Church Street Station

[GTR]

25 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

Isn't there supposed to be a home bar attached to the outside of the new stadium?

Even so, I can't imagine the number of people that will want to venture to that part of town when there isn't a game. The Church Street bar sounds like a great way to make money on non-home games days and to sell team schwag. People want retail downtown.

[Pete C]

22 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

Isn't there supposed to be a home bar attached to the outside of the new stadium?

No, there won't be an exterior facing bar. There will be a ground level Heineken branded bar on the south side where people inside can see through the fence to the street, but it's only open on game day and for people inside the stadium.

[HankStrong]

43 minutes ago, Pete C said:

No, there won't be an exterior facing bar. There will be a ground level Heineken branded bar on the south side where people inside can see through the fence to the street, but it's only open on game day and for people inside the stadium.

Thanks.  I knew I saw a street bar somewhere.  I appreciate the clarification.

51 minutes ago, GTR said:

Even so, I can't imagine the number of people that will want to venture to that part of town when there isn't a game. The Church Street bar sounds like a great way to make money on non-home games days and to sell team schwag. People want retail downtown.

Well, hopefully (and I know it's a huge stretch) they can make this section of downtown interesting again.

[orlandoguy]

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle:
http://bungalower.com/2018/03/12/california-tortilla-opening-church-street-location-march-14/

[HankStrong]

8 hours ago, orlandoguy said:

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle:
http://bungalower.com/2018/03/12/california-tortilla-opening-church-street-location-march-14/

 

I also thought this would never actually open.  

We went to El Budda the other night and I saw the note on the door about it opening and pretended to faint on the street in front of it.  Our friends didn't get the reference.

[orlandoguy]

El Buda is awesome.

[JFW657]

10 hours ago, orlandoguy said:

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle:
http://bungalower.com/2018/03/12/california-tortilla-opening-church-street-location-march-14/

Free burritos all day????

I Know how I'll be spending my day tomorrow...

[codypet]

^^That was my initial reaction.

[jrs2]

6 hours ago, JFW657 said:

Free burritos all day????

I Know how I'll be spending my day tomorrow...

So is this gonna be like waiting in line at those concert venues along Orange Ave?  10am ribbon cutting.  there will be some serious "positioning" going on to get a first 10 position for free burritos all year.

[JFW657]

4 hours ago, jrs2 said:

So is this gonna be like waiting in line at those concert venues along Orange Ave?  10am ribbon cutting.  there will be some serious "positioning" going on to get a first 10 position for free burritos all year.

Yeah, I won't be there for that. I wouldn't even want a year's free burritos. I'd have to take one day out of every week just to go get my free burrito. I'm guessing a years worth of free burritos = one per week.

I'll just be happy with my one free one.

[Camillo Sitte]

On 3/13/2018 at 10:00 AM, JFW657 said:

Free burritos all day????

I Know how I'll be spending my day tomorrow...

Yeah, about those “free burritos all day”, nope - not even close.

I’m inclined to call this a ripoff but false and deceptive is probably more accurate.

Desipte today being their “grand opening”, they actually aren’t open, so say the hastily posted signs on their doors. As for the free burritos, those are only available during two 2-hour blocks; 11AM-1PM and 5PM-7PM.

 

[Jernigan]

So if not today...when are the two hour blocks?

[Camillo Sitte]

3 hours ago, Jernigan said:

So if not today...when are the two hour blocks?

The two 2-hour blocks are today.

But - according to the signs on their doors - they are not actually open, even as still larger signs proclaim today as their 'Grand Opening'. 

As for the deceptive 'free burritos all day but not really' thing, one of the signs on the front doors said something like "In order to properly serve all of our hungry burrito eaters today, we will not have regular service and free burritos will only be offered between 11AM-1PM and 5PM-7PM". Of course that is complete nonsense and BS double-speak for "we are going to limit the number of free burritos we have to give away by drastically limiting the time window for claiming a burrito".

Like I said, technically not a "ripoff" as you aren't paying for anything, but still dishonest and deceptive. When the group I was with stopped by today [~2PM]  there were a good fifteen or so employees chowing down, but no one else. When we walked in, a woman jumped up out of her seat [a manager I believe], mouth still full of burrito, and told us they weren't actually open and we'd have to come back starting at 5PM for free burritos. One person in the group asked her about all the advertising they had done about free burritos today and she just pointed to the sign on the door.

There are plenty of places in Orlando - even downtown - to buy a decent burrito, so I will just check this place off my list of places to spend my money.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Camillo Sitte

[jrs2]

I saw a line with at least 60 people in it around 12:30pm.  I left.

[JFW657]

I got there around 3:30 - 3:45pm. Pulled a chair up just inside the balloon arch out of the sun and sat there. Around 4:20 or so, a manager/owner guy came out to talk to another manager/owner gal who was chatting with a couple of cops. He asked me what kind of burrito I'd like. I told him beef sounded ok, so he finished chatting with the gal and the cops, went back inside and a couple of minutes later, came back out with my burrito around 4:30. I didn't argue. Anyway, I just finished it. Pretty good I guess. About like Chipotle. 

[jgardnerucf]

$5 it becomes a chipotle by year end?

[HankStrong]

7 hours ago, jgardnerucf said:

$5 it becomes a chipotle by year end?

Not a bet I'd take.  Too likely.

[Camillo Sitte]

And just like that, California Tortilla on Church Street is no more...

Signs on the doors from the landlord's attorney say they are being sued for breach of contract.

Over-priced and mediocre. Good riddance.

[spenser1058]

8 hours ago, Camillo Sitte said:

And just like that, California Tortilla on Church Street is no more...

Signs on the doors from the landlord's attorney say they are being sued for breach of contract.

Over-priced and mediocre. Good riddance.

 

[codypet]

10 hours ago, Camillo Sitte said:

And just like that, California Tortilla on Church Street is no more...

Signs on the doors from the landlord's attorney say they are being sued for breach of contract.

Over-priced and mediocre. Good riddance.

My wife ate there last week.  I'll have to tell her.

[spenser1058]

On 3/15/2018 at 7:26 AM, HankStrong said:

Not a bet I'd take.  Too likely.

Chipotle is one of three fast food (or fast casual) chains to close more US locations this year than it opened (the other are Papa John’s and Subway). So, probably not them.

[AndyPok1]

On 12/13/2018 at 9:46 PM, Camillo Sitte said:

And just like that, California Tortilla on Church Street is no more...

Signs on the doors from the landlord's attorney say they are being sued for breach of contract.

Over-priced and mediocre. Good riddance.

Fascinating thing about this.  Friend from DC was in town over Thanksgiving and gave him many a tour.  He saw it and was like OH YOU GUYS GOT A CALTORT? THATS AWESOME and whipped out his loyalty club card or whatever.  He generally has extremely good taste in food so I was very bewildered.  We ended up doing some digging.  It has to be something with how the local franchisee/management were running them.  Around the DC area, they have a 4+ star review consistently.  And there are a bunch of good local chains they're competing with there.  Church St has a 2.6 and there was one either south on 192 or somewhere that had a 3.1

Sounds like a good chain that just wasn't able to successfully expand beyond their home base.

[HankStrong]

36 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Chipotle is one of three fast food (or fast casual) chains to close more US locations this year than it opened (the other are Papa John’s and Subway). So, probably not them.

I wasn't professing my love of Chipotle, because I definitely don't love them.  It just seemed likely, more likely than that California mess.

My wife watched some show with the creator of Chipotle a few years ago (googling says it was called America's Next Great Restaurant) and wow did that dude come across as an EPIC LEVEL DB.  Like one that you could put in the dictionary next to the word.  But it certainly goes with the stores.  I won't eat there unless forced by circumstances (the last time I ate there was in a food court when the rest of the options were much worse) because I've never been anywhere that just has no desire for your business whatsoever.  The "why are you here" mentality seems to come stock with the corrugated metal wainscoting. 

[spenser1058]

2 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

I wasn't professing my love of Chipotle, because I definitely don't love them.  It just seemed likely, more likely than that California mess.

My wife watched some show with the creator of Chipotle a few years ago (googling says it was called America's Next Great Restaurant) and wow did that dude come across as an EPIC LEVEL DB.  Like one that you could put in the dictionary next to the word.  But it certainly goes with the stores.  I won't eat there unless forced by circumstances (the last time I ate there was in a food court when the rest of the options were much worse) because I've never been anywhere that just has no desire for your business whatsoever.  The "why are you here" mentality seems to come stock with the corrugated metal wainscoting. 

Then, of course, it’s Tijuana Flats, founded by UCF alums. Charge On, Amigos!

[jgardnerucf]

True. Welp, Tijuana Flats is coming back downtown and Taco Bell Cantina are coming to central/orange. Also an Italian place too!