[Archived] Uptown Retail & Restaurant News 2012-17

[Chef]

Gray House is closing. This is the spot between It's Greek To Me and Fuji Ya, on the eastern leg of the Lyn-Lake intersection. Kind of a tough spot if you ask me, because Lyn-Lake's activity center dies in a hurry going eastward. Beyond the City-owned parking lot behind Fuji-Ya, you run straight into vacant land and auto-repair/auto-sales lots for several blocks.

http://tcbmag.com/News/Recent-News/2014 ... e-Its-Door

Much like the Heidi's space on Lyndale, I doubt it will be too long before something else moves in. It would be nice to get something other than a fancy sit-down restaurant in the spot.

That spot seems to be the ultimate restaurant graveyard in the neighborhood. Before Grey House it was Risotto which was also completely invisible and unknown for the couple of years it was open. What was it before that? I've already forgotten.

[seanrichardryan]

It's an awful restaurant spot, mainly because of the awkward windows and layout. It's no wonder.

[MNdible]

I've liked both Risotto and Gray House and will be bummed to lose them. It's a small space, with nice windows to the street and an intimate feel, but I could see how having so few tables to turn can be problematic for an operation.

I seem to recall that it was fitted out in its current restaurant form as some sort of a vanity project.

[lordmoke]

Because Rye was apparently in Uptown, I'll leave this here- the space is already spoken for:
http://www.vita.mn/crawl/261737931.html

[WHS]

Because Rye was apparently in Uptown, I'll leave this here- the space is already spoken for:
http://www.vita.mn/crawl/261737931.html

I almost hope this fails hard, out of pure vindictiveness. 12 dollar cocktails and 15 dollar "small plates"? Give me a break. Rye wasn't the greatest, but it was nice having a place I could walk to and also afford.

[Tyler]

Bradstreet still makes the best cocktails in town. And I'd say food prices are actually pretty reasonable. Plus, I'd expect pricing to drop some with this new concept...

[blobs]

12 dollar cocktails and 15 dollar "small plates"? Give me a break.

-1

[TommyT]

BTDubs... I've eaten at Lago Taco's 3x since they opened... Delicious! Probably my new favorite place to eat.

[LakeCharles]

I almost hope this fails hard, out of pure vindictiveness. 12 dollar cocktails and 15 dollar "small plates"? Give me a break. Rye wasn't the greatest, but it was nice having a place I could walk to and also afford.

>$10 is pretty standard for a quality cocktail in this town (or any town, really). See Marvel Bar, Icehouse, Eat St. Social, Butcher & the Boar, etc. Just because you don't appreciate what you goes into a drink doesn't mean others don't.

[WHS]

>$10 is pretty standard for a quality cocktail in this town (or any town, really). See Marvel Bar, Icehouse, Eat St. Social, Butcher & the Boar, etc. Just because you don't appreciate what you goes into a drink doesn't mean others don't.

Good point: it's pretty standard when you compare it to all the other trendy, expensive hotspots that are just like it and mostly equally unbearable. I'm sure this man will love it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3RiV9zJfCk

[WHS]

In all seriousness I don't mind having the space filled but it's weird that practically every new restaurant and bar is targeted at the exact same (frequently detestable) social and economic demographic.

[xandrex]

In all seriousness I don't mind having the space filled but it's weird that practically every new restaurant and bar is targeted at the exact same (frequently detestable) social and economic demographic.

What is detestable about the demographic who go to "trendy" restaurants?

[Wedgeguy]

They are marketing it to the people that will frequently spend their money. Guys like me are, at best a once a week drinker and I look for happy hour specials. They make very little off me as I generally don't eat, I just enjoy what I'm drinking and am social. It is all about turning over tables or keeping the drinks coming for a nice tab.

[LakeCharles]

What is detestable about the demographic who go to "trendy" restaurants?

If you spend your money in different ways than WHS spends his money, you are a detestable person. Which includes me apparently, because I like craft cocktails.

[clf]

I find it interesting that these "Trendy" places are constantly opening and closing, but the more dive type places have been running 40+ years.

[LakeCharles]

The dive places that exist have figured out their niche and once you've survived 40 years you should be able to keep trucking. But I can't think of a single dive bar that has opened in the past 10 years, so of course they won't be constantly closing if they never open up in the first place. I'm guessing it'd be hard to open up a dive bar due to alcohol sale restrictions and being really low margin. Which is too bad, it'd be fun if we had more of them.

[Wedgeguy]

Most dive bars are paid for and held onto. They are not heavily modified and updated like most newer places that have a lot of debt to service. I look at the 19 and Liquor Lyles. They have their established niche in the market place. They have their regulars that help to keep the steady cash flow going month after month. These are not establishments that their customers get tired of and move on. They have costumer loyalty. Why Nye's is still going strong in the NE.

[PhilmerPhil]

Aren't liquor laws a big part of the reason dives are so long lasting? Since they were grandfathered in, they don't have to adhere to the stricter liquor to food ratios that newer restaurants have to work around. Anyone know any more about this?

[WHS]

The dive places that exist have figured out their niche and once you've survived 40 years you should be able to keep trucking. But I can't think of a single dive bar that has opened in the past 10 years, so of course they won't be constantly closing if they never open up in the first place. I'm guessing it'd be hard to open up a dive bar due to alcohol sale restrictions and being really low margin. Which is too bad, it'd be fun if we had more of them.

This is precisely what bugs me: we're constantly getting new places targeted at 20-something yuppies (who have been pretty widely detested for, like, three decades, so chill out, I'm not saying everyone who likes a nice cocktail now and again is awful). But there's comparatively little commercial development targeted at neighborhood residents -- the kind of people who participate in daily or almost-daily commerce in a limited geographic area.

And while having a bit of the former is good and all, I wonder if it really contributes to the kind of bustling urban environment that makes cities good places to live. Basically, if you have to put a valet up front because you know 2/3s of your clientele are driving in from out of the area and couldn't parallel park to save their lives, I'm skeptical that you're contributing as much to the density or livability of the area as somewhere where most customers walk in from down the street. Particularly if you're so pricey that most of the population couldn't afford to patronize your business regularly.

[WHS]

Aren't liquor laws a big part of the reason dives are so long lasting? Since they were grandfathered in, they don't have to adhere to the stricter liquor to food ratios that newer restaurants have to work around. Anyone know any more about this?

I too wonder about this. Anyone?

Edit: it really feels to me like something is tilting the scales against smaller/divier places. It's weird and counterintuitive that the restaurants that are booming are the ones that require the most startup capital.