Makes sense, and an even better outcome if these end up being retail – more street activation, with offices tucked away.
7 Likes
I’m excited about this. Getting a table at the current Fiction on weekend nights is about the same as winning the lottery, so I’m glad they’ll have more space. They should do well up there, but the city really needs to find a way to start connecting Gateway to the Iron District because that’s where most of the activity will be happening.
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OMG I have been saying this since before the damn Plaza was even renovated!!! Crabtree Blvd really needs to connect to Atlantic right there where the Salvation Army is … it’d require a large bridge/overpass over the RR tracks… but damn, it would really make these two developments feel like part of one city, vs two completely separate isolated developments. Hell, even just some sort of elevated pedestrian bridge/walkway between Gateway and Iron Works dist. would be incredible.
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Or it’s just a decor problem. Not very many spaces have any taste when it comes to dressing up their outdoor entrances/seating.
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That…but also a simple awning or shed roof extending into sidewalk helps invite people in, and that’s got to be part of the initial architectural design.
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Yep - Seems to me like the feeling of lack of investment in entry / outdoor spaces more often that not comes from the fact that there wasn’t a plan to begin with…
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I think this is certainly part of it as well. Decree by Moore Square clearly puts thought into their outdoor look and it makes for a great corner there.
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I love the “living” metal awning they put up there. So cool!
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They really did a fantastic job there. Mecca is also up there in terms of doing some great stuff to decorate their spot. Wish more places could get to the level of these two spots.
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They spent all their money on the insane rent for being in a new building…
That. Also I am dealing with this on a building in DT Cary. Utility easements and street scape buffers can kill awnings and roof extensions. Especially when surface parking or other car access is eating up precious building envelope space, so the building gets squeezed up against a Duke Energy easement and poof there goes your awning projection dreams.
2 Likes
I don’t think it’s the lack of investment or interest, I personally have seen where the city turns down these type of awnings/outdoor spaces because it encroaches into the sidewalk/walking areas. The city makes it really difficult for retailers, restauranteurs, and developers.
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We need wider sidewalks. I also like an active outdoor space, but you have to keep enough space clear for people to get by on the sidewalk. And that means people that may be in a wheelchair, pushing strollers, etc. Not sure why awnings would be turned down though.
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Reading between the lines of the article, it sure sounds like this concept isn’t really sticking anywhere other than a brief Guy Fieri shout-out. They seemed to do very little promotion as well…every time I drove by it looked like the place was closed anyway. Maybe bring back Remedy Diner with better management? 
5 Likes
Sheesh, too bad. I really wanted to try it, but like you said it always seemed to be closed.
I tried them a few years ago in Richmond. It was okay.
I’m more bummed that JewFro never opened, which sounded like a more unique concept (was supposed to open on one side of the space).
The rent from the article caught my eye… $21/sf + utilities. That seems insanely cheap? More than a 30% discount from the newer places downtown, and the going rate in some strip malls out in Morrisville is in the range of $28. Are utilities typically included in these numbers?
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Seems that it was likely mismanagement. Something like 30% of restaurants fail in their first year of business. Combining a new restaurant while also trying to manage the start of a 2nd restaurant in the same space sounds like a logistical nightmare. Possible if you’ve got the right team, but you should focus on making sure you can handle one space in that area before planning and renting for a second.
1 Like
I went once when it first opened. They had as sewage issue which made the whole restaurant smell very unappealing and they didn’t have their ABC permits yet. So we ended up leaving and I honestly had forgotten they were there. I hate to see any place fail, but this seemed like poor management from the jump.
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