to welcome tobacco. Awesome.
Ralph K.
posted 11/13/08 @ 11:34 AM EST
Hookahs are terrible for your lungs.
No wonder the teams looks so sluggish on gameday.
Lenny N.
posted 11/13/08 @ 2:45 PM EST
The real story? Two football players are trying to get SU students addicted to smoking tobacco, which causes cancer. The water in a hookah does not filter out the carbon monoxide, tar, and nicotine from the smoke. (Continued…)
John Johnson
posted 11/13/08 @ 3:11 PM EST
Why don't you let people decide that for themselves. There is a smoking age, 18. A bar lures people in everyday and drinking isnt healthy by any means. (Continued…)
Smith
posted 11/13/08 @ 4:02 PM EST
WOW, hello haters. Give these kids credit for starting up something like this. Yeah, tobacco's not the greatest thing in the world, but give businessmen the respect they've clearly earned. (Continued…)
thecapedcrusader
George Peters
posted 11/13/08 @ 5:20 PM EST
My question is this: how did they raise the capital to rent space and fill it with the high quality toys mentioned in the article? Did they actually act as businessmen and raise the capital or just simply use their own (their families') money? Before we give credit where credit's due, Smith, let's see if the credit for these "businessmen" is actually deserved. (Continued…)
ben
posted 11/14/08 @ 1:10 PM EST
Im curious to see how they play tomorrow after being at their grand opening all night.
GetGrossOut
posted 11/14/08 @ 1:13 PM EST
No one that plays for Syracuse should be out until 2am opening a bar two nights before the last home game. This is an absolute joke and epitomizes what is wrong with Syracuse football. (Continued…)
Olin
Olin MacGregor
posted 11/14/08 @ 2:08 PM EST
Unbelievable -- these free-ride student athletes -- supposed to be conditioned, are smoking, and worse from pipes known to be synonymous with "Mary Jane" . (Continued…)
NY with a brain
posted 11/14/08 @ 2:22 PM EST
Ummmmm first of all am I the only one that realizes the true business here? LOL tobacco.....um yeah ok.....ha ha....next month the story will read dope ring in Cuse busted. (Continued…)
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