For two years now the COVID pandemic has put a halt to our weddings, showers, office parties, birthdays and so many more would-be memorable celebrations. Catering halls, restaurants and party venues across the country were closed entirely, losing billions in revenue while the nation reeled from uncertainty.
We are social by nature. It has only been in the recent couple of months that we have felt safe and confident to return to normal gatherings and events that we once took for granted.
We recently spoke with Daniel Akilov, co-owner of the famed Floral Terrace catering venue on Jericho Turnpike, the gateway to Nassau County, about how business is going and what the general temperature is of people gathering again to celebrate joyous occasions. We were thrilled to hear business is ramping up again. The downtime has also given pause for catering venues and party organizers to rethink their business model and to expand, incorporating surprisingly refreshing ways to utilize party venues. Here’s what Akilov had to say:
Q. What do party planners need to know in the new face of COVID? Anything new that planners have never had to worry about in the past? How does COVID change their upcoming holiday parties?
A. “The times are drastically changing” a new system of party planning and events should be implemented, including: following any and all necessary guidelines to ensure the health safety of guests, employees and vendors, ensuring that guests have the proper safety measures to ensure an events full success.
For upcoming parties, we will follow the guidelines set by the town. For now no new guidelines were set in the village of Floral Park, but we must adhere to personal safety.
Anyone who has a booked party can enjoy a worry-free environment at this time.
Q. How busy do you expect the upcoming quarter to be, through January? Why?
A. We are overall getting a lot of date requests during January with some dates still available. Due to COVID, last year all parties were moved to this year…not to mention the new parties that are taking place this year is bringing a lot of dates to a close. We have rescheduled plenty of parties from last year which lock dates in at a faster pace.
Q. What are the traditional parties that Floral Terrace hosts? What kinds of parties do you want people to consider for Floral Terrace that they might not have considered?
A. Floral Terrace has traditionally hosted weddings, proms, birthday parties, milestones and engagements. Floral Terrace would also like to host retirements, club meetings, organizational functions, school fundraisers, PTA and business events, holiday parties, military functions and award ceremonies for first responders.
Q. How has the Floral Park community responded to Floral Terrace in general? What is the overall relationship between your business and the community?
A. Floral Park is a town that is the epitome of togetherness, friendliness, safety and a united front. Since the 1920s Floral Terrace’s beauty, art and events such as shows, events, galas, military balls and social events, have inspired the neighborhood to have a rather positive outlook towards the community. It gave a sense of freedom to have at least a few hours of a good time. Without the worry of tomorrow or yesterday. It brings the “living in the now” thought which captivated the community Long Island and New York for almost 100 years. We have been awarded almost every year with the best feedback when the owner George Boultadakis purchased the hall. As far as our goals, we are committed to continuing what George created with the help of Floral Park and want to reach the community in the same way as it was before the pandemic. To let the community know in the midst of “this hectic world” can be a pleasant day that makes the smile of our client worthwhile. We take pride in having events that bring gladness to people’s hearts and I believe the community of Floral Park and abroad truly appreciate this work of art called Floral Terrace.
Q. Why is Floral Terrace an important part of Floral Park, its history and how it defines the community going forward?
A. Floral Terrace is one of the only event buildings in the community, as it has been since the beginning. This history is a part of all who are from Floral Park and abroad. Anyone that is a part of the community for a long time knows of, or had an event, or heard of Floral Terrace with nothing but good moments. It’s like knowing that if you heard of Floral Park then you heard of Floral Terrace. If you live in the neighborhood, you’ve probably been to a show or been to an event here. And if you hosted an event at Floral Terrace then you have nothing but good memories. We will continue to strive for an amazing time for our guests. We are always looking to help the community by establishing town events for our first responders, medical personnel, police officers, town officials and other municipalities. We hope to have everyone from the town experience an event at our venue at least once to know the true beauty set 100 years ago.
Floral Terrace is located at 250 Jericho Tpke. in Floral Park. Visit www.floralterrace.com for more information.
