[Archived] Uptown Retail & Restaurant News 2012-17

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Wedgeguy
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby Wedgeguy » June 5th, 2014, 3:59 pm

As I tried to stress before. The 20 something's are the ones who are willing to spend a larger part of their paycheck on food and alcohol than old folks who have mortgages and kids to have to budget for. If you are trying to turn over tables and get big tabs then this is the target audience that new establishments want and need to stay in business. Reason some don't make it is because they either don't have a good or established business model. Or are located where few people know they are around or in an area where they don't get enough patronage to make ends meet. It is that simple. 20 something's mean a great chance of money in the door. Like it or not, that is the reality of restaurateur's to make they books work.

You can always open your own place to get that place to hangout. But I think you will soon find out why things are the way they are.

WHS
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby WHS » June 5th, 2014, 4:14 pm

As I tried to stress before. The 20 something's are the ones who are willing to spend a larger part of their paycheck on food and alcohol than old folks who have mortgages and kids to have to budget for. If you are trying to turn over tables and get big tabs then this is the target audience that new establishments want and need to stay in business. Reason some don't make it is because they either don't have a good or established business model. Or are located where few people know they are around or in an area where they don't get enough patronage to make ends meet. It is that simple. 20 something's mean a great chance of money in the door. Like it or not, that is the reality of restaurateur's to make they books work.

You can always open your own place to get that place to hangout. But I think you will soon find out why things are the way they are.
Again, though: there are new places that are aimed at one type of comparatively affluent customer, and there are older places that are more affordable and aimed at a different, more local crowd. What you're saying doesn't address why there aren't very many newer places competing for the business of that second group. Yes, there's some risk involved, but restaurants have always been high-risk and it's not like the high-dollar places are bulletproof investments: they frequently fail too. Given the prominence of repeat restaurateurs with significant capital and experience, it kind of feels like a regulatory burden issue.

MNdible
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby MNdible » June 5th, 2014, 4:36 pm

If you tried to open up a new dive bar, everybody would scoff at you for not being an authentic dive bar. You'd just be a god damned poser. You can't win at this game.

Long live the CC and LBV.

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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby Anondson » June 5th, 2014, 4:37 pm

The rise of West End might siphon off much of the "suburban" demographic, making the businesses that were targeting that niche struggle a bit more than in the past. All part of the change of the neighborhoods.

Chef
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby Chef » June 5th, 2014, 7:26 pm

These sorts of places charge $12 for cocktails and $15 for small plates because that is what it costs to make craft driven food and drink and sell it at a modest profit. The demographic for these places is wider than people here think. In the city they are driven by childless couples in their 30s, yuppie women hanging out with their girlfriends, and middle aged gay men as much as they are driven 20 somethings. These sorts of places go out of business easily because a large part of their clientele are people who's hobby it is to check out the cool new restaurant. The challenge in the restaurant business is to transition from the cool new place to the neighborhood institution once the honeymoon period is over. If you can't do that you are going to go out of business unless you are serving Beard Award caliber food or hitting a niche really well. It tends to be the neighborhood institution type places that make money over the long haul.

I got out of the upscale bistro niche because they tend to be financially unstable. It was fun cooking but I like it when my pay checks don't bounce.

Tyler
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby Tyler » June 5th, 2014, 7:32 pm

Seems like you people don't really have a clue. Bradstreet doesn't just charge more for the same shit you get at a dive bar. These are labor intensive hand crafted cocktails. The idea that only yuppies, suburbanites and d-bags enjoy these kinds of drinks is just completely out of touch IMO -- and pretty pretentious it's in own right. But please, show me who's doing the same thing for way cheaper and I'll gladly shut up.

Edit: What Chef said.
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Nick
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby Nick » June 5th, 2014, 7:55 pm

There's this really good Chili's in Maple Grove...
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mplser
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby mplser » June 6th, 2014, 12:15 pm

I've actually seen a bartender at Chili's add water to a drink when the customer wasn't looking

twincitizen
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Re: Uptown Retail News

Postby twincitizen » June 9th, 2014, 3:30 pm

http://www.southwestjournal.com/news/bi ... -sanctions

One of the sanctions should have been that they can't call themselves "Uptown Pawn" (@ Lake & Pleasant)

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TommyT
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby TommyT » June 9th, 2014, 3:33 pm

Looks like Marche has a website...

http://marchempls.com/

twincitizen
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby twincitizen » June 13th, 2014, 11:31 am

Falafel King will close in September. The restaurant owner is selling the building too.
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... plans.html

This makes me really, really happy. I'm beyond tired of looking at the peeling paint and ZERO people ever inside the restaurant. I've eaten there a few times...it's decent enough, but not well patronized at all. I can't see how they stayed in business this long.

Hopefully this means the building will get a little makeover beyond just a new tenant or two. New tenant(s) will almost assuredly be more "upscale" than Falafel King.

mattaudio
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby mattaudio » June 13th, 2014, 11:37 am

This building is ripe for upwards Sabri expansion.

lordmoke
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby lordmoke » June 13th, 2014, 11:43 am

In related news for this area, the Lyndale Tap House building is now bright purple.

Drizzay
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby Drizzay » June 13th, 2014, 12:08 pm

Falafel King will close in September. The restaurant owner is selling the building too.
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... plans.html

This makes me really, really happy. I'm beyond tired of looking at the peeling paint and ZERO people ever inside the restaurant. I've eaten there a few times...it's decent enough, but not well patronized at all. I can't see how they stayed in business this long.

Hopefully this means the building will get a little makeover beyond just a new tenant or two. New tenant(s) will almost assuredly be more "upscale" than Falafel King.

They did open up a new location next to Walgreens in the Calhoun Marketplace (or whatever it is called). Not that the two locations are right next door, but it seemed odd to have another location opening up. I didn't think there was a big hankering for Falafels in Uptown.

Wedgeguy
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby Wedgeguy » June 14th, 2014, 12:08 pm

The building itself is a drawback when it comes to street appeal. You either have to have a reputation as Al's Kitchen has, great food, or have some appeal that makes people want to come in. They have done the most bare necessities as far has trying to make the interior more appealing. I think they have decided it is more money than they want to deal with to fix up the space and building to appeal to the new demographics of the hood. Not sure if they have any advertising in local papers. IF they have any daily specials. In all honesty I have not been in there in over 6 years and I live in the hood. The food at that time was not bad, but it was nothing that got you hooked to come in at least once a week or more.

They are probably looking to get out of ownership as they maybe getting close to retirement, speculation on that thought. The value of buildings is now at the point where they can possibly sell at a good price without having to put more money into the building to sell it. This intersection is a new and happening place and it will only get better with time.

seanrichardryan
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby seanrichardryan » June 15th, 2014, 1:58 am

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... plans.html

The old building is worth restoration.
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neutralica
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby neutralica » June 18th, 2014, 12:08 am

"Craft" bartender here - although I tend to avoid that term because, y'know, we're just bartenders.

I'm always curious and even a little sad to see the resentment some people seem to have for the new generation of young culinary professionals, be they baristas, bartenders - even cooks, sometimes. We bust our ass to learn our trade and know our shit, and people call us "pretentious" because we have taken the time to learn a lot about something esoteric.

I have worked in a lot of different places and I can say that the clientele at most of these places is very eclectic and varied. Minneapolis just doesn't have a large enough population to have many bars populated solely by hipsters on fixies. In my current place of employment we see groups of 50-60 year olds who have been drinking Manhattans for most of their life and are delighted to find someone who takes the classic drinks seriously. We also get young musicians, suburban parents, whiskey snobs and just about every other stereotype you can think of. Reducing people to these silly archetypes just isn't helpful.

Neither is bemoaning the fact that quality costs money. I've worked at some shitty places as well as some high-end ones, and y'know what? You might be paying more at the pricey places, but you're also getting a better value. I've worked at Psycho Suzi's and I can tell you that you may pay less for some syrupy rum drink than a well-balanced one at a "craft" bar - but Leslie Bock is making twice the margins that we are.

The simple fact is that quality takes time, effort and high-quality ingredients. There's no shortcuts. It's disingenuous to pretend that the only people who are willing to pay for quality are 20-somethings because if you were to actually give us a chance to show you what we do, you could look around you and probably see a more familiar audience than you might expect.

It might not be for you and I get that. It's not for me, not every day of the week. Variety is the spice of life; when my colleagues and I are done for the night we head to a dive bar where the bartenders know us. But to regard us with some kind of weird suspicion and loathing because we're running a business based on providing the highest caliber of product and service that we can... It is closed-minded and a bit ignorant to judge like that.

Wedgeguy
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby Wedgeguy » June 18th, 2014, 9:55 am

Thanks you for an honest eye opening perspective. Can't find fault in anything you have said. But alas, only dynamite can change some perspectives of some. But thank you for infusing some fresh opinions into the forum.

seanrichardryan
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby seanrichardryan » June 20th, 2014, 9:03 am

Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

seanrichardryan
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Re: Uptown Restaurant News

Postby seanrichardryan » June 20th, 2014, 9:06 am

The Dunn Bros is nearing completion on 25.5th & Hennepin. Looks like barnwood & filament lights for the decor :roll:
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.


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