Ted Micalos, who grew up in Chili and graduated from Gates Chili High School, played football and graduated from St. John Fisher College in Pittsford.
But it’s only coincidence that the sports bar he and his cousins operate is in Gates, and a new location they opened a month ago is in Pittsford Colony Plaza.
Micalos, along with George Nakis and Pete Kokorotsis, opened Rookies four years ago in
Gates. They had wanted to open a restaurant and get in the business, Micalos said.
“It was an opportunity, and we jumped on it,” Micalos said. “It was more luck that it happened this way.”
And opportunity knocked again.
Many of the customers who come to the Gates location wanted to know when the cousins were planning to open on the east side, said Nakis, who lives in Henrietta and is a Rush-Henrietta High School graduate.
So they copied what worked in Gates for the new Pittsford location.
“We wanted to make the place a second home, where somebody can eat and drink and hang out with friends,” Nakis said.
The spacious bar and grill in Pittsford has more than enough big-screen TVs to satisfy any sports fan.
The specialty of the house is chicken wings, with many styles and varieties, including the Rookies Sauce. Friday night is beer-battered fish fry night, and Mediterranean entrees are on the menu along with standard pub fare.
Mostly what they serve is a place to have fun and be with friends and family.
“We’re always here to greet you,” Micalos said. “We’re not a franchise. It’s all family, and it’s all hands-on.”
