By Hank Russell
Local elected officials and members of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce came out to celebrate the grand opening of Rumba (previously known as RHUM), located at 13 East Main Street in Patchogue, on July 30.
Owner David Hersh opened the bar after the village’s Alive After Five on July 10 with the idea of the establishment becoming a tropical paradise. “We wanted to make it a tropical dream, but we really also wanted to make it special,” he said. “You don’t even feel like you’re in Patchogue. You don’t feel like you’re in eastern Long Island. You could be in Miami … you could be on a Caribbean island. That’s the kind of feeling [our customers] want, for them to go to their happy place.”
Hersh also explained his reason for the rebrand. “We realized then that it didn’t have to be on the water in order to have a feeling of that island getaway or vacation,” he said. “So we started to rebrand. I said, ‘Instead of a one-off of RHUM, let’s focus on what we do best, which is great hospitality, incredible food and tropical drinks.’”
Some of the “Island-inspired” menu items Rumba offers at its Patchogue location include tacos, seafood, burgers, and sandwiches. All the food is locally sourced and is made fresh daily. “We call it ‘Island-inspired’ cuisine,” he said. “We try to get as much as we can from Long Island as we can, so we put an Island twist on it. … We’re a firm believer that you can make great foof with incredible ingredients.”
To keep the list of offerings original, the menu is changed four times a year. Hersh said what makes the menus unique is the team effort in creating the menu items.
“Our chefs come in, and they will design the next menu,” he said. “Even our cooks will have input. In the winter, we focus on heartier dishes, like meats. In the summer, it’s a lot more lighter, with the seafood.”
In addition to the Patchogue location. Hersh has a Rumba in Hampton Bays and recently opened a new restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana. “It’s absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “They have a beautiful team there.”
He also operates three separate restaurants: Cowfish in Hampton Bays, New York and Charlotte, North Carolina; Flora in Westhampton Beach, New York; and Fauna, also in Westhampton Beach, New York. Hersh noted the eastern Long Island locations feature outstanding water views to go with the restaurants’ top-notch steaks and seafood. Hersh said he intends to expand the Flora brand into North Carolina, as well as the Rumba brand by opening “one to two restaurants a year.”
As a local restaurant owner, Hersh said, it is important to be involved in the community. “We’re not here just to be a restaurant. We have a bigger purpose.”
Rumba is also a member of the Green Restaurant Association. Hersh’s wife, Rebecca, said the restaurant is looking to achieve certification.
“We get points for clean water and sustainability, whether it be single-use or disposable products. We don’t use plastics at our tabes or disposable napkins. Everything here is reusable.”
As part of the new restaurant, there is a rooftop which David Hersh said is ideal for get-togethers. “Now, we have room for parties, showers, and birthday parties,” he said. “If someone wants to throw a big birthday party, this is the place to do it.”
For more information, visit tasterumba.com.