When Bucks County developer Alfred D. Hagen decided to renovate the former 94th Aero Squadron restaurant, he plunged in like a man on a mission.
Hagen — a pilot who heads for the South Pacific each year to search for the wreckage of American planes downed in World War II — assembled an ownership team consisting of himself and partner Peter Balin to take over the restaurant.
He also recruited veteran restaurant/club manager Johnnie Ray Tyson to take the project from concept to reality.
On April 25, their vision was unveiled to the public when the Flat Spin American Grill & Dancehall, at 2750 Red Lion Road, adjacent to Northeast Philadelphia Airport, welcomed invited guests and community members to the grand-opening celebration.
The term “flat spin” is an aviation phenomenon during which a plane is spinning, almost out of control, while flying horizontally.
“It’s an unusual attitude that an airplane can get it,” Hagen explained. “It is the same concept as a tailspin, only in a flat spin, the plane’s actually spinning in a flat orbit. What it infers is a kind of kinetic energy that is out of control.”
It is a situation that is both exhilarating and, possibly, dangerous to the skilled pilot. And that’s what owners of the business hope customers experience at Flat Spin: a delirious brand of fun.
From all appearances, the debut was a smashing success. The crowd inside the 11,000-square-foot facility was so large that the occasion was a standing-room-only affair.
“I had a vision of what the place could be, and I feel like we’ve not only achieved it, but for one of the few times in my life, we’ve surpassed it,” said Hagen. “If I’m surprised at anything, it’s how well it turned out. It’s turned out even better than I dreamed. I think that’s a tribute to Johnnie (Ray Tyson) and Pete Balin.”
The facility has received a complete physical and conceptual makeover that the Flat Spin principals believe is perfectly suited to the leisure and entertainment needs of the area.
The design approach is more Center City than Northeast Philadelphia. Input from consultants and designers was considered every step of the way.
“It’s more functional in every way,” Tyson said.
If the former 94th Aero Squadron, which opened in 1980, was designed to look like a “bombed-out French farmhouse,” then the Flat Spin design looks like that same structure after famed craftsman Bob Vila got his hands on it, Tyson said.
All of the dark brown wood in the building was sandblasted to reveal rich, golden-colored support columns. The former game room was turned into a sports bar section, while the indoor/outdoor patio bar was expanded to serve more customers.
An underutilized show kitchen has been restored as a centerpiece of the culinary experience at the restaurant.
“I find it comfortable to mingle with the customers to see how they appreciate the food,” head chef Congo Green said of the exposed cooking area. “It gives people the opportunity to see how their food is created, and gives them a chance to see the talent of the chef while he creates their meal.”
Landing Green was another coup for Flat Spin, said Tyson. The chef has more than 20 years’ experience working in high-class Philadelphia, New Jersey and Main Line restaurants.
Green was given the responsibility of overhauling the menu, which he did quite happily, replacing some of the “overpriced items” with American style and Tex-Mex dishes that are more “family-friendly fare.”
Like Green, Tyson is a veteran of the region’s service industry. He has worked at more than 20 clubs and restaurants in the tri-state area.
While Tyson concerned himself with recruiting a staff — Flat Spin employs 78 workers, many of whom are from the Northeast — co-owner Balin spearheaded the design and renovative aspects of the project.
Balin, a Valley Forge-area builder and developer, decided to lower the floor in the dining area, which seats more than 200, to create a greater separation with the dance hall. His crews also removed one of the two fireplaces in the restaurant to create space for a bar situated near the display kitchen.
Balin said he has plans for additional improvements to Flat Spin.
“We’re still under construction,” he said. “I’ll probably be here for about three months, building the deck, doing the canopy bar and the outdoor stage. We want to have a great facility where everybody can be comfortable.”
The owners have opened the outdoor portion of the property to customers. In the coming months, a patio for outdoor dining is scheduled to be completed, as is a stage for live entertainment. And if the Flat Spin concept proves successful, the owners would like to expand the size of the property by acquiring more land from Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
The interior decor, meanwhile, is a mix of contemporary furniture with pastel colors, vintage aviation artifacts and a Harley Davidson motorcycle suspended above the dance floor, all central to the Flat Spin theme.
“We love everything that’s basically American or Americana. So we really wanted to bring the signature things of America here, which are circa-1940s flyboys, pin-up girls, the Harley Davidsons, the food, the whole atmosphere,” Tyson explained. “Again, the idea that you can come out here and look over the runway and see the runway lights, and actually watch planes take off and land, is a huge part of what we’re doing and lends itself directly to what we’re doing in terms of marketing and the aviation theme overall.”
According to Hagen, everything comes back to aviation.
The former 94th Aero Squadron, he said, is part of a chain of aviation-themed restaurants owned by World War II bomber pilot David C. Tallichet Jr.
Hagen met Tallichet through his expeditions to the South Pacific in search of airplane wreckage.
The two became friends, and during conversation Hagen learned that Tallichet was displeased with the way the 94th was being operated.
Hagen, who always wanted to operate a business, agreed to try his hand at modifying the concept and making it work.
If it proves to be a success in Philadelphia, Hagen said, Tallichet would like him to replicate the concept at other struggling restaurants he owns in Nashville, Tenn., and Orlando, Fla.