Columnist Susan Snyder: Vegas is puttin’ on the Ritz

Friday, Jan. 11, 2002 | 4:25 a.m.

Marcus Ritz has been chief chef of his own restaurants in Florida and New York.

But opening those ventures was cake compared to opening Marc's, his world cuisine restaurant in Summerlin. In a town where people love to eat, Ritz says he's frustrated that it seems they love to eat chain food.

Ritz says he's "not a foo-foo chef," but he pulls influences for his original and traditional fare from all over -- Italy, China, the Caribbean.

But at noon on a recent weekday, the restaurant on the northeast corner of Tenaya Way and Lake Mead Boulevard was empty, except for its chef, bartender and waiter.

Ritz is not accustomed to that. They lined up to eat in his Jupiter, Fla., steakhouse and the Seneca Inn he ran in New York, he says. His passion for cooking and creating runs deep and runs in the family.

Ritz and his brother grew up in Singer Island, a posh community on Florida's east coast, helping their father run his popular Italian restaurant.

"We'd be out playing basketball, and my father would whistle for us and say we had to come in to make the sauce, make the subs or do the dishes," Ritz said. "I have a passion for this. I love doing this."

He'd have to. Opening a restaurant is hard. But opening Marc's has been as hard as studying law. Murphy's law.

The owner of the restaurant that previously occupied that space wouldn't let loose of the liquor license for less than $40,000, Ritz said, adding that it originally was part of the lease deal.

Ritz shopped around and found one for $34,000, but it won't be approved until Feb. 6. So he opened selling beer and wine only -- but it's good wine.

Ritz spent spring and summer slapping new paint and stucco on the walls, assembling dining tables and even hand-painting the grout in the ceramic tile trim that runs around wall.

He hit auctions for restaurant and kitchen equipment. He found some good deals and one really bad one. Most of his kitchen appliances came from a single discount dealer.

"They worked for about a week," Ritz said. "I ended up having to get everything repaired."

Even the menu didn't come out as planned. The artsy "M" that was to be silhouetted behind the script is upside down. New menus are on the way, but not from the original printer.

"First he can't find the (computer) disk, and now we can't find him," Ritz said, laughing. "We found all the losers in town."

And we're not done yet.

He opened in mid-August, and the first couple of weeks were frightfully slow. Business really picked up by the first week of September, Ritz said. Word spreads fast when the food is good.

And then, well, you know.

"Personally, I lost $110,000 in the stock market on (Sept.) 12th. That was my backup money," he said. "I pawned a Rolex watch and some jewelry last week to make payroll."

He's hoping to lure new customers with his wine lounge, a comfortable area where people relax in overstuffed chairs and sofas, munch delectable appetizers and sip wine from his extensive list. But visit soon.

"This is a tough business," Ritz said.

More often than not, these days. We can save a drowning neighbor. But we must first let go of the chain.