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Another bar/restaurant bites the dust


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1 hour ago, sclark said:

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/07/31/corkbuzz-permanently-closes-in-southpark.html

Corkbuzz in South Park has closed. Bummer. I thought they were excellent when they first opened, but quality seemed to slip over time. 

Their concept didn't translate well to the new take out / social distancing model that restaurants are needing to survive. So much of their business was around social gatherings, wine tasting parties, et. Sad to see them go. 

Edited by CLT2014
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Epicentre closings from the Unpretentious Palate, as quoted by the Charlotte Ledger:

"Confirmed to be closed permanently are Jason's Deli, Firehouse Subs, and Moe's Southwest Grill. The windows have also been covered at pizzeria Papa Rossi's and Pokeatery. The website and phone line for Vida Cantina are no longer in service."

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On 8/7/2020 at 11:03 AM, Vitamin_N said:

Epicentre closings from the Unpretentious Palate, as quoted by the Charlotte Ledger:

"Confirmed to be closed permanently are Jason's Deli, Firehouse Subs, and Moe's Southwest Grill. The windows have also been covered at pizzeria Papa Rossi's and Pokeatery. The website and phone line for Vida Cantina are no longer in service."

wow closed permanently. That sucks. Epicenter going to turn into a ghost town the longer this corona stuff go on.

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45 minutes ago, Vitamin_N said:

From Unpretentious Palate via the Charlotte Ledger: "Several restaurants in the SouthPark area have permanently closed, including Brio, Pink Cactus, Tandur Indian Kitchen, and American Burger Co."

Tandur closed a while ago and their food was horrible.  Expensive and not that good.  Place was always empty. Pink Cactus was always empty also.  American Burger closed its uptown location and SP apparently.  That’s crazy.    I was surprised about Brio.  They’ve been there forever.  

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51 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Pay careful attention to the last couple of paragraphs about Wooden Vine closing.  City did not help.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/08/24/uptown-wine-bar-bistro-closes.html

Yea, I have been very disappointed in the city's efforts to help restaurants expand outdoor dining.

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6 hours ago, kermit said:
6 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Pay careful attention to the last couple of paragraphs about Wooden Vine closing.  City did not help.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/08/24/uptown-wine-bar-bistro-closes.html

Yea, I have been very disappointed in the city's efforts to help restaurants expand outdoor dining.

I think it is really shameful that we have failed to take advantage of ample sidewalk/plaza space in uptown during this. Uptown business is really going to be a shell of itself after the loss of all this business traffic and tourism. Let's lean into this by closing Tryon (and Trade) instead of getting the worst of everything here.

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8 hours ago, Desert Power said:

Uptown business is really going to be a shell of itself after the loss of all this business traffic and tourism. Let's lean into this by closing Tryon (and Trade) instead of getting the worst of everything here.

Per the article: "There’s nothing in uptown to really draw people,” she says.

With each business that closes, the clock is getting reset for Uptown vibrancy and the "chicken or the egg" problem occurs. With less restaurants, there will be less people on the streets walking around. With less people though, potential entrepreneurs and restaurants owners will worry their new venture is destined to fail and not select Uptown. Thus the cycle will continue of vacant storefronts and empty streets.

Our skyline is impressive for a city our size, but it is largely built as a corporate park with relatively few residential units. It will be key to secure additional residential development in Uptown to have a better mix of uses. 

Edited by CLT2014
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Without the 100,000 office workers and no special events at the Bank, the Spectrum, the Blumenthal etc all museums closed, no conventions it is very bleak for the uptown retail scene and it seems the city doesn't care or is so bureaucratic it can't help out with something as so simple as outside dining. Many nights of protests are not helping either.   The rest of Charlotte feels more normal in the dining and retail scene but uptown is really hit really hard.   When we pass through this and we will there will be lots of vacant storefronts uptown.  I have been told that there is plenty of restaurants and retailers to take these  spots I believe that in other parts of the city but I am not so sure about uptown.  With high rents and no timeline for workers to return en masse it is very problematic.  

Drive through Southend early evening then through uptown and tell me the differences.  It is quite stark. 

 

Now this is something I would support TEMPORARY street closures for outside dining from Greensboro just 1 hour north on South Elm 

""As it has been throughout the nation, restaurants have been extremely hard hit. But most downtown restaurants are open. Many have added outdoor seating. Beginning this month, South Elm Street has been closed to automobile traffic on Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, allowing restaurants to put tables on the sidewalk and the public to walk on the street.  "(Restaurants) are not doing the numbers they did pre-Covid, but they're doing a lot better," Matheny said. "It's survival mode. The restaurants that are really active (looking for solutions, alternative ways to do business) are going to survive."""

from the Triad Business Journal today   This is a NC city that cares about its core and the businesses there. 

Edited by KJHburg
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^ The empty streets are not helping a perception of safety in Uptown either. There are more homeless people than customers on many blocks right now, other than maybe Friday and Saturday (not enough for a restaurant to survive off). Providing outdoor dining on the streets and a festival like atmosphere might help the blocks come back to life and give the 98.4% of the city of Charlotte's population that doesn't live in the Uptown loop a reason to come into the city center. Right now, there isn't a reason to get in the car or jump on the light rail for a date night in Uptown, especially when areas like South End, NoDa, Dilworth, et. seem more normal given Covid and Uptown feels dead. 

Edited by CLT2014
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  • 3 weeks later...
4 hours ago, sakami said:

Bill Spoon’s BBQ has announced in a Facebook post that Wednesday will be their last day of business. 

From their Facebook post, it appears the past four years (at least) have been tough (not that the restaurant business isn't anyway).  Even in a good year, I might get by there twice, sadly.

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3 hours ago, davidclt said:

From their Facebook post, it appears the past four years (at least) have been tough (not that the restaurant business isn't anyway).  Even in a good year, I might get by there twice, sadly.

Love Spoons, but it did feel like it's been going downhill slowly for the last few years.  Sad to see it go though. :tw_confused:

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Places like Spoons (which definitely went downhill in recent years) can't get by exclusively with word of mouth anymore, Charlotte has way too many restaurants and new people who don't know about them. Some of the restaurants which put out word to the public that things were looking rough got tons of publicity and an uptick in business. The line down the block for the past few days at Spoons is a good lesson to folks that sometimes people forget about you and it's good to remind them you're still there. If folks have a favorite they haven't been to in a while its worth a revist.

For example the last time I can find mention of Spoons in the press was 2017. Just think of the number of Barbecue places alone that have opened in Charlotte since then (!)

Patronize your favorites and tell others, but as Charlotte evolves as a food city, sometimes the 'dying branches' have to be pruned.

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On 9/16/2020 at 4:51 PM, CLT> said:

Places like Spoons (which definitely went downhill in recent years) can't get by exclusively with word of mouth anymore, Charlotte has way too many restaurants and new people who don't know about them. Some of the restaurants which put out word to the public that things were looking rough got tons of publicity and an uptick in business. The line down the block for the past few days at Spoons is a good lesson to folks that sometimes people forget about you and it's good to remind them you're still there. If folks have a favorite they haven't been to in a while its worth a revist.

For example the last time I can find mention of Spoons in the press was 2017. Just think of the number of Barbecue places alone that have opened in Charlotte since then (!)

Patronize your favorites and tell others, but as Charlotte evolves as a food city, sometimes the 'dying branches' have to be pruned.

Maybe older places should pay for Agenda coverage too if they want the young crowds.

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