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Bar in the middle of the Forest Hills morass shuts down
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Comments
Grassfed, Tonic, and now
Grassfed, Tonic, and now Napper Tandy's. I don't know what the fatal flaw is aside from construction. Even with construction the area still sees a lot of foot traffic and there are more people moving there everyday. Surely it will be a goldmine when all the Forest rebuilding is done? On a side note, I wonder how Simpli Bar and Bites hangs on other side of FH?
Good beer list
Good beer list, but imho things went a little south when they took the Curry Fries off the menu and started playing bad music really loud. Often fairly impossible to chat with your friends in there.
Tonic was sui generis
It had its own unique reasons for failing.
On the other hand, Brassica
On the other hand, Brassica is busy even on a weeknight and seems to do a great breakfast business. Love that place.
Do T riders have money for restaurants?
Maybe they are too poor to support a restaurant, esp as parking was eliminated there.
Do you know who uses the T to and from Forest Hills?
Some parking was eliminated, but there's still the large lot across the street (at least until it's shut for construction of apartments). And there are lots of people with disposable income who use Forest Hills.
what about Brassica
Brassica Kitchen is not cheap by any means and it seems to be thriving. I believe their secret to success is "being very good."
SO GOOD. Their tasting menu
SO GOOD. Their tasting menu + interesting drinks is an automatic any time we have a "fancy" night out.
Seems to be the same thing
Seems to be the same thing happening on the strip of vacant commercial space on South Street. Nothings seem to last too long in that area and the Forest Hills area. I've been living at Forest Hills since the 80s. The Fireside Tavern, as divey as it is, has outlasted them all and is still there!!
I am a T rider who has gone
I am a T rider who has gone to this bar several times. I have more money to spend at restaurants because a T pass is thousands of dollars cheaper per year than a car and all its associated costs.
Yes but I don't inhale diesel
Yes but I don't inhale diesel fumes while standing on an orange line platform. That alone is priceless.
Not the same spot
Grass Fed replaced Tonic. Eugene O'Neill's - which was a part of the Napper Tandy family, was next door.
Rumors had been swirling for a while that the owner was looking to sell Eugene O'Neill's. It's too bad - it used to be fun neighborhood spot to eat decent pub food and play trivia. I think it was less about foot traffic and more about wanting to focus on his other locations.
The Dogwood has been in that same block and operating successfully for years. Brassica does very well too.
Simpli is very hit or miss, IMHO. I used to go there regularly and then there were some staffing changes that weren't very good. I don't need a hostile cook seething at me because the waitress forgot to fire my order (which happened more than once, unfortunately). I tried to get iced coffee there one morning and the woman at the counter said she couldn't give it to me because the door to the back patio was locked. Um, ok? What does that have to do with anything? To the inconsistent service, add inconsistent hours - they aren't always open the hours advertised, either in the morning or the evening. I would be surprised if Simpli is still open this time next year...
Hate Simpli
Simpli Bar & Bites is the worst. Service is non-existant, impossible to get a drink from the bar or waiter, and I wouldn't classify the "food" as food.
They have a nice patio (despite the frequent screeching from the T), but that's about the only nice thing I can say for them. CLOSE THAT PLACE DOWN OR SELL IT TO SOMEONE WHO WILL DO BETTER.
Sadly that area lost its
Sadly that area lost its neighborhood charm once the overpass was taken down.
Hahahahaha
Um...right?
That's cool that you prefer
That's cool that you prefer the massive expanse of tar and concrete to what was once more of a smallish tree-lined neighborhood vibe. However, it's clear by the local business closings that you are in the minority. I guess local faves going out of business and people losing their jobs is something to be sneered at to you though. Enjoy life.
We can't just blame construction
We can't just blame this on construction. Brassica and Dogwood continue to do very well. During the week Dogwood is often more crowded than I remember it being a couple years ago. I have lived in the neighborhood for several years. The end of the strip is a bit more exposed to the Arborway construction but from what I've heard "on the street" my understanding is that Tonic was not well run, Grassfed was overextended and paying too much rent, and Eugene O'Neill's (which is linked to several other pubs) may have been closed as part of its owner's long-term business plan. I'm frustrated with the pace of construction and I'm a bit anxious that the strip seems to have taken a step back this year, but if you go to other areas with lots of construction, dust and noise (e.g., Seaport, Fenway) you'll find busy upscale and mid-priced restaurants alongside the chaos. More construction behind that strip is in the pipeline so I guess we'll see how that further impacts the surviving restaurants.
Bars need parking?
maybe it was just not that great or people couldn't park drunk
Same thing - History Repeats Itself
Sad to say, the same thing happened to several businesses in that block when Forest Hills Station was moved and built in its current location back in the mid-1980s.
The construction simply drove people away from the area, not to mention the traffic that ensued, and the block was at least 50% vacant. Only after the dust settled and traffic was resumed in some normal fashion did business start to return.
We are destine to repeat the mistakes of the past.
This is no more than history repeating itself. This is not the first time this has happened. There is no mystery here what so ever as to "why."
I'll venture that even after the construction boom is over and the road is finished that other businesses will go out as well. Business needs parking. You cannot run a business solely on the expectation that people will walk to you or take the T to you.
Disagree on your last paragraph
Have you not seen how many new units of housing are being built within walking distance to these bars/restaurants? Plenty of patrons local to these spots.
let me translate
What is usually meant by the breezy assertion that "business needs parking" is "I, personally, prefer to drive places and to have easy parking when I get there."
It would need to be way more
It would need to be way more dense than that to support a fully car-free business district.