March 1985 – The Opening of Marika

Sergey Yakovlev, the first manager of "Marika":
«In 1985, into some official's bright bureaucratic head came the idea of opening, in an old mansion on Petrovka, a branch of the "Budapest" restaurant, which was all the rage in Moscow at the time. After all, every self-respecting restaurant should have its own café-patisserie, where the regulars of "Budapest" could always drink a cup of coffee and eat their pastry. And since back then we were still friends with the countries of the socialist camp, they decided to name the café with the Magyar girl's name "Marika". The establishment's small space was designed for forty-five seats, had a menu approved by the higher-ups, fixed working hours and a charming "faux-wood" interior. It was expected that people would come here as families, drink coffee, gazing at the walls panelled in stained boards, and quietly pine for life abroad.
Not a chance.
The team that took the helm of the café "Marika" was oriented towards a different kind of entertainment. Sergey Yakovlev, Alexander Bukhteev and Sergey Stegantsov had behind them extensive experience working in the most varied establishments, including the restaurants of the merry Gorky Park of Culture and Leisure. They knew exactly how to make "Marika" fashionable and popular. And they began swiftly bringing their plans to life.
At first, though, the Soviet system wouldn't let them spread their wings properly. "Marika" was subordinate to higher authorities, which controlled every little thing. It says in the decree that the country is conducting an anti-alcohol campaign – so be so kind as to serve visitors colourful non-alcoholic cocktails. There's a clause in the rules of operation that the establishment works until 11 p.m. – so close at exactly the appointed time. Probably, if its managers had been pedantic, law-abiding citizens, "Marika" would have remained a dreary Soviet café. But they were cut from a different cloth. Fairly quickly a rumour swept through Moscow – at "Marika" it's actually fun.
The phenomenon of this club is something even its owners don't attempt to explain today. There seemed to be nothing special about the place. The same bar, that dreary Soviet interior… The music, though, was a bit different. First of all, even then "Marika" had a disc jockey. His name was Mikhail Silaev, and he masterfully worked the mixing console and two cassette recorders. He had at his disposal the latest recordings of Western pop hits, and that settled the matter. In the evenings a queue would form outside "Marika" of people wanting to get "into the disco". They let you in for five roubles, and even then not everyone. At the entrance there was always Sergey Stegantsev, carrying out face control. That term didn't yet exist back then, but the principle "inside – only familiar faces" was strictly observed. Fairly soon "Marika" became a club in the narrow sense of the word. That is, everyone knew each other, drank "to good health", and could always get a small tab at the bar. Behind the counter, by the way, there was always one of the partners, Sergey Yakovlev. This too was one of the establishment's principles: "The guest must know the bartender, and the bartender – the guest." And such mutual understanding brought the establishment very decent money.
One "but" – like any catering establishment, "Marika" had to close at exactly eleven at night. However, even this rule they learned to get around. Formally, "Marika" did close at 11 p.m.: the "unwanted" guests were deftly ushered out onto the street. Regular visitors, meanwhile, were offered to move their car into the courtyard and calmly finish their cocktail. The "in" guests felt themselves the elite and didn't spare money at the bar».