Carlyle's Oak Room at Bethpage State Park becomes a jazz club after hours

Any day, The Oak Room Restaurant at Bethpage State Park is a haven where golfers, fresh off the Black Course, can refuel with griddlecakes and coffee or a tuna wrap for less than $8. But on Fridays after 10 p.m., the room is transformed into the Oak Lounge, a candle-lit after hours destination

The Oak Lounge, which got its start in October, is the vision of Steven Carl, CEO of Carlyle on the Green, a Gold Coast mansion- style facility and home of The Oak Room Restaurant and catering venues. The Carlyle won national exposure when it hosted Tiger Woods and Phil Michelson during the 2002 U.S. Open.

Located in a state park, the Carlyle is what Carl calls The People's Country Club, where guests get all the amenities - golf, tennis, food, even a room to play cards - without paying membership fees. The Oak Lounge is what he claims the people wanted based on Oak Room customer questionnaires.

Why don't you make a club - do jazz?, he said. I was asked by lots of people.

There is really a dearth of after-hours places where people can go outside of New York City for an interesting evening, Carl said, so I think The Oak Lounge will fill a very large void on Long Island.

But Carl is creating more than a new entertainment venue for Long Islanders. He's broadening the appeal of the Carlyle to a new audience that may later decide to return for a meal or to cater an affair. And he's generating additional revenue on Fridays, when the action would otherwise dwindle down in the early evening.

It's a lesson any entrepreneur can learn from in offering new services: Do the homework to make sure the new product or service will enhance rather than detract from your established business.

Carl's effort gets high marks from Michael Hollander, president of the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission in Hauppauge. Steve Carl has had a highly successful career turning ineffective catering establishments into Long Island attractions and money makers. He's adding another aspect to the Carlyle with the Oak Lounge, Hollander said.

The market for jazz seems underserved, Hollander said. Long Islanders look for jazz. Jazz is hidden in the nooks and crannies around Long Island. You don't see clubs advertising it. I would think he'd do really well, Hollander said.

If Hollander is right and the Oak Lounge takes off, the benefits could ricochet across the Island. Other people might pop out of the woodwork to let [everyone] know they have jazz too, Hollander noted.

But according to the entertainment listings in the Long Island Zagat Survey, there are already about 25 other places for jazz. Carl has been to a few, but says his product offers something different. While other spots offer a jazz trio in a regular restaurant setting, his venue is converted to a jazz lounge, offering a distinct atmosphere one night a week.

And the format provides an alternative to dance clubs that an older crowd might deem too noisy.

It's a very good idea. The reception of that should be terrific on Long Island. Jazz lends itself better to conversation than other forms of music, said Naomi Sanderson, owner of Roslyn-based Essential Events, a company that includes in its offerings planning trips for groups around Long Island.

It's a nice way to cap a night out on Long Island. The only choices you have for a late night is a diner, or to go to someone's house for dessert. There should be more of it, Sanderson said of the jazz club.

An owner bringing new offerings to an existing facility first should make certain that there's a target market for those services, warned Linda Evans, an adjunct associate professor of marketing at Hofstra University whose areas of expertise include business, marketing and international business.

To prepare, Carl, who prides himself as the ultimate idea-man behind Carlyle parties, hit the late-night spots in Manhattan like Casa la Femme and Soho Grand, which features jazz in a living-room- like setting. He returned with inspiration for the look and feel for the Oak Lounge, as well as after-hours menu selections that include a cheesecake martini dessert.

Carl selected Friday nights for a reason. It's quieter than on Saturday nights, when the restaurant is jammed with dinner reservations. He's building word of mouth by sending out customer mailings, advertising in newspaper and radio stations and distributing flyers at business events.

Except for one rainy occasion when people stayed home, the Oak Lounge has typically drawing in between 150 to 200 people a night, although the venue is still in its infancy, Carl said. People start showing up, you know you're doing something right.

And because the catering rooms are in different parts of the building, he's not concerned that the music or crowd would detract from the event segment of his business. Rather, he sees the club as enhancing his other offerings. Visitors might consider the Carlyle for a small, private party, a wedding, or a corporate event, Carl pointed out.

But just because Carl currently promotes a sophisticated late night jazz doesn't mean he wouldn't offer a night of hip hop to the dance club crowd. We're going to do a night with a DJ in the middle of the week for wintertime in January or February, Carl said.