Word: pauls
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...PAUL LEE HAD NO INTENTION OF FOLLOWing his father into the restaurant business. He remembers, "I didn't want to be here in the beginning. I wanted to give the 9 to 5 grind a try...I went to Clarkson College and studied computer science. I had jobs lined up. Then in 1986, on the night of my graduation, my father had a heart attack. So I came back to help out." Under Paul's leadership, the 1990s have been a decade of prosperity for the Kong...
...Paul explains that the college crowds that used to pack the second floor bar have waned over the years: "People still party, but there's less of it. It seems like the kids don't go out as much. They have exams, papers..." So, Paul shifted his focus to an older clientele. He says he tried to go after the graduate school crowd, but with only marginal success. In 1993, he made the propitious decision to transform the third floor into a dance club. He booked D.J. Tim Mann and hoped for the best. What he got was hordes...
There has also been an influx of local characters, oddballs from all around Cambridge who are attracted to the Kong's low-key atmosphere. Paul describes one of his favorites: "Well, there's Marc, the real little guy who always hangs out behind the Lethal Enforcer machine. I think he did too much acid back in the '60s. Supposedly he was really smart, but I guess he fried his brain." As far as Paul is concerned, freaks of nature will always be welcome at the Kong. He lays out his philosophy: "As far as I'm concerned...
...believes the word around Harvard, the Kong's policy toward underage drinking is similarly laissez-faire. While undergraduates might not frequent the Kong's upper levels to the same extent as they used to, the late night Bowl is still a popular pastime--especially for the youngsters. Paul acknowledges that, in the past, the Kong's wait staff has had some trouble discerning the validity of some ID's: "If you got a note from your mother saying you were 21 and laminated it, [my waiters] would probably accept it...We have to keep on top of them...
...KONG IS THE ONE OF THE LAST OF A dying breed--family owned establishments in the Square. Paul reflects, "There aren't many of us left. It's hard to keep up with the times, you have to constantly reinvent yourself. And the transition from one generation to the next is really hard." Paul is proud of the Kong's survival and is happy to have carried on the tradition his father started nearly 50 years ago. "It's nice," he says, "I have people's kids coming in here now whose parents knew my parents...You get generations...