Donatella and D Bar Vet Bringing Brannon’s to 119 Essex Street

Smut to sandwiches – that’s the recent retail trajectory of 119 Essex Street. Where heretofore Sunflower Video operated an adult DVD shop, a new restaurant/bar concept is currently underway. And the dude behind this Lower East Side project is a veteran of two popular Chelsea establishments, Donatella and D Bar.

Public documents now confirm that Ron Brannon is opening an eponymous “sandwich shop”at 119 Essex. Yet even before such application materials were submitted to Community Board 3, renovations had already begun on the storefront proper. With curbside dumpster in tow. Months of breakneck construction produced, among other developments, a totally new wooden facade including awning.

Plans call for twelve tables to accommodate forty heads, and one bar in the rear with eleven stools. Patrons can choose from menu items that include roast beef, shrimp po’ boy, and grilled chicken sandwiches. Proposed hours of operation are 11 am to 2 am daily.

With Brannon’s gunning for 119, the escalation of Essex nightlife continues. Weekend crowding is already an issue, no secret there. Nevertheless, management was able to scrounge some thirteen pages of signatures supporting the endeavor ahead of tonight’s SLA meeting. Of course, the validity of such endorsements is always subject for discussion.

Brannon was part of both team Donatella and D Bar. His hospitality and Wall Street experience was included in the application packet, reproduced herewith:

Ron Brannon successfully led the design, construction and operational setup of Donatella restaurant and D Bar in Chelsea New York. He has created an intricate business model to ensure the restaurant’s success and future scalability and continues to expand his responsibilities by being involved in all aspects of restaurant operations, finance, marketing and business development.

Prior to entering into the hospitality industry, Brannon achieved numerous professional accomplishments over his 20 year career on Wall Street. While on Wall Street he held several senior executive positions at some of the most well known financial institutions, such as JP Morgan, Bankers Trust, Merrill Lynch & Co., American International Group (AIG) and most recently, Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer of the sales and trading division at Morgan Stanley.