TURNERS FALLS — A new ownership model seeks to keep The Rendezvous’ mission of being “Turners Falls’ living room” going for generations to come.
Nineteen years after the restaurant and performance venue at 78 Third St. opened its doors in 2007, The Rendezvous is looking to transition into a multi-stakeholder cooperative model. Information sessions are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 7, to educate the community on what’s to come.
An announcement from the business explains that transitioning into a multi-stakeholder cooperative will allow both employees and community members alike to buy-in, supporting a democratized future for the family-friendly restaurant and entertainment staple.
“In order to keep The Voo a funky and creative community space, and to keep it responsive to the community and its whims, we think it makes the most sense to form a co-op — to sell the business and real estate to those who know it best and care for it most: the workers and community,” Christopher Janke, who co-owns the business with Mark Wisnewski and Emily Brewster, said in a statement.
The goal of transitioning into a community-owned entity was first looked into in 2018, with the pandemic delaying progress. Still, the process has been able to move forward with guidance from co-op experts, along with a steering committee that has been working since 2024 to organize in a way that seeks to keep a transition viable and smooth.
Janke explained in an interview that the multi-stakeholder cooperative model differs from other cooperative models, like a customer-owned or worker-owned model. In bringing together consumers and employees to own shares of the business, it “democratizes” how the customers as the beneficiaries interact with services like food and entertainment options, while employees get to work together on how the restaurant is run.
Additionally, a board of directors will be voted in by the stakeholders, giving them a say in who should run the operations.
To help get the community up to speed on what’s ahead for the process of transitioning into a cooperative, two meetings are scheduled at The Rendezvous for Thursday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. Janke said this will be a chance for staff members to give an overview of what the plans are, but a majority of the time will be spent fielding questions from people who are curious about the process.
While Janke noted a few parts of the transition are still up in the air, some of the initial plans are for members to pay a one-time $200 stake into the co-op, with reassurance that if something happens and the cooperative is unable to form, this money will be returned. The hope is to have the cooperative established within the 2027 calendar year.
As for the building that houses The Rendezvous, Janke cited a desire to own a space rather than rent as a “business decision” that can help reduce the restaurant’s vulnerabilities to changes that can be made by landlords.
“It’s build-out and capital-intensive, so it makes sense to own the real estate as well,” Janke explained about what it’s like to own a restaurant.
The Rendezvous underwent an independent market appraisal, which estimated that the business is worth $250,000, including equipment and reputation. Additional inventory and cash bring the total to $300,000. The building itself was appraised for $390,000. The Rendezvous owns the business, building and inventory through a limited liability company, Rocket Science LLC, and is offering everything for sale for $590,000, according to the restaurant’s webpage detailing the transition.
Sage Thames, a manager at The Rendezvous, has been working at the restaurant since 2021. To her, a transition into a cooperative model is an opportunity for the restaurant’s workers to divvy up tasks to sustain the business people have grown to love.
“It just gives us an opportunity to do things with fresh eyes, while still maintaining a culture The Voo has grown over all this time,” she said.
Thames mentioned she’ll be participating in the information sessions coming up, with the goal of highlighting the benefits of a co-op transition.
“We want people to know that we’re taking it very seriously,” Thames said, adding that while the transition may take some time, it’s because “we want to do it right.”
With this long-awaited cooperative effort underway, Janke said owners and staff members feel like there’s enough community support behind The Rendezvous to make the leap into a new phase of the nearly two-decade-old business.
“We’re really proud to be able to do this,” Janke said. “We’ve become an important place for employment and entertainment, and we’re really proud of that.”
Information about the cooperative transition at The Rendezvous is available at thevoo.net.
