Gecko battles Naples for Thursday nights

It used to be that on a typical Thursday night, Yalies could be found grinding to "C'Mon Ride It (The " on a packed Naples Pizza dance floor. Now, Gecko, the new and chic nightclub on College Street, has prompted some to wonder whether the 28-year-old hangout can stand the heat.

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH

Gecko boasts a larger dance floor, two bars, pool tables, games, and an upscale dress code--things that seem more popular among students. Aggressively targeting Yalies with heavy advertising and promotion since January, the club offers a Thursday College Night with no cover charge and $3 beer pitchers. Co-manager Al Farrar estimated that about 90 percent of the Thursday night customers are Yale students.

Naples immediately felt the impact of Gecko's advertising campaign. "On the first Thursday night, it was so slow I couldn't believe it," Naples employee Frank Morale said. "Then I found out Gecko had just opened."

Ryan Chu, BK '99, a regular at Gecko, enjoys its novelty and facilties. He explained, "It's a lot bigger than Naples, and they play better music."

Gecko manager Phil Pavone noted that business has been "strong and steady across the board" since January. "The place is consistently packed after 11:30 p.m.," he said.

"There's lots to do for lots of people...I was very impressed," Monique Vulin, SY '99, said. Vulin observed that many of Gecko's frequenters are under 21, "even though there's usually a cop standing there."

Eunice Park, CC '99, also said that she knows people "who have gotten into Gecko without proper identification." One freshman, who spoke under anonymity, confirmed that "Gecko is real easy to get into" with false identification.

Pavone insisted "[Bouncers] check everybody, so [underage drinkers] must have very good fake IDs. We turn away quite a few people every night." He explained, "The more people you attract, the more are likely to get through the system."

JACQUELINE RUPPERT/YH

Morale refuted student claims that recent police crackdowns on underage drinking at Naples have driven away some of their clientele. He attributed some Gecko's early success to its novelty, but mainly to economics.

"For students, it seems to come down to lower prices. I believe that is the main reason [for the trend]," he said.

Farrar understands "that college students are on a tight budget. Our game is volume: getting lots of students in to pay low prices," he said.

Naples is already adapting to the new business competition. After building its own beer brewing facilities last summer, Naples raised its pitcher prices to $9. However, in response to Gecko's lower prices, pitchers are now $7.50 again, Morale said.

Last week, Naples advertised a $3 pitcher special to match Gecko's Thursday night discount. "The place got busier each night, and on Saturday we were packed," Morale said.

John Whipple, SY '99, who has visited Gecko on several occasions, remarked that he still prefers the traditional atmosphere at Naples. "I like that [Gecko is] a scene, with a real bar; the problem is that it gets a little too crowded," hesaid.

Morale remains confident that the Gecko phenomenon will soon pass. "Naples Pizza is like an institution. We've been here 28 years. They'll come back."

Naples photo by Jacqueline Ruppert. Gecko's photo by Patrick McGarvey.

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