{"id":2300959,"date":"2026-02-26T10:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T10:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2300959"},"modified":"2026-02-26T10:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T10:38:17","slug":"silva-draws-crowds-but-loses-money-on-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/silva-draws-crowds-but-loses-money-on-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"Silva draws crowds but loses money on entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"content-container\" data-article=\"digital\" style=\"display:block\">\n                    <!-- content --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Silva has no shortage of customers. Weekend diners face lengthy waits at Mark Secchia\u2019s year-old \u201cdinner-tainment\u201d venue in Grand Rapids\u2019 Monroe North neighborhood. But turning a profit on acts ranging from drag queens, magicians and sword swallowers is proving far more difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secchia opened Silva at 975 Ottawa Ave. NW in February 2025 with a vision to serve \u201csomething different\u201d in Grand Rapids, mixing dining with a revolving door of live performances during meals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He designed Silva as a colorful, eclectic space that drew inspiration from its building and past Grand Rapids businesses, including Tootsie Van Kelly\u2019s, a club Secchia\u2019s late father owned at the Amway Grand Plaza.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Keep up with all things West Michigan business.<\/i><\/b><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cb.sailthru.com\/join\/7hq\/signup?hash=8bab137af60f924f97d12b0816853c87\"> <b><i>Sign up for our free newsletters today<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-content_inline  tdi_2 td_block_template_8\">\n<style><![CDATA[.tdi_2.td-a-rec{text-align:center}.tdi_2.td-a-rec:not(.td-a-rec-no-translate){transform:translateZ(0)}.tdi_2 .td-element-style{z-index:-1}.tdi_2.td-a-rec-img{text-align:left}.tdi_2.td-a-rec-img img{margin:0 auto 0 0}.tdi_2 .td_spot_img_all img,.tdi_2 .td_spot_img_tl img,.tdi_2 .td_spot_img_tp img,.tdi_2 .td_spot_img_mob img{border-style:none}@media (max-width:767px){.tdi_2.td-a-rec-img{text-align:center}}]]><\/style>\n<p><!-- \/105554924\/cgr\/home -->\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A year later, Secchia said he feels \u201creally, really good about the concept we put together.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI really like the idea of it just being something a little different, the building a little different, the staff a little different, the entertainment a little different,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it matches almost the exact vision (I had for Silva).\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At dinner and weekend brunch, Silva hosts drag queens, singers, magicians, sword swallowers and other performers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Silva hires entertainers from varied sources, Secchia said. Some are local performers, while others come from Chicago and Detroit and stop at the restaurant to perform on their way to other cities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_224535\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-224535\" style=\"width: 665px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-224535\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Secchia, owner of Silva. Credit: Seth Thompson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><b>Booking the Big Room\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond the restaurant, the property also features The Big Room, a 16,000-square-foot entertainment venue that opened in June featuring a stage, green room and space for up to 1,500 guests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Big Room books both live performances and private events. The venue\u2019s calendar through October 2026 includes open mic nights, karaoke, variety shows, adult prom and dance parties, alongside live music, drag shows and an upcoming comedy show presented by Grand Rapids\u2019 LaughFest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secchia said the venue has successfully attracted shows and customers, but the business still loses money on events after paying staff, security and the acts. Silva currently charges between $30 and $50 per ticket for concerts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In exploring potential uses for the space, Secchia considered rock climbing walls, golf simulators, pickleball courts or a dance club.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy business plan did not initially include a 1,500-capacity concert\/wedding reception venue,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was never part of it. This building just came with (the space).\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the events calendar continues to fill up, Secchia is casting a wide net to determine what customers want to see.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019re just throwing a lot of stuff at the wall to see what sticks,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The experimentation includes a partnership with downtown venue The Pyramid Scheme, which is scheduled to present three shows at the Big Room in the coming months, including concerts by metalcore band All That Remains and alternative rock band Anberlin and a performance by drag queen Pattie Gonia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pyramid Scheme will promote its shows hosted at Silva, putting the Big Room in front of a wider audience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secchia said the partnership taps into Pyramid Scheme\u2019s event\u00a0booking and marketing expertise since \u201cour managers aren\u2019t experienced\u201d in the field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhy we\u2019re able to sell out somebody like Pattie Gonia is because (Pyramid Scheme\u2019s) name is on it and their marketing is behind it,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quinn Matthews, talent buyer at Silva, said the partnership formed when he connected with Nate Dorough, program manager at Pyramid Scheme, to promote and produce Big Room shows. The partnership gives Pyramid Scheme access to a larger venue while drawing national performers to the Big Room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tami VandenBerg, co-owner and co-founder of the Pyramid Scheme, said new venues often face challenges booking acts \u201cbecause the industry is (based) around trust and experience and referrals. When you\u2019re new and folks don\u2019t really know you, it can be challenging to get people in.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Big Room is one of a handful of venues, including the 400-seat Wealthy Street Theater and 1,500-seat Fountain Street Church, that Pyramid Scheme books outside of its own space, which has a capacity for 420 people. For VandenBerg, The Big Room\u2019s size makes it an attractive fourth option for Pyramid Scheme to book.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere\u2019s just good alignment between what we\u2019re trying to do, the kind of music we are looking to bring in (and Silva),\u201d she said, noting that a handful of additional Pyramid Scheme concerts are \u201cin the works\u201d at The Big Room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Matthews said that the Big Room hopes to attract local bands and larger touring shows in the coming year. However, he\u2019s keeping the door open to all types of concerts and performances, including theater, as well as the possibility of working with other local promoters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis whole adventure is new \u2014 all of Silva and the Big Room,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cWe\u2019re sort of learning as we go what we want this to become.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_242118\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-242118\" style=\"width: 663px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-242118\" src=\"https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC-300x205.jpg.optimal.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"663\" height=\"453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC-300x205.jpg.optimal.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC-1024x698.jpg.optimal.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC-768x524.jpg.optimal.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC-1536x1048.jpg.optimal.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC-218x150.jpg.optimal.jpg 218w, https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC-696x475.jpg.optimal.jpg 696w, https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC-50x34.jpg.optimal.jpg 50w, https:\/\/s43098.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-exterior-KC.jpg.optimal.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-242118\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Silva opened in early 2025. Credit: Kate Carlson, Crain\u2019s Grand Rapids Business<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><b>Figuring out what works<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Silva hosts open auditions for potential talent and hires others on contract through local entertainment groups, while some servers and bartenders who work at the restaurant also perform for guests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To find the right entertainers, Secchia said Silva focuses on \u201cwhat they do, what their attitude is and what their outfits are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have a very strong spirit of being who we are, and we want people to match that spirit,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Performers at Silva fall into two categories. One-on-one entertainers such as mentalists or magicians who perform for groups of customers, and general entertainers, who sing, juggle or dance, but don\u2019t interact with customers directly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While live performances act as a draw, Secchia said maintaining a roster of entertainers has proven to be expensive for the business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have all this roaming entertainment that has to be paid for,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re not busking, we\u2019re not asking the guests to pay the performers directly \u2014 we are.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although one-on-one entertainers can engage with a handful of customers at once, they are \u201cextremely expensive\u201d for the restaurant, Secchia said, as they don\u2019t drive any direct revenue for the business. General performers, such as singers, jugglers and dancers, don\u2019t interact directly with guests but are more cost-effective because they entertain larger groups at once.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have to have that balance between the really expensive, one-to-one unique experiences with the more one-on-100 experiences, where we can absorb that cost over a bigger group,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Secchia believes he\u2019s created the atmosphere he intended to at Silva, he\u2019s acknowledged that, one year in, he\u2019s still solidifying the business model.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe spend first and then we kind of figure out what\u2019s working for us and what isn\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cWe hope that we end up getting the business that we think we can get and don\u2019t have to change anything \u2026 but the reality of the restaurant world is that not everything works all the time and we may have to do something different in the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the business is performing well, particularly on weekends, managing the operating cost of employing a roster of entertainers is \u201cthe struggle we have not conquered,\u201d Secchia said, noting that in addition to entertainers, Silva has a large staff for the restaurant, private dining spaces, bocce courts and events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019re just doing what we\u2019ve always wanted to do, and then we\u2019ll stand back later on and evaluate it,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know when later on is, (but) probably mid August is when we\u2019re going to sit around and ask, \u2018Do we need to pivot, and how should we?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>More from Crain\u2019s Grand Rapids Business:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crainsgrandrapids.com\/news\/real-estate\/vangessel-sells-8-downtown-grand-rapids-retail-properties-for-3-1m\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VanGessel sells 8 downtown Grand Rapids retail properties for $3.1M\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crainsgrandrapids.com\/news\/retail\/caseys-plans-3-more-stores-as-west-michigan-push-accelerates\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Casey\u2019s plans 3 more stores as West Michigan push accelerates<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crainsgrandrapids.com\/news\/restaurants-1\/quickwater-coffee-expands-with-lobby-cafe-at-bridge-street-apartments\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quickwater Coffee expands with lobby cafe at Bridge Street apartments<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.crainsgrandrapids.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Silva has no shortage of customers. Weekend diners face lengthy waits at Mark Secchia\u2019s year-old \u201cdinner-tainment\u201d venue in Grand Rapids\u2019 Monroe North neighborhood. But turning a profit on acts ranging from drag queens, magicians and sword swallowers is proving far more difficult. Secchia opened Silva at 975 Ottawa Ave. NW in February 2025 with a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2300960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2300959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Silva-draws-crowds-but-loses-money-on-entertainment.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2300959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2300959"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2300959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2300961,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2300959\/revisions\/2300961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2300960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2300959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2300959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2300959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}