While the news didn’t quite cause a tsunami on Marco Beach, it certainly made some pretty big waves. When Marco Islanders found out the iconic Little Bar restaurant had been sold, emotions ran high. Facebook was flooded with comments from ardent supporters.
“Change is inevitable, but this one hit like a ton of bricks,” one supporter writes. “Hugs for Niki and Little Bar family,” said another. “It will never be the same,” writes another.
While they say the darkest hour is just before the dawn, they also say every cloud has a silver lining. The silver lining in this case comes in the package of amiable Sami Rahman, whose Collier Boulevard restaurant, Sami’s, has a passionate following itself. It’s safe to say that Rahman, with his easy smile, is a Marco Island favorite.
Little Bar was owned by the brother-sister team of Ray Bozicnik and Niki Bauer for 45 years. And as hard as it’s been for Bauer to turn the keys over, it’s been equally exciting for the energetic Rahman to envision himself carrying on the Little Bar tradition. It’s a responsibility he is deeply humbled by.
“Everybody in Marco, Naples, and Goodland are big fans of Little Bar,” Rahman said. “Everybody. What Ray and Niki have done with that place, they’re icons you know, running this restaurant for 45 years. They have great children. They’ve done a great job. Ray’s daughter Jamie is helping me out. His niece, Halowe, she’s also helping. When I went and had a talk with them, I assured them that there will be no changes coming to Little Bar—period. Nothing’s going to change, I promise you that. You can put that in writing. The Sami promise is to make sure that we keep everything in there the same. I want to keep it as special as it is right now. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Rahman, who first came to the United States in 1982, looks at this opportunity as a dream come true. Investor, friend, and mentor Gary Van Cleef made the dream a reality for Rahman. Van Cleef is a longtime customer who helped Rahman out of a jam when the bank called his note during the recession, back when Sami’s was still the Quik Stop.
“I had bought the property back in 2005,” Rahman said. “I bought it as a convenience store. And then when everything was collapsing in 2011, I got a letter from the bank saying that they were calling my note. I said, ‘What do you mean, calling my note? I’m paying you an $8,200 a month mortgage during a recession. I’m working from day to night, making sure I can pay the mortgage.’”
Van Cleef admired Rahman’s work ethic and decided to invest in him.
“He was one of my regular customers,” Rahman said. “He has gone from a landlord to a mortgagee at one point, and now he’s become a mentor. He’s very proud of me. This guy has done miracles for me. If he asked me for a finger, I’ll give him my wrist. My success in life is a blessing from him in a very big way. He’s the kind of guy that his handshake is his word—and there is nothing in the world that can change that. He and his wife, Louise, are the nicest people.”
When Van Cleef learned Little Bar was up for sale, he knew Rahman was the man for the job, although Rahman was reluctant at first.
“He came in and said that there’s a restaurant for sale,” Rahman said. “I had no intention of getting into another restaurant. I’m like, ‘No way, not interested.’ He said, ‘No, I want you to think about it. Just hear me out. It’s a great opportunity. It’s a great location. They have a great reputation. My wife Louise loves to eat there. She loves the food.’
“When I walked into Little Bar the first day,” Rahman said, “when Gary told me ‘Sami, it’s a go,’ I almost cried. I came to this country with $200 in my pocket—200 bucks!”
Touring Little Bar with Rahman, it’s easy to see the reverence he has for the property.
“As life is becoming fast-paced,” Rahman said, “people are making everything modern and contemporary. I think coming in here gives you that setback of time and that peace that, ‘Oh my God, there is still something that is old, something unique that still exists.’ Looking at this history, all these old pictures, all this history behind the whole thing. Ray has collected so much memorabilia in here that has so much sentiment attached to it. When I first walked in it took me back in time. It made me feel like I can be part of this history. I can tell my kids, ‘Look, this is what Ray and Niki built, and I am now continuing in their legacy.’”
Rahman feels a kinship with Bauer and Bozicnik. After all, Little Bar was originally Goodland Groceries with a little bar on its east end. Just like Sami’s started as a convenience store.
“Niki and Ray had a little grocery store 45 years ago,” Rahman said, “and they built this. And for me, having a little convenience store 24 years ago and building it into a new restaurant, isn’t that kind of ironic? The reputation they have. And look at the reputation that I have built just running a little Italian joint.”
As Rahman looks out over the bay behind Little Bar, he is awash with a feeling of contentment.
“It has so much,” he said, “just look at this. Just feel the calmness. You feel like you are back in time. Life is simple. It’s not about that everyday rat race. We are here. We are a part of a little fishing village that wants to stay the same. We want to keep it the same. That’s the key, keeping everything the same and simple. That’s going to be the core concept from day one.”
Rahman’s goal is for the customer to not be able to tell there has been a change in ownership. Of course, that largely depends on keeping the same staff.
“That’s the goal,” he said. “That’s the only goal. Period. Whatever they are used to, whatever they have come to know, it’ll be exactly the same. As long as I live, I promise you that. I would love to have all the employees that have been here for years stay here,” he said. “Maintain what they have built in the years they’ve been working here. They have some great people that have built their reputations. I would love every single employee that has ever worked here, if they’re not already working here, to come back. If they work here, please continue on and make the Little Bar proud.”
Rahman sees all the Little Bar traditions continuing. That includes Spammy Jammy, which has become a famous annual event. While it certainly won’t become Sami Jammy, you can count on Rahman being a part of it.
“Sami will be in it,” Rahman laughs heartily, “I will go in with my jammies on. I will go ahead and order a robe like that Hugh Hefner guy wears. I will put that on and go in there, I promise you that.”
Rahman also plans to continue Little Bar’s reputation for giving back to the community. It’s something he believes in. Just ask Allyson Richards, who knows something about giving back.
“Sami is a community force,” Richards said. “He will step up any time he’s asked to help make the Marco community better. Sami’s always someone we can count on. The people of Goodland will love working with him as much as we do. He has helped with the Lunch with Friends monthly senior luncheon, Marco Dementia Respite luncheons, and Camp Able. After hurricanes, he has always opened his restaurant to help people.”
Years ago, Rahman was appalled to find out Goodland residents were unable to have food delivered to them by local restaurants.
“When I first started my pizza business,” he said, “one of the customers who came from Goodland told me that nobody delivers to them. And I said, ‘Oh, really? No. I’ll deliver to Goodland. I’ll make it happen. I want you guys, I want your business.’ I’ve been delivering to Goodland for seven to eight years.”
Anybody who’s been to Sami’s knows that Rahman is a hands-on owner. Does he see himself being hands-on at Little Bar?
“That’s why I’m going to have Jamie and Halowe there,” he said. “Because they have done it. It’s an honor to be part of this. I want to keep it to a point that if the chef or one of the managers tells me, ‘Hey, we need to update this or upgrade this,’ I’m hands-on in making it happen for them. I told them from day one, ‘Look, this is your baby that you guys have worked on. I’m just here to help you babysit. Nothing more, nothing less. As simple as that.”
Rahman, 60, sees maintaining the spirit of Little Bar becoming his legacy.
“I thank Gary from the bottom of my heart for having the vision to come in and say, ‘You know what, let’s do this. Let’s try it out.’ I think it’ll be my legacy from now on. I think in our lives we need to preserve things that are part of a history. Those are very big shoes to fill, following what Niki and Ray have done. Customer service is the goal. My promise to people is to deliver the quality and quantity which they already have. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. And to be honest with you, I’ve always envied a restaurant that’s on the water. But having an opportunity to be a part of an iconic restaurant that was built from scratch, from a little store to a little bar to a restaurant that is known for food and service, I think it’s an honor. I cannot even tell you. I feel privileged in so many ways. It’s a blessing, you know? So, thank God. Thank God, brother. Every time I come in here I feel more attached to this place. I feel like I’m home. I’m feeling myself emotionally attached to it now. Walking out and seeing this view, I’m like, ‘Wow, I might be the luckiest guy in the world.'”
