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Comments
Man, that corner
is like the Bermuda Triangle of JP commerce. I figured Rana Rossa would be a shoo-in success after Canto 6 closed, since there isn't much else down on that stretch of Washington.
Sorry to see them go. I hope it doesn't have any chain effect on Blue Frog, which has the same owner and makes some of the best bread in the city.
yeah it's bizarre
The location seems pretty ideal, right across from the T stop, with some recent and upcoming development in the area. And yet.
I only got pizza takeout from there (and loved it), but everyone seemed to complain about their coffee and their service. A 3-star average on yelp can be a killer these days...
OT - Yelp
Yelp is an over-priced, and over-rated advertising service that sells bad advertising to its customers.
They allow not only bad reviews, but even when you prove that a competitor's business is having their minions post bad things about you to drive you out, they refuse to take action.
What does that mean? Ok... You get a bad review, and in the same post the OP gives a glowing review about a competitor and tells you to go there, rather than posting something nice about the business they like or prefer. Doing that is against Yelp's usage policy but it can take days and even weeks to get them to take action. Even then they hide behind their "oh... we don't like to change bad reviews because that is a user's opinion" bullcrap.
Bad review? OK. Using that to steer people to your buddy's place, Not allowed. Follow your own policy.
At an average of $300 and up a month for that kind of advertising who needs enemies.
And just because I like to poke it with a stick, Yelp is a clear example of "fake news."
Pardon me while I post a review via my microwave. I'll talk loud.
LOL! :-)
Service
Was not great, owners not very welcoming folks. Closing on Mondays was the first step in the process.
And then closing on Sunday
And then closing on Sunday was not so good either. I feel like they never tried very hard. The pastries were unappetizing looking. It's not the location. It was the quality. To compare it to Canto 6--there is no comparison. Not even similar.
I actually liked some of
I actually liked some of their pastries, especially the donut muffin. The breakfast sandwiches weren't bad. The pizzas were hit or miss.
Next time someone tries to
Next time someone tries to occupy that doomed space, we should first find out how committed they are and if they can afford to stay there. I'm sick of restaurants popping up in commercial space in JP only to die a sudden death mysteriously shortly thereafter.
?
Yes, damn those small business owners trying to open a business in your neighborhood. Perhaps you should move to Newbury Street or Harvard Square where deep pocketed corporations dominate.
It's too bad that they're
It's too bad that they're closing, but unfortunately I'm not surprised. I never saw too many people in there, especially during the colder months. That being said, the size of the patio is *fantastic* and it is easy to zone out and do some work despite the T and Amory St being right next to you.
I remember Cafe Bartlett Sq closing, but the writing was on the wall with them because I wasn't quite sure what they wanted to be. They had everything from pastries to lunch items to ice cream. The same happened with La Rana, sans the ice cream. I thought they wanted to be a pizzeria, but it wasn't a pizzeria (and their pizzas only came in one size and the crust was often burnt).
I do think a restaurant can survive in that space, but it needs to be a restaurant that can focus on *one thing* and do their best at that. This would have been a great location for The Gate (now located near Egleston Sq), had La Rana not scooped up the place.
The building owner
It's my understanding that the owner has to be involved in whatever biz goes in that space, and that he's the one insisting on things like ice cream. If that's true that explains the lack of solid identity in the previous businesses. Too many cooks in the kitchen...
Landlord dictating content?
Oh, bad mojo there.
I can see if they want to restrict certain things like alcohol or the like but making them carry certain products as a condition fo a lease? Really ??
"Danger Will Robinson."
Canto 6- Please come back!
It's a big space to fill, which is part of the problem, I think. Maybe, it should be divided in two. Even then, Canto 6 would have more room for the long lines which used to snake around its small quarters on weekends.
They had the best croissants this side of Paris!
Yep, I agree the space is too
Yep, I agree the space is too big for its current use as a cafe, however, I think the size works for a full-scale sit down restaurant. The only comfortable sit down place, outside of a 10 min walk to Egleston Sq, is Bella Luna. I haven't checked out The Gate, yet. The owner would probably just need to do some renovation in the current space to make more room for the team in the kitchen.
I will say that the way the building is subdivided is sort of strange. Was it originally going to be the site of a small market, like the old Harvest?