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(Editor’s note: The following was posted to Social Media by Niagara Falls Council candidate Tanya Barone. It was published on Syracuse.com, a site the Express respects as practicing legitimate community journalism. Syracuse.com is affiliated with the Niagara Gazette through Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., a chain of dying newspapers and a subsidiary of the Alabama State Teachers Retirement Fund.)
SYRACUSE — The New York State Fair “terminated” a five-year contract it awarded this summer to a national hospitality company to run its Empire Room, a state official confirmed.
The news last week came after the new vendor, operating as Bluestone Grub & Go, seemed unprepared to handle its food and beverage service obligations during the recent fair. The venue in the southwest corner of the fairgrounds had no signs up until late in the fair’s second day.
Bluestone Grub & Go is an affiliate of Legacy Hospitality & Entertainment Group. Its contract called for food and beverage service during the fair, and year-round for a full-service restaurant.
During frequent stops in to the Empire Room during the fair, syracuse.comreporters saw little evidence that food was being served, though some customers could be seen at the bar.
“This action was taken in accordance with our contractual rights, which allow for termination for convenience with 30 days’ written notice,” according to a statement sent to syracuse.com by Katie Rey, the fair’s public information officer.
The statement did not provide any specific concerns with Bluestone’s performance
Going forward, Rey’s statement said, food and beverage service at the Empire Room and several other venues in and around the adjacent Wegmans Art & Home Center will be managed directly by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. The fair is a division of Ag & Markets.
The department will work with an “approved list” of caterers to provide those services, the statement said. That includes both during the fair and for events at the fairgrounds year-round.
In addition to the Empire Room, other spaces to be operated by the department include the Broadway Bistro, Empire Theater, Martha Eddy Room, Wegmans Demo Kitchen and Somerset Room.
“The decision was made after careful consideration of our current needs and objectives and aligns with our overall broader vision for the future of the Wegmans Art & Home Center,” the statement said.
Bluestone replaced local restaurateur Charlie Roman, who had the contract to run the Empire Room since 2020 under the name Daniella’s. It was called Daniella’s Fresh Seafood & Pasta House year-round. Roman continues to run his restaurant, Daniella’s Steakhouse, nearby in Lakeland.
During the 2025 fair, the Bluestone Grub & Go had a menu that featured burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches, including some with New York or fair names, like the Big Apple BBQ Burger, the Fair Gyro and the Empire Dog. The menu also offered desserts and cocktail and beverage service.
Bluestone representatives have not responded to several requests for comments from syracuse.com
According to its social media accounts, Bluestone operates or is developing at least eight locations in New York state and has outlets in other states. The New York outlets include a lounge in the Elmira Airport; golf club dining spots in Chenango County and in Buffalo; a pool venue in Newburgh in the Hudson Valley; and the Montauk Lighthouse on Long Island.
The parent company, Legacy Hospitality and Entertainment, has several projects in New York state beyond Bluestone outlets. They include facilities in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park (such as a skating rink), a restaurant and event venue in Manhattan’s Bryant Park, and various venues throughout the New York City area.
Legacy also operates locations, many of them bars and restaurants or event venues, in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and Washington state.
The Niagara Falls City Council voted 3-2 not to accept a bid by Legacy Hospitality and Entertainment Group LLC this past week to provide “operation, management, maintenance, and programming services” for the Hyde Park ice rink. The city’s Purchasing Division had recommended that Legacy be awarded a 3-year contract to run the rink.
