WHAT, WHERE, AND WHEN IN OLD KENILWORTH:
Billy Buffy’s Tavern: A 95-year-old landmark
Billy Buffy’s Tavern has been around for 95 years – but how did it start out? A 2015 interview with Anna “Dottie” Placek (1925-2020) tells the story. “My parents came to Kenilworth with my brother and me in 1927. My dad, Frank Placek, physically built a tavern-restaurant on the corner of Monroe Ave. and 8th St. He designed it with large dental masonry along the roofline to remind him castles in his native Bohemia. He called it the Kenilworth Tavern. It was Prohibition time, so he sold no alcohol. We lived in the apartment upstairs. It was a busy place. Busloads of workers got off on 8thSt., came in, and went to the factories next door. Weddings, meetings, and social events were there. It was a popular place. The Depression came and the factories laid off almost everyone. Business dropped to almost nothing. My mother, Bertha, worked as a waitress trying to hold onto the business. They were forced to sell. In 1933 Prohibition was repealed and the new owner could serve liquor. Had my folks been able to hold on a little longer they would have gotten through.”
Sam Reze, next owner, was famous for his daily spaghetti dinners. He sold to John Alvino of Newark. In the late 1930s the name became the Monroe Tavern. From the early 1940s to about 1955 it was owned by Frank Fronhofer who lived upstairs with his family. Most of this period it was known as the Monroe Tavern. It was a popular place. Frank’s brother, Lenny, was bartender. In the late 1940s and early 1950s it was known as the Monroe Castle or Fronhofer’s Castle due to its castle-like appearance. Sometime after the castle-like dental masonry was removed.
About 1956 the George and Frances Bilawsky, Jr., owned it and lived in the apartment. About 1959 to 1963 Adele Gorda of Linden was the proprietor. Then came Pasquale Capaldo of Garwood. He named it Cappie’s Tavern. About 1966 he sold it to Rodman “Buffy” Decker and wife Veronica, and to William and Anna Hausleiter. They named it Buffy’s Tavern. In 1972 William “Bill” Gargiles, of Cranford, a big NY Giants football fan, acquired the business and modified the name to Billy Buffy’s Tavern.
A popular patron in the 1960s and 1970s was jovial William “Bill” Moneypenny of town. He drove the old 28 Bayway Bus and sang to riders. He appeared on the old Name that Tune TV show. He often performed at the tavern.
Gargiles recalled November 18, 1976. “Before noon, two armed men forced me, the cook, and a patron to the floor. One hit the patron in the head with a gun that required stitches. They fled with $1,800. I chased them and fired three shots at them. The Kenilworth Police, led by Det. Sgt. Charlie David [later chief], investigated. The next day he saw the getaway car a block away on 9th St. The robbers tried to flee from him.”
News report indicate that David chased them west on Rt. 22. Officers Donald Tisch [later chief] and Victor Smith joined in the pursuit. The two robbers, prison parolees and Elizabeth residents, were captured. Charges included armed robbery, atrocious assault and battery with a weapon, evading police, reckless driving, and driving without a license.
In its history the tavern sponsored an adult bowling team and during Gargiles’s ownership it sponsored Buffy’s Tavern Cobras, a top performing adult softball league team. He holds the tavern ownership record of 50 years. He just installed a new kitchen and is serving suppers once again.
In closing, “Three cheers to Bill Gargiles and Billy Buffy’s Tavern!”
Research provided by Walter E. Boright, Ed. D., historian; Historic Signs, Inc. Persons with inquiries about this article or other aspects of Kenilworth history or an item to share, may contact Dr. Boright at drbori@aol.com or 908-256-5200.
