Hey, the smoking ordinance and the P&L District aren't just killing Kansas City bars . . . They're also taking a bite out of the local restaurant biz.
A LOCAL FOODIE BLOGGER DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF DOCUMENTING THE CARNAGE!!!
Here's a quick list of local eateries that have recently closed shop:
Also, I found this epic post via KC Lunch Spots who also notes the closing of Max's.
It's important to choke down this list of closed Kansas City restaurants because it's something that The Star won't report. Upon the opening of the P&L District and The Sprint Center there was nothing but outright praise for the establishments and anecdotal evidence portrayed as fact regarding the brisk business that local restaurants were doing . . . SADLY, IT ALL TURNED OUT TO BE A LIE!!!
The Star and big media conspired to create a business trend that had nothing to do with reality and now local restaurants are closing up shop en masse.
Of course, the gut reaction from those timid souls who just can't help but defend the corporate elite will be to deride the restaurants and find some other cause for their closing which fails to mention the hype produced and published by the mainstream press . . . I don't know if bad service, the smoking ordinance or the P&L District killed all of those restaurants but what I do know is that the local media promised an economic boom/boon because of The Sprint Center and the P&L District and CLEARLY THE IMMEDIATE RESULT HAS BEEN A FINANCIAL BUST FOR KANSAS CITY!!!
Big Box Development at the Cost of Real Development. That should be the headline for Tony's article.
ReplyDeleteBasically there is a calculus to so called "economic development" kansas city style. Here we have a TIF Commission, City Planning, Office of Economic Development and other agencies that promote big developers at the cost of hugh tax breaks. Real economic development is not promoted as it would not make money for DST, various law firms, and other developers. The calculus is simple, smaller more locally owned and run operations are squeezed out of the market. Remember the Restraunt owners promoting the River Boat election in the early 1990s. They were sold on it as it was suppose to bring business to them. Well, casinos were end destinations offering meals, recreation and gambling. A number of local restraunts closed or were greatly hurt by the casino industry. Kansas City's council has for years sold out local development to the big money boys.
Light Rail is another similar effort. It is not about transportation. It is about a development scheme to help developers at key spots called stations. Light rail will cost at least 92 million a mile not the 60 million now reported. Street cars lines are far less costly at no more than about 15 million a mile and development occurs all along the route, not just at Stations every mile or so.
So Tony, the big picture is the sell out of local small business development to big developers. The big developers make there money upfront and often move on after selling out. Your city council and mayor are for twenty years have been promoters of this calculus. And except for two or three over the years, most are not that good a even basic math. He who pays for the election gets the benefit. Certainly not the voters.
I know what will fix this all.
ReplyDeleteLIGHT RAIL
Endless TIFs have created a surplus of commercial property. Perhaps the plywood industry would be a good investment play because we are going to see a lot of it.
ReplyDeleteSad for the economy. Sad for KC.
ReplyDeleteDumbass. 40 Sardines was in the Golden Ghetto and it's demise had nothing to do with P&L or smoking but had to do with a brillant chef being not so brillant on the business side of things.
ReplyDeleteSarah's Eat, Drink Art didn't die completely, it's now Twist. Dig into that one a little deeper for some skankiness that again had nothing to do with P&L or smoking.
As for what the Star reports on these restaurants, both demises were reported in the paper in that vague sort of general way that never really gets at the seemy side of the restaurant biz. But then again since it's hard to outsource your chef's job to India, the Star's not about to bite one of the few remaining meager hands that feeds it.
Good point.
ReplyDeleteThis list is meaningless without showing a similar list of restaurants that closed last year during the same period.
ReplyDeleteAdd to that a struggling economy, and the data become further muddled.
I think Tony should have titled the thing "Eat Me Kansas City."
ReplyDeleteFor fuck's sake, dude, how far are you gonna reach?
ReplyDelete40 Sardines: Kansas location = Sucky food, ridiculous prices, insanely loud dining room.
The Mango Room: Spotty food, shitty service, terrible location.
Swizzle: ????
Scotty's On 39th Street: DOA. The food sucked, the service acted desperate, and that location doesn't work unless you got someone like Macaluso to work the room.
Melbee's: Kansas Location. Again, crappy food for too much money, bad marketing image (teh gay), crappy location.
All of these places went out of business on their own accord.
You should stay on point and keep on Gloria. That's what you're doing well these days, not this sensationalized crap...
Birch do you own stock in P&L or something. Open your eyes and see that corporate welfare is killing small biz in Kansas city.
ReplyDeleteHey anon, open your eyes and see that resturants that suck need to go out of business, I don't give a crap where they are.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that when Ted's Montana Grill goes tits up next month you'll be doing the same whining?
Yeah, Ted's is going down. And they're whining about the lack of traffic their location gets compared to the business fronting KC Live. But the truth of the fact is that Kansas City is a steakhouse town and when it comes to good beef (no homo!) Ted's can't pass their bullshit (no pun!) on us. Has nothing to do with anything other than it's a crappy steakhouse.
Mango Room going down has nothing to do with anything other than there are many many better dining options in better locations with better parking better service and better food. This was their problem the day they opened, 2 years before P&L even broke ground and it was their problem the day they closed. The only thing surprising to me was that they made it as long as they did.
Now, take a mom & pop joint like Potpie at SW Trafficway and Westport Road. I don't believe their business is suffering at all because of P&L. But that's because their food is great, service is always top notch, and the prices are very reasonable. And it doesn't matter that their parking lot is a block away.
Now, if you don't get it yet, I HATE the P&L district. The worst curse on all of us is that we've all been forced to subsidize all of these poorly run, poorly staffed, mediocre establishments that don't have to compete in a fair market.
That list is pathetic. They all deserved to close based on poor food, poor service, lack of experience from ownership or all three. It only takes one to ruin a restaurant.
ReplyDelete40 Sardines had a nice run until the owner decided he'd rather fuck the help than his wife.
The rest....well, no big loss. I hate P&L as much as anybody but bad restaurants don't deserve a free pass.
EVERY time the so-called "leaders" of K.C. promise us better times, they lie. Duh.
ReplyDeleteThe P&L District is the aftermath of Kay Waldo Barnes... Kay Waldo Cronkite... Kay Barnes Cronkite... (Hell, I can't keep her name straight) and Wayne Cauthen, the city's biggest crook and retard. They are the ones who negotiated what's going on.
ReplyDeleteAs for the list, yes, Tony is a dumbass.... I suppose the P&L District is responsible for American Airlines closing up shop in KC. When you have to decide between filling up your gas tank and getting shitting food, you choose the former.
Here's your helmet, RETARD.
Tony, did you even read Jenny's post or did you just link to it?
ReplyDelete"There is no doubt these are hard times for the restaurant scene in Kansas City, let me count the ways.
The crappy economy, the Power & Light District, the cost of food and labor, the location that never paid off, not enough money in the bank, the smoking ban . . .all of these are valid reasons why we have seen many restaurants close in the Kansas City area this year.
Don't get me wrong, it is tough for the entire restaurant industry. The pain is being felt by restaurateurs everywhere.
From casual chains on up to the highest of high-end fine dining. Families are turning to McDonald's golden arches if they are dining out at all these days."
Restaurants are historically the hardest business to keep going on - way more than 50% of them fail in the first year. That is not a stat from Kansas City - that's a nationwide average. Most of the places you've named had nothing to do with P&L.
Get off your anti-P&L rag and move on to something else.
I don't think this is relevant for most of us. I haven't been to a restaurant in a year. They're just too expensive. It's all fast food or I eat at home. I couldn't care less about the decline of the industry. I'm just worried about keeping myself afloat.
ReplyDeleteHey anon. 2:51, don't get all pissy because your favorite hangout, The Goldmine, got steamrolled in the wake of P&L. I'm sure there's plenty more rocks for you to crawl back under and enjoy your slime bath.
ReplyDeleteHey! Gus's Goldmine was the best strip bar in Kansas City and sorely missed. I for one helped many pregnant girls pay for their crack fixes...
ReplyDeleteWe sell a lot of the equipment from closed restaurants in the Kansas City area. Take a look at www.equip-bid.com and you can find some great deals on used equipment.
ReplyDelete