The Red Garter Restaurant, which sits high on a mountainside
overlooking Salamanca, N.Y., closed as of Saturday at least for the
winter, and the owner is considering offers from interested
developers for the site.

Tom Fenton, the owner and operator of the restaurant, explained
Monday afternoon that he has not ruled out reopening in the
spring.

“We’re closed for the season,” he said. But is the restaurant
closed for good? “We don’t think so.”

If the restaurant doesn’t re-open, something else might open in
that South Mountain location on Parkway Drive, he explained.

“We’ve got a lot of different people interested in developing,”
he said. “I have had discussions with many developers and investors
interested in this specific location from all areas including
local, out of state and out of country. This precipitated my
decision to close at this time for preparation.”

He would not specify what developers or even what types of
businesses may be looking at the site. “That’s confidential at this
time.”

Fenton did not fault the Seneca-Allegany Casino in his decision
to close, but rather mentioned it in the revitalization of the
city.

“I have always believed that Salamanca has a bright future,” he
said. “Now that it’s finally in sight and Salamanca is evolving
into a new phase with the casino and all that it brings into our
area, we have to think ahead to keep up with the times.

“It’s exciting times in the west end,” Fenton added. “I’ve
watched Salamanca deteriorate over the years, much like the rest of
Western New York.”

But the tide is turning for Salamanca, he said.

“We’ll decide what we’re going to do in the early spring,” he
said. The Red Garter opened in September 1994. During the 1960s,
Fenton’s father, Ned Fenton Jr., operated a Wild West Amusement
Park known as “Fentier Village” at the same location which occupied
three tiers of South Mountain in Salamanca.

The restaurant was originally part of the Fentier Village and
was known as the Red Garter Playhouse Saloon. The village closed
down when Route 17 went through the middle of the property.

Years later, Tom Fenton rebuilt and re-opened the restaurant at
that same location overlooking the highway.

Fenton said Monday that after 10 years in the restaurant
business, he wants to spend time with his family and concentrate
and focus on the upcoming events and development stages for South
Mountain.

“If you thought Fentier Village and Red Garter Restaurant were
cool, wait ’till you see what comes next!” Fenton said. “It’s
exciting times we all share. We’ll get ready to rock and roll in
the spring.”