Green Island Design launches new service to help Long Island. Restaurants generate buzz, bumping up profits for clients. Eco-friendly emphasis also helps owners protect Long Island’s resources
DEER PARK – Green Island Design, leaders in residential and commercial landscaping, now helps restaurateurs generate buzz with its innovative, environmentally responsible outdoor spaces.
In 2007, local artist and landscape designer Mark Pappalardi of Green Island Design and owner of Green Island Design Jon Pappalardi, began collaborating with restaurant owners, creating site-specific ideas to help them enhance and expand their outdoor space, yet still comply with village and town codes.
Recently, Green Island Design worked with The Melting Pot, a new fondue restaurant in Farmingdale. To help the eatery build buzz, the Pappalardi’s designed “The Preserve,” an 8-foot-by-5-foot fountain made of South Bay Quartzite stacked stone. The fountain resembles the shape, sound and feel of an actual “melting pot,” complete with bubbling water that appears to simmer up at the top as if it were really boiling, and cascades down the structure’s tapered sides. Eco-friendly, the fountain is designed to recycle the water, which enters an underground, gravel-filled basin, migrating to a hidden pump before it is forced up through the unit’s center and then repeats the process. The fountain is equipped with a thermostatically controlled heater, warming the water in winter to prevent it from freezing. This also allows for gas exchanges on the surface, creating a steamy effect that escapes into the night’s sky just when the restaurant is most frequented. Lights were positioned to explore and expose the highly detailed stonework, creating out-of-the-ordinary shadows that envelop the viewer. “The Preserve” now stands proudly along the street, visible from half-a-mile away. “With this project we not only created an identity for The Melting Pot, we built a landmark that will increase revenue as well as stand the test of time. Adding value for our clients is a top priority,” says owner Jon Pappalardi.
Green Island Design provided another strategic solution for the owners, who were mandated by the town to plant trees every 20 feet along the entire storefront. Unfortunately, the trees scheduled for planting were so dense that they would likely block both the restaurant’s storefront and signage. Their clients feared that applying for a variance to position their sign above the tree elevation would delay their opening date. M.Pappalardi advised instead to position the sign beneath the tree canopy, eliminating the need for a variance. He also recommended planting less dense trees to provide more transparency.
“The owners were very relieved,” M.Pappalardi says. “The restaurant’s visibility, combined with the fountain, helped them entice foot traffic, and even repeat customers.”
To help clients achieve such results, Green Island Design asks them about their themes and visions for their restaurants. After analyzing the site and surrounding area, M.Pappalardi constructs a virtual 3D model of the establishment, incorporating his proposed idea. Next, clients view a video to best experience the changes before actual implementation. Once clients approve the idea and its associated projected costs, construction begins.
Says M.Pappalardi: “I feel truly privileged to create these custom-tailored environments that essentially help my clients boost their bottom line.”
About Green Island Design: Green Island Design is a full-service residential and commercial landscape architecture and design/build company serving Long Island as well as the Greater New York Metro area. The company specializes in all facets of the outdoor decorative environment.
About The Melting Pot: The Melting Pot is the country’s premier fondue restaurant franchise. At The Melting Pot, fondue truly becomes a memorable four-course dining experience where patrons can dip into something different - and discover all the ingredients for a unique dining experience, including a relaxed atmosphere, private tables, attentive service, fine wines and signature fondue dinners.
