MILFORD, PA — The trifecta of Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday and a rock concert filled the streets, bars and restaurants of Milford over the February 12 weekend, testing the operational fortitude of the Milford Hospitality Group and lending momentum to Milford’s renaissance. Presidents Day provided more of the same.

“Over that weekend [Valentine’s Day], Thursday night was packed, Friday night was packed, Saturday night was packed, Sunday was packed,” said long-time Fauchere bartender Bob Grimm. “It was a trip. Presidents Day weekend, same thing. Hotel was full. In the middle of winter. Wild.”

Bill Rosado, the owner of many Milford hospitality assets, continues to defy critics, many of whom pronounced boycotts of his restaurants for real or imagined grievances. Of the criticism, which is diminishing as his programming and menus attract a steady river of patrons, Rosado said, “It’ll work out. I think it will work out. Some of it is just the last gasp of people who aren’t that relevant anymore. I have more important work to do in terms of building these businesses than being distracted by critics.”

Over Valentine’s Day weekend, Tom Quick and the Fauchere served up a prix fixe dinner to capacity diners, the Milford Theater hosted the Magical Mystery Doors to a sold-out crowd, and the Jive Bar and Lounge was elbow-to-elbow for the Super Bowl.

“Just a great weekend of execution by our team,” said Gary Wilson, portfolio manager of Rosado’s Milford Hospitality Group (MHG), which was created in 2020 as Rosado’s Milford investment gathered steam.  

A spokesperson for the MHG said they took a conservative approach when booking tables, as the restaurants have been owned by MHG for less than a year, and this was the first push in the COVID-19 era. “We didn’t push the limits of what we think our staff is capable of. We wanted to protect them and protect the guest experience. Even with all the precautions, it wasn’t perfect. We have a lot of work to do, but we are excited.”

The Tom Quick and Milford Theater had been good-looking but unproductive community assets, both closed or lightly used for years. This past weekend, each served up food and fun that would have been hard to imagine six months ago.

The Milford Theater on Catharine Street hosted the rock group show “Magical Mystery Doors,” which, as its headline suggests, combines elements of the Beatles, Doors and even Led Zeppelin in a stew of eclectic yet familiar musical combinations. Their Facebook page describes them as “tribute [band], reimagining the music of the legendary bands: the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and the Doors.”

“It was a rock show,” said Wilson, of the three-and-a-half-hour show. “People were dancing, the vibe was energetic. The first rock show at the theater. It was a big show on a small stage and Bill’s investments into the sound and lighting was really obvious.”

Rosado cited Wilson’s employment and advancement as examples of the “hire from within” mentality he has employed throughout his career, across his businesses.  Wilson started off by managing Jive Bar and Lounge and now shares management responsibilities for more than 80 employees and a half-dozen businesses. Rosado calls MHG’s current employee situation “stable” but not without hiccups, as he had to shut down the Tom Quick for an extended time last fall due to a lack of qualified employees.

“We are looking to add talent at compensation levels that were unheard of pre-pandemic,” Wilson said.

“We are seeing an uptick in applications lately,” Rosado said.

“Bill is super-excited by the progress [of MHG],” Wilson said. “He trusts his people and managers to do the work. We have a great team, and the stars have aligned for Milford.  Bill’s energy is infectious, he’s unselfish, and he attracts talented people to work for him.”

The winter months are the true testing grounds of a business’s viability in the Northeast. Rosado’s new bundle of Milford properties is providing a winter harvest for the community.