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Another bar/restaurant bites the dust


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Therapy has closed. No real surprise to me.

well damn. not TOO surprised either but i liked going there for breakfast to-go. since i live right across the street at tryon house it is a pretty big blow to my block.

uptown got over-saturated with trendy modern bar/lounges, and the best recent additions have been of the more down-to-earth variety (dandelion market, eggheads). its a great space so i think something will go there soon, i just hope it doesn't repeat therapy's mistakes.

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well damn. not TOO surprised either but i liked going there for breakfast to-go. since i live right across the street at tryon house it is a pretty big blow to my block.

uptown got over-saturated with trendy modern bar/lounges, and the best recent additions have been of the more down-to-earth variety (dandelion market, eggheads). its a great space so i think something will go there soon, i just hope it doesn't repeat therapy's mistakes.

I don't think they should have expanded. Maybe the extra rent was too much for it to survive. Also, it'

s a bit off the beaten path as far as nightlife goes.

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Fiji sushi on 5th street also has closed. Not a big surprise to me. I have never heard of anyone eating there, and uptown is a bit overpopulated with sushi joints now. This seems like one of those doomed spots like where Molly MacPherson's is now. But I think Molly's will live on for many years. This spot just has to find the right scene like they did at Molly's...hopefully the next iteration will last more than a year.

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I don't think it is a coincidence that the places that are closing, Fiji, Therapy, Ratcliffe have all be upscale or try to present an upscale image while the places that seem to be doing well and have most people excited, Mollys, Dandelion, Eggheads and Hooligans are laid back pub/restaurants.

A large part is the economy but I also think that city center had long past it's saturation of "trendy" and touristy/day visitor spots while lacking a good number of regular joe/residents places.

Edited by Urbanity
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I don't think it is a coincidence that the places that are closing, Fiji, Therapy, Ratcliffe have all be upscale or try to present an upscale image while the places that seem to be doing well and have most people excited, Mollys, Dandelion, Eggheads and Hooligans are laid back pub/restaurants.

A large part is the economy but I also think that city center had long past it's saturation of "trendy" and touristy/day visitor spots while lacking a good number of regular joe/residents places.

i totally agree, and think that what eventually fills all those spaces will be reflections of that. Therapy and Fiji in particular had too many direct competitors that offered a better experience at the same price. For Fiji, it was the (imo) vastly superior Room 112 and Enso, and for Therapy it was just a lot of similar newer places like Crave, Kazbah, Luna Lounge (also not likely to last), etc.

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I don't think it is a coincidence that the places that are closing, Fiji, Therapy, Ratcliffe have all be upscale or try to present an upscale image while the places that seem to be doing well and have most people excited, Mollys, Dandelion, Eggheads and Hooligans are laid back pub/restaurants.

A large part is the economy but I also think that city center had long past it's saturation of "trendy" and touristy/day visitor spots while lacking a good number of regular joe/residents places.

Yea, there are only so many upscale places that can be supported. It's nice to finally see some diversification in the bars and restaurants. Has anyone been to Molly MacPherson's yet? I've been wanting to check it out.

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Yea, there are only so many upscale places that can be supported. It's nice to finally see some diversification in the bars and restaurants. Has anyone been to Molly MacPherson's yet? I've been wanting to check it out.

I was there at an off time and I was cranky going in so take this for what its worth. I thought MacPherson's had a stripmall bar vibe and had an interesting (but not particularly good) beer selection (I had the 'kelpie' a Scottish beer featuring actual seaweed).

Despite all that I will likely give it another chance.

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Yea, there are only so many upscale places that can be supported. It's nice to finally see some diversification in the bars and restaurants. Has anyone been to Molly MacPherson's yet? I've been wanting to check it out.

I went a couple weeks ago. They have some pretty good food. I got an appetizer sampler and the Scotch eggs were my favorite - Hard-boiled eggs encased in sausage and deep fried. They have quite a selection of scotch, and the the owner of the Charlotte location (who is Scottish) was there and was extremely knowledgeable about everything on the scotch menu. It was pretty packed when we were in there on a Saturday night. I enjoyed it, and I'll definitely return.

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It's one of my favorites. To me, it's got a neighborhood bar feeling.

Yeah I agree. It's got several tiered levels (all overlooking the main floor). A nice place to go with a small handful of friends and find your own little area to hang out (we played darts in the back 3rd tier - I liked it because there is a window that overlooks 5th Street/Dandelion/etc).

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  • 3 weeks later...

This one caught me off guard: Common House has closed. It's being renovated into another restaurant by the owner. Apparently the original owners left a few months ago. I loved the food there, though it was a hair on the pricey side.

i went to loco lime last thursday and noticed the sign. although Common House was good, it never stood out as an enticing place that i remembered to go to. i would love some more ethnic food in the area (indian or korean!)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yeah, there was a pretty epic flame war going in the CL's comments after the story broke yesterday. I still don't quite understand it all. The plan is to franchise the brand across Charlotte and beyond? The Ballentine family's younger generation is taking over, I think. The current managers and the crew are all moving to the Diamond.

Never been a fan of the Penguin but value it's iconography in a town that has few authentic institutions left. The plans by the incoming group to add a patio and freshen the building up could be a good idea. But a franchise plan seems to promise a more plastic feel. We shall see. The Diamond seems destined to become the new haunt to those loyal to the current guys @Penguin.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Central Cafe & Bar was closed this past weekend. And late at night, when they get most of their business.

hmm that didn't last long. too bad...but i was never tempted to go there. its a great looking space and location but something DISTINCT needs to go there. it says something that both that and Common House closed recently, nice but nondescript bar restaurants.

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Maybe I'm the last to know this.... but it looks like The Counter has closed. That's the burger place at Southpark near Crate & Barrel. I had only eaten there a few times but liked the concept. The place was always crowded so I was surprised to see that it was no longer there.

I was hoping that maybe they had just re-located, but after checking their website, the Charlotte location has been removed. :(

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Maybe I'm the last to know this.... but it looks like The Counter has closed. That's the burger place at Southpark near Crate & Barrel. I had only eaten there a few times but liked the concept. The place was always crowded so I was surprised to see that it was no longer there.

I was hoping that maybe they had just re-located, but after checking their website, the Charlotte location has been removed. :(

I read a few weeks ago that they were closing. If I remember correctly, there's another restaurant taking its place though. I want to say it's some kind of sushi joint (as if we need another). I thought the Counter was alright. I've always preferred Big Daddy's though...

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Maybe I'm the last to know this.... but it looks like The Counter has closed. That's the burger place at Southpark near Crate & Barrel. I had only eaten there a few times but liked the concept. The place was always crowded so I was surprised to see that it was no longer there.

I was hoping that maybe they had just re-located, but after checking their website, the Charlotte location has been removed. :(

I thought this was odd...it's been a while since I've been there, but it always seemed crowded to me. I liked the concept, and the burgers. Too bad. Reminds me of when all the Baja Fresh locations in Charlotte closed, also a company based out west. They always seemed busy to me, but every location here closed all at once - seemed like a corporate decision to scale back rather than something dependent on store performance.

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I read a few weeks ago that they were closing. If I remember correctly, there's another restaurant taking its place though. I want to say it's some kind of sushi joint (as if we need another). I thought the Counter was alright. I've always preferred Big Daddy's though...

Call me crazy but I remember reading it was going to be a sushi/burger fushion place. I remember reading this in the business journal maybe 6 months back...

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Call me crazy but I remember reading it was going to be a sushi/burger fushion place. I remember reading this in the business journal maybe 6 months back...

Ahh, that's right. A sushi/burger fusion joint... I do remember that. Not sure how you combine burgers with sushi :shades:

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