Another bar/restaurant bites the dust

[mad_park]

16 hours ago, InSouthPark said:

Well for one, Axios/Charlotte Agenda is just paid advertisements for new "awesome" restaurants.  Every popular blogger that wants free food and drinks writes the same glowing *review*.  When is the last time you saw far reaching social media say ANYTHING negative about a new restaurant/bar/concept?  Everything is just sunshine and rainbows because that is what pays the bills and what they are paid to write. 

The places that are truly good should get the press.  Gone are the days when Purvis from the Charlotte Observer was the main restaurant critic we had easy access to and gave a place it's due, or criticized it. 

Charlotte Magazine addressed this demise a few years ago. I recall one of the shills tweeting a response defending using her iPhone to take photos vs taking notes like an oulde - completely not addressing  the real issues called out in the article:  that the food was free, the review was at a promotional event,  and her publication  was likely paid by the restaurant.

https://www.charlottemagazine.com/the-case-for-food-criticism-in-charlotte/

 Schwab tells me she was free to choose whom, when, and how she would review restaurants, and that she operated under a strict ethical code: She paid for all her meals, usually under an assumed name (her dog, Charlee, was one of her aliases), and visited a restaurant at least twice and with at least one other person before she wrote about it. She would never review a restaurant that hadn’t been open for at least three months. If chefs sent free food to her table, she would ask them to stop and add the dishes to her bill.

[InSouthPark]

1 hour ago, mad_park said:

Charlotte Magazine addressed this demise a few years ago. I recall one of the shills tweeting a response defending using her iPhone to take photos vs taking notes like an oulde - completely not addressing  the real issues called out in the article:  that the food was free, the review was at a promotional event,  and her publication  was likely paid by the restaurant.

https://www.charlottemagazine.com/the-case-for-food-criticism-in-charlotte/

 Schwab tells me she was free to choose whom, when, and how she would review restaurants, and that she operated under a strict ethical code: She paid for all her meals, usually under an assumed name (her dog, Charlee, was one of her aliases), and visited a restaurant at least twice and with at least one other person before she wrote about it. She would never review a restaurant that hadn’t been open for at least three months. If chefs sent free food to her table, she would ask them to stop and add the dishes to her bill.

That's a great article on the subject, thanks for posting!  Helen Schwab was the critic I was thinking about when I said Purvis (who was there as well but Helen was was the main critic).

I used to really look forward to reading her restaurant reviews.  No BS, no Instagram photo props, no free food other than the Observer was paying, just her experience from start to finish (over multiple stops).

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by InSouthPark

[davidclt]

On 7/18/2022 at 3:51 PM, ScottCLT said:

Sister in Plaza Midwood, formerly Kiki (below Soul Gastrolounge) is closing its doors.

Well this isn't good news at all: Soul Gastrolounge closing restaurant in Plaza Midwood - Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

[CTiger]

That's devastating.  That might be my favorite restaurant in Charlotte.

[ES Charlotte]

On 7/20/2022 at 7:11 AM, JHart said:

Xiao Bao at Optimist Hall makes a good okonomiyaki. 

As does Church and Union for brunch 

[InSouthPark]

1 hour ago, davidclt said:

Well this isn't good news at all: Soul Gastrolounge closing restaurant in Plaza Midwood - Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

If Soul can't make it work at the rent increase they are asking....I don't think anyone can make it work long term.  I don't see how you can turnover more people than they were for that space.

 

[Temeteron]

2 hours ago, davidclt said:

Well this isn't good news at all: Soul Gastrolounge closing restaurant in Plaza Midwood - Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

The heart and Soul (literally) sucked out of Charlotte.  I am so sad and so disappointed with how this city is going lately.  

[JHart]

2 hours ago, InSouthPark said:

If Soul can't make it work at the rent increase they are asking....I don't think anyone can make it work long term.  I don't see how you can turnover more people than they were for that space.

 

Soul is completely full, waiting list everyday, they have to just be really poorly managed to not turn a profit with their customer base, even with crazy rent. 

[CLT Development]

2 minutes ago, JHart said:

Soul is completely full, waiting list everyday, they have to just be really poorly managed to not turn a profit with their customer base, even with crazy rent. 

their rent is being more than doubled... to South End levels

Edited July 21, 2022 by CLT Development

[JHart]

3 minutes ago, CLT Development said:

their rent is being more than doubled... to South End levels

Their rent could be NY levels and they could still make it work, the owners will just make plenty more money moving to a larger, cheaper space. There are only a handful of restaurants in Charlotte busier than Soul typically is.

[DMann]

Interesting fact.  I know the owner, I know the Kastanas' and I know the broker.  What are the chances of that?

[turbocraig]

2 hours ago, DMann said:

Interesting fact.  I know the owner, I know the Kastanas' and I know the broker.  What are the chances of that?

I just got this text from a friend.  We probably know some of the same people!

 

[go_vertical]

This is truly saddening.  One of my favorite wall hangings is my David French of this great spot.  Reggae Central closed, the Dairy Queen is gone and the Penguin was one of the biggest losses this town had ever seen and now Soul is another piece of the neighborhood fabric being torn away.  Really, all that's left of classic PM is Common Market, Petras, Snug Harbor, and Dish and now I'm getting increasingly worried for those. 

[turbocraig]

1 hour ago, go_vertical said:

This is truly saddening.  One of my favorite wall hangings is my David French of this great spot.  Reggae Central closed, the Dairy Queen is gone and the Penguin was one of the biggest losses this town had ever seen and now Soul is another piece of the neighborhood fabric being torn away.  Really, all that's left of classic PM is Common Market, Petras, Snug Harbor, and Dish and now I'm getting increasingly worried for those. 

And Thomas Street. 

[go_vertical]

Oh yeah, forgot about Thomas Street. 

[Higgs Boson]

Soul had their rent go up 114% ??

That building owner should go to prison for life

[DMann]

17 hours ago, turbocraig said:

I just got this text from a friend.  We probably know some of the same people!

 

I am also 4W!

[kermit]

I just can't with the upscaled Penguin on East blvd. The Penguin is the LAST place I would choose for tuna.

https://charlotte.axios.com/307042/the-penguin-is-back-with-a-new-owner-new-menu-and-in-a-new-location/

Sprock is not off to a good start selling the value of the brand either. This seems like the worst possible way to restart a beloved local brand.

Quote

The menu: The food is perhaps the biggest shift from the OG spot, but Sprock says that’s for the best. “The food at the old Penguin wasn’t that good to begin with,” Sprock says.

Edited September 5, 2022 by kermit

[tozmervo]

I mean, the Diamond basically restored whatever menu items were lost at the OG Penguin. I'm happy to continue going there for my fried heart attacks.

[Madison Parkitect]

16 hours ago, kermit said:

I just can't with the upscaled Penguin on East blvd. The Penguin is the LAST place I would choose for tuna.

https://charlotte.axios.com/307042/the-penguin-is-back-with-a-new-owner-new-menu-and-in-a-new-location/

Sprock is not off to a good start selling the value of the brand either. This seems like the worst possible way to restart a beloved local brand.

This is not The Penguin, it's just the franchiser guy who bought the branding. Has nothing to do with the original, and is being started by the guy a lot of people think had a big hand in the demise of the original.

Plus, that menu... talk about all over the place.

[turbocraig]

4 hours ago, Madison Parkitect said:

Plus, that menu... talk about all over the place.

No joke.  Ramen, burgers, subs, Thai, fried pickles, Ahi tuna.  Why no pizza or spanakopita?  And only TWO sides on the whole menu?  (fries or chipotle slaw).  But honestly, the entire menu is very limited - just not a lot of stuff and what little there is sounds too random and unfocused for it to thrive, at least I think.  And not to beat up on the place too much before I even try it, but... it is a little disingenuous to say on the website "We've been serving great food since 1954".  I mean, you may have bought the sign and all, but is that an equivalency?

[Madison Parkitect]

2 minutes ago, turbocraig said:

No joke.  Ramen, burgers, subs, Thai, fried pickles, Ahi tuna.  Why no pizza or spanakopita?  And only TWO sides on the whole menu?  (fries or chipotle slaw).  But honestly, the entire menu is very limited - just not a lot of stuff and what little there is sounds too random and unfocused for it to thrive, at least I think.  And not to beat up on the place too much before I even try it, but... it is a little disingenuous to say on the website "We've been serving great food since 1954".  I mean, you may have bought the sign and all, but is that an equivalency?

It's sort of like "Do you like _________ food? We have a single option for that! No matter what kind of food it is."

I think it's going to be very short-lived and Sprock will say something about how it's too bad the public didn't give it a chance and he won't bear any responsibility for it.

[Temeteron]

58 minutes ago, Madison Parkitect said:

It's sort of like "Do you like _________ food? We have a single option for that! No matter what kind of food it is."

I think it's going to be very short-lived and Sprock will say something about how it's too bad the public didn't give it a chance and he won't bear any responsibility for it.

What will end up happening is he’ll start adding more items to the menu and it’ll end up being a Cheesecake Factory menu. Sounds like he wants to cater to everyone instead of sticking to one type of cuisine

[CLTProductions]

On 9/6/2022 at 5:29 PM, Temeteron said:

What will end up happening is he’ll start adding more items to the menu and it’ll end up being a Cheesecake Factory menu. Sounds like he wants to cater to everyone instead of sticking to one type of cuisine

Not sure it will even last long enough to get that far. 

[KJHburg]

this all reminds me of the Seinfeld episode of the cafe that served all kinds of food by  Babhu Bhat