Hey, there! Log in / Register
Space-based food blasts off forever in Jamaica Plain
By adamg on Wed, 07/14/2021 - 8:33pm
In the Jamaica Plain Facebook group, Jamaica Plain restrepreneur David Doyle reported tonight the end of the Little Dipper brunch place on Centre Street "due to staffing and other challenges." He says the space will continue to host two popups - Comfort Kitchen and Be Okay Bagels - until they are able to move into their own permanent spaces.
He adds:
Our rocketry club will continue to work on expanding our activities in greater Boston. Helping kids learn about science, and look to the stars and dream, is now more important than ever! Onward and upward!
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
staffing challenges
staffing challenges = not willing to pay workers enough to keep them. Tiniest violin, etc.
So you try running a restaurant
The margins at most restaurants were razor thin and that was even before the pandemic. I don't know anything about this place in particular but I do know you can't just raise menu prices and expect sales volume to stay the same. At a certain point it just doesn't make sense to keep loosing money. It has little to do with not wanting to pay people more.
I feel sorry for both independent local owners and hospitality employees these days. I don't know anyone who feels things are better for them now vs before the pandemic.
It's almost like people
It's almost like people should just make food at home, since they don't want to support restaurant workers making a living wage.
wages
You realize this is the same Dave Doyle that caused a dustup by adding an additional fee to all tickets with the goal of paying the back-of-house folks more than was otherwise possible?
http://www.tresgatosjp.com/openletter
Little Dipper was and is hosting pop-ups on weekdays, the only day they operated as Little Dipper was for brunch on Saturdays (which service, in and of itself, was a hold-over from the Centre Street Cafe days). The pop-ups will remain, Little Dipper will not.
I’m sorry the place closed.
I worked in the restaurant biz for a long looong time, just down the street from this location, so I am well aware and can appreciate the work and risk that go into running an eatery (I really hate that word) in JP. I think a business plan that is intentionally designed to not pay employees a living wage is absolutely destined to eventually fail, particularly when coupled with lots of first class competition, and an unforeseen worldwide health pandemic. Doyle’s idea of forcing patrons to kick in more cash ON TOP of tipping probably seemed like a good idea, but clearly couldn’t be maintained, just like trying to live on the minimum wage isn’t viable. Who can live on $2.13, or whatever the minimum wage is now for tipped employees? In my opinion the problem lies with our elected officials who get paid lots of $$$ by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association to NOT give deserving citizens enough money to live on.
Just pay your workers well. A
Just pay your workers well. A business that can't do it is a bad business, run by bad owners.
P&L
Do you know how to read a financial statement?
If your business model doesn
If your business model doesn't make profit while paying decent living wage, it is a bad model. Don't implement it. We have enough Walmarts.
Also, who has time and money
Also, who has time and money to go to a brunch place in Jamaica Plain? Are they open for 6am breakfast or 10pm dinner that the workers might actually want to grab?
It's OK to be so horribly wrong
But you don't have to be so public about it. Or are you just pretending to not know the first thing about that part of JP?
I'm not familiar with that
I'm not familiar with that area, but a brunch is a terrible idea, and a restaurant serving only brunch is doubly so, irrespective of geography.
And yet, people do it
And people do it in JP in particular.
And this particular restaurant owner has a really good reputation in Jamaica Plain. I'd mention Tres Gatos, but that wouldn't mean anything to you.
Huh
People who live in JP and don't work on weekends?
Are you new to planet earth
Are you new to planet earth and think that humans eat at 6AM and 10PM?
Imagine in some cultures
Imagine in some cultures people do that. That one cannot do it in Boston is a shame.
Sad
We really liked this place for breakfast / brunch pre-pandy. They don’t have much room for outside seating (only 3-4 tables) so it hasn’t been that busy during the recovery. Not as many people eating inside yet here / restaurants just still don’t seem very jammed.
The two pop-ups are both great.
I never got a chance to try it
Passed it every night and day on my way to work, loved the name and always meant to try it but now my chance is lost.