Gayborhood hot spot Bump changed hands last month from one pair of local brothers to another, who are planning a “major facelift,” which could include a name change.
Michael and Billy Weiss sold the restaurant and bar to Steve and Alex Vasiliadis, who assumed ownership July 1.
The brothers brought on John Caputo, Mr. Gay Philadelphia 2008, as the establishment’s managing partner.
Caputo said there is a “strong possibility” the new owners will change Bump’s name.
The venue will be closed for at least two weeks beginning Sept. 1 for renovations.
“We’re going to have new food, new drink menus and some new promotions,” Caputo said. “We want to keep the place fresh.”
Caputo said the Vasiliadis brothers, who are heterosexual, plan to maintain the same general atmosphere at Bump, but are hoping to bring in more entertainment offerings.
“We’re looking to keep the same concept as a restaurant/lounge, but we want to make sure we can really entertain the community. We want to have the whole package, with entertainment, dining and drinks,” he said. “We want to create a fun environment that keeps the community coming back.”
The Vasiliadis brothers are the former owners of Pandora’s Lunchbox at 12th and Walnut and the Monkey Bar in Rittenhouse Square, where Caputo also worked.
Caputo said the trio will be visible fixtures at Bump.
“The three of us are very hands-on. We’ll be there constantly, making sure the customers are happy.”
The staff will remain the same for the most part, although the owners do plan to hire a few new employees, Caputo said.
Michael Weiss told PGN he and his brother decided to sell the establishment so they can devote more time to running Woody’s, which they bought from Bill Wood in November 2006.
“We purchased Woody’s and that was taking more of our time than we thought, so we wanted to concentrate on that,” Weiss said.
When asked about the veracity of rumors that he and his brother are planning to buy the now-defunct Key West, Weiss confirmed they were considering that possibility.
The Weiss brothers also own Pure.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].