Greater Cincinnati coffee company doubles again with expansion

 

 

What began with a $300 home coffee roaster and an eight-pound bag of coffee has become a mainstay of the local coffee scene. Now, Carabello Coffee is set to increase its presence in Newport even further with its expansion into an adjoining storefront on Monmouth Street.

 

The expansion, nearly two years in the making, will open later this summer and include a new-to-market “slow bar” concept, called Analog, and a larger roasting operation. Aside from the updated offerings, the owners say the new arrangement will also free up space for 16 additional tables in the café.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/07/greater-cincinnati-coffee-company-doubles-again.html

Korean bistro now open in Hyde Park

 

 

A long-awaited Korean Bistro is now open in a converted former grocery store in Hyde Park.

 

Shelly Choi opened 3501 Seoul Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar on 3501 Erie Ave. quietly on May 20. Choi owns Korea House in Symmes Township with her husband Kwon and set her eyes on Hyde Park when it was time to open her second restaurant.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/07/korean-bistro-now-open-in-hyde-park.html

 

 

...is pleased.

??????

#luxuryTAE

 

감사합니다

Here's the newest restaurant coming to the Banks

 

A popular Cincinnati restaurant is taking the final empty space that was left behind when WG Kitchen + Bar closed at the Banks in 2014.

 

Tiger Dumpling is relocating its property near the University of Cincinnati at 249 Calhoun St. to the Banks, which will become its restaurant's flagship location.The move is scheduled for August.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/08/heres-the-newest-restaurant-coming-to-the-banks.html

OTR's newest restaurant opens for dinner

 

 

Over-the-Rhine's newest restaurant, which features natural wine, farm-to-table food and craft coffee, will soon begin serving dinner.

 

Pleasantry, at 118 W. 15th St. in Over-the-Rhine, opened for breakfast and lunch service on May 2, but as of June 9 it will be offering dinner as well. Check out the photos below for a look inside and a peek at some of the dishes the restaurant offers.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/08/exclusive-otrs-newest-restaurant-opens-for-dinner.html

Apparently Wendy's on 4th is closing...today.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/10/last-of-the-big-three-burger-joints-pulls-out-of.html

 

The article mentions a "Fifth and Race tower" that was razed in 1999. Anyone have a picture of this building?

 

It was ugly. Very, very ugly. It was a terrible building.

Thanks for the image. the bottom part is weird but I don't mind the tower portion.

A two story Burger King, wow. This is back when fast food could survive on 2 dayparts instead of 4.

A two story Burger King, wow. This is back when fast food could survive on 2 dayparts instead of 4.

 

There was a 2-level McDonald's on 6th, where the Contemporary Arts Center is now, between the one old building remaining on the block and the former art deco Batsake's hat shop.  It was a 4-5 story building with one of those 1950s-era metal screens over the façade. 

 

 

It was ugly. Very, very ugly. It was a terrible building.

 

And somehow replaced 15 years later by one that's even worse. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not even remotely, but arguing with you carries about as much worth as an AOL free trial CD.

You could tape over the AOL floppies with other things. I remember not having to buy floppies for a long time since we got so many AOL ones in the mail.

Hard to believe this Wendy's is closing. They do a healthy lunch business.

They need dinner and drive through to make money now. The bottom has fallen out of the margin on fast food so they have to make it up with volume. Also, urban dwellers began shying away from fast food in the 2000s.

Also, urban dwellers began shying away from fast food in the 2000s.

 

A co-worker once came back to the office with a Wendy's bag and was thoroughly questioned and made fun of because of how many better options he had to walk past to get all the way to Wendy's. Times and views of fast food have definitely changed. I'm just glad I don't work on the east side of downtown because there doesn't seem to be nearly as many lunch options over there. With P&G and Western & Southern there should be more options that just Burrito Joes, Skyline and the Wich.

...In Between, Eat @ 201, Simply Grand Cafe, Wild Eggs (coming fall), Subway, Bagel Stop...

Also, urban dwellers began shying away from fast food in the 2000s.

 

A co-worker once came back to the office with a Wendy's bag and was thoroughly questioned and made fun of because of how many better options he had to walk past to get all the way to Wendy's. Times and views of fast food have definitely changed. I'm just glad I don't work on the east side of downtown because there doesn't seem to be nearly as many lunch options over there. With P&G and Western & Southern there should be more options that just Burrito Joes, Skyline and the Wich.

 

P&G and Western&Southern also have in house cafeterias i believe. Back when my Dad was at W&S food was free but i bet that isn't the case anymore.

 

I also think that lack of actual residents living in the CBD doesn't help either.

 

These businesses can't survive on lunch traffic alone, and by dinner time it's dead. To much effort has gone to repopulating OTR, but not enough has occured yet to repopulating the CBD. Just drive around 9-10pm. Aside from a few restaurants, the streets are like a ghost town, and have been that way for decades. '

 

Losing Wendys is sad. Any healthy urban business climate with have some type of fast food chains. Go to whatever large city from Boston, NYC, SF, Toronto, Chicago etc and you'll see countless food chains on various blocks. Yes, it might be a sign that business is shifting in general for these fast food chains, especially with better options opening up, but many cities have been able to sustain countless fast food options, and we barely can sustain at least one. It's a little sad, and to me is a sign that our business climate still has a way to go even with all the progress we've made in the last decade.

There are a lot of factors in play here. Like several have mentioned, fast food is losing its grip on American culture outside of the sprawliest of sprawled areas. Those without drive throughs struggle.

 

Downtown's population has grown just as much as OTR's has, so I disagree that a lack of growth is occurring, but it's still not a huge population when compared to the worker-base. If the 65,000 (is that right?) people who work Downtown can't support a business it's unlikely that the 16,000 residents between OTR/Downtown will be able to.

 

In terms of street activity, it's becoming harder and harder to have a vibrant retail corridor, even with an increase in population. Online sales have forced thousands of local businesses to close up shop and nothing winds up replacing them. The proportion of needed street level retail to residents/workers is shifting to the point where far less retail is needed per capita. This means our built environment, built at a time when that ratio was wildly different, is no longer set up for the needs of society.

 

I don't know how to mitigate this other than increasing population density as much as possible and trying not to flood the market with new retail square footage in non-critical locations. Many cities (Vancouver is what comes to mind) work amazingly well with focusing their retail into corridors but letting the side streets be purely residential, albeit designed in a pedestrian manner to still make them pleasant.

 

We could take some hints from those places since our population density will never be enough to warrant ground level retail covering the entirety of Downtown/OTR so we need to create pedestrian-oriented residential areas that can be used to serve the retail space we do have.

^^That's true for sure, but the critical mass of CBD-dwellers/users has been raised a massive amount to sustain fast food in the past 20 years. I'm talking Boston, NYC, LA, SF, DC, Chicago and Philly levels.

Also, urban dwellers began shying away from fast food in the 2000s.

 

A co-worker once came back to the office with a Wendy's bag and was thoroughly questioned and made fun of because of how many better options he had to walk past to get all the way to Wendy's. Times and views of fast food have definitely changed. I'm just glad I don't work on the east side of downtown because there doesn't seem to be nearly as many lunch options over there. With P&G and Western & Southern there should be more options that just Burrito Joes, Skyline and the Wich.

 

Yeah, I think this has more to do with the death of fast food than anything specific to Downtown Cincinnati. Depending on how you define it, I don't think I've eaten at a fast food place more than once or twice per year for the past 10 years. Downtown office workers these days are eating at Chipotle or Panera or Subway if they want something quick, or one of the dozens of sit-down places. In my office, people go to Gomez, Coffee Emporium, Goodfella's, etc., or drive Uptown to go to the restaurants around UC. Fast food is never even considered as an option. Most people who are living downtown aren't in to fast food, and people visiting downtown typically want to check out the fancy new restaurant scene. I'm sure the 4th Street Wendy's did great during the lunch rush but struggled the rest of the time.

I never really enjoyed fast food to begin with, and when I got to UC and lost 75 pounds and started eating healthier it was never an option I would consider. I had McDonald's a couple years ago which was the first fast food I had eaten since moving to Cincinnati in 2007 and felt so incredibly sick afterwards and then added up how many calories I had taken in and it was something like 1,400 calories with about half from fat and it wasn't even enough food to make me feel even remotely full.

 

That was the last time I had fast food and have no plan to ever eat it again. I don't generally eat out but if I do I'll grab something that's quick but not a pile of garbage that will weigh me down and not even satisfy my hunger.

Everyone has a lot of good points on this topic and I agree with all of them and all of them are contributing.

 

That is what gets me so excited about these new big projects starting to roll out.  New residents, hotels, etc. will only add to the vibrancy and allow another McD's to open at some point soon, I am certain.

 

John Cranley is pretty infamous for saying he wants to double the population of OTR and CBD during his term.  Obviously that doesn't look possible at this certain point, but when you walk around downtown, you see a lot of buildings that need love, and I mean big buildings, where if they can somehow convert them to apartments and hotels, it will make a huge difference.  I think there is something like 1,500 or so new units under construction, with many more planned, in the CBD and OTR.  The CBD is the population center of the future in Cincinnati's core, not so much OTR.  OTR can only hold so many people and will become more of a haven for the well off, if we look ahead 20 years.

 

When you walk up Walnut Street from the Banks, you get up to 7th or 8th Street and it dies off before you get past 12th Street again.  Filling in those huge surface lots with residential and hotels in the next decade will completely transform the cities core.  This will be when you see McD's and Wendy's come back

I feel like what your saying is jmicha is true. That said, it doesn't necessarily change the fact that you have countless large cities in America that are able to sustain urban fast food options, and are able to sustain retail corridors.

 

Again, there's no doubt that the business climate is changing for retail, and fast food. That said, they still remain open in countless other cities, but close in Cincinnati.

 

I think the biggest issue why retail in general is hard for Cincinnati to sustain is because of the poverty level. Out of the 16,000 people who live in OTR/Downtown how many are living below the poverty line? How many, are actually spending money at these various retail shops and resturaunts? I'm guessing not many. To me, that's the biggest issue with our current city situation. Yes, we may have 16,000 people living downtown, but how many of them actually have the spending power to be a vital cog in the economic climate, and how many of those 16,000 are barely scraping by?

Hard to believe this Wendy's is closing.

 

 

The space is perfect for a Cadillac Ranch reprise. 

 

 

In terms of street activity, it's becoming harder and harder to have a vibrant retail corridor, even with an increase in population. Online sales have forced thousands of local businesses to close up shop and nothing winds up replacing them. The proportion of needed street level retail to residents/workers is shifting to the point where far less retail is needed per capita. This means our built environment, built at a time when that ratio was wildly different, is no longer set up for the needs of society.

 

 

Urban spending patterns are vastly different now too. Urban dweller just don't buy very much stuff for themselves. As some retailers say, "Avoid them city folk. All their money goes in their mouth."

 

In terms of street activity, it's becoming harder and harder to have a vibrant retail corridor, even with an increase in population. Online sales have forced thousands of local businesses to close up shop and nothing winds up replacing them.

 

This is a really good point, but you would think that the restaurant industry would be the one type of brick-and-mortar retail that would be at least somewhat immune to the takeover by online retail.

It is, and that's why so many restaurants that are able to tap into modern culture (IE: not fast food) are doing so well in urban areas. But even then, most successful restaurants just aren't very big. In fact usually quite the opposite is desirable by today's standards. Look at most of the wildly popular places in OTR. Some aren't even 1,000 square feet. And we have millions of square feet of ground level retail in the core. At some point there's just too much commercial space and not enough patrons. Which is why I support top-down, somewhat heavy-handed retail planning studies to go into effect because our historic built environments need cohesion to work with modern necessity.

And somehow replaced 15 years later by one that's even worse.

 

...or they could just bring back the original Fifth & Race Tower (okay, so this is Fifth & Vine but you know what I mean)!

 

This is why retail needs a strategy beyond 'the street level.' It has to be about experience now, not just the stores. And it needs to be something you can't find in the suburbs. Stuff the retail in cool laneways and alleyways, program them with outdoor art galleries, graffiti, installations etc and make it happen. i get that Cincinnati needs to get its Main St working, but it can't hurt to do a laneway retail plan focused on cultural amenity.

Someone who I assume would know told me that every space in Liberty Center was roughed-in in such a way as to allow conversion to restaurant. That says a lot about what the retail scene is becoming.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And somehow replaced 15 years later by one that's even worse.

 

...or they could just bring back the original Fifth & Race Tower (okay, so this is Fifth & Vine but you know what I mean)!

 

 

I believe that the one to the left became LS Ayres and was covered by a blue mesh in the 1960s so as to become unrecognizable.  That's how it looked until it was torn down around 1989 for the Fountain Square West tower that never materialized.  It was a parking lot for about 6 years until Fountain Place was built. 

Someone who I assume would know told me that every space in Liberty Center was roughed-in in such a way as to allow conversion to restaurant. That says a lot about what the retail scene is becoming.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Suburban retail is going to continue to do fine since those people still buy stuff. Most malls that died were either replaced by new malls or were doomed from the beginning due to the existince of other nearby malls (Forest Fair, the other mall at Kenwood, the small mall that used to be in Norwood and the nearly completely forgotten Crestview Hills). City folk are all about experiences rather than stuff. You go in their places and you see a couch, a bed, a bike, a TV and a laptop. And that's it.

Someone who I assume would know told me that every space in Liberty Center was roughed-in in such a way as to allow conversion to restaurant. That says a lot about what the retail scene is becoming.

 

That also has to do with the relative decline of food courts (and fast food more generally). Liberty Center has a food court, but it seems much less popular than the restaurants located at street level. Even suburbanites prefer dining in a setting that has a "sense of place". Fewer people today (especially families) want to eat a meal in a generic cafeteria-style field of tables with the combined smells of Subway, Sbarro, and a generic Chinese restaurant. Back in the 90's, Kenwood Town Centre primarily only had food at its food court. Now, the exterior is lined with a bunch of sit-down restaurants.

Someone who I assume would know told me that every space in Liberty Center was roughed-in in such a way as to allow conversion to restaurant. That says a lot about what the retail scene is becoming.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Suburban retail is going to continue to do fine since those people still buy stuff. Most malls that died were either replaced by new malls or were doomed from the beginning due to the existince of other nearby malls (Forest Fair, the other mall at Kenwood, the small mall that used to be in Norwood and the nearly completely forgotten Crestview Hills). City folk are all about experiences rather than stuff. You go in their places and you see a couch, a bed, a bike, a TV and a laptop. And that's it.

 

Crestview Hills has been successfully re-imagined and redeveloped as a lifestyle center. While nowhere near the size of the retail node in Florence, it stays quite busy and offers unique and popular nameplates.

Newport restaurant goes mobile with meatball food truck

 

 

A Greater Cincinnati restaurant focused on creative meatballs is hitting the street with a new food truck.

 

Newport-based Packhouse Meats at 1004 Monmouth St. took its first road trip with the food truck to the United Way in Florence on Monday.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/13/newport-restaurant-goes-mobile-with-meatball-food.html

Someone who I assume would know told me that every space in Liberty Center was roughed-in in such a way as to allow conversion to restaurant. That says a lot about what the retail scene is becoming.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Suburban retail is going to continue to do fine since those people still buy stuff. Most malls that died were either replaced by new malls or were doomed from the beginning due to the existince of other nearby malls (Forest Fair, the other mall at Kenwood, the small mall that used to be in Norwood and the nearly completely forgotten Crestview Hills). City folk are all about experiences rather than stuff. You go in their places and you see a couch, a bed, a bike, a TV and a laptop. And that's it.

 

Crestview Hills has been successfully re-imagined and redeveloped as a lifestyle center. While nowhere near the size of the retail node in Florence, it stays quite busy and offers unique and popular nameplates.

 

Yes, it has been much more popular as a lifestyle center than a mall.

Popular downtown cafe opening 2nd location

 

 

The owners of a popular downtown cafe are opening a second location in Over-the-Rhine.

 

Cheapside Cafe at 326 E. Eighth St. downtown will soon have a sister location at 1200 Main St. in Over-the-Rhine called Cheapside Corner.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/14/popular-downtown-cafe-opening-2nd-location.html

Cincinnati’s build-your-own donut bar to open third location

 

Top This Donut Bar & Ice Cream will open its third Greater Cincinnati location Friday.

 

The opening of the new store, at 18 N. Fort Thomas Ave. (the Highland Building) in Fort Thomas, coincides with Fort Thomas' Art Around Towne event.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/16/cincinnati-s-build-your-own-donut-bar-to-open.html

Walnut Hills barbecue restaurant sets grand opening

 

 

A Walnut Hills barbecue restaurant, the first storefront tenant in the $9 million Trevarren Flats development, is ready for its grand opening this week and we got a look inside.

 

The Just Q'in BBQ restaurant at 975 E. McMillan is the second restaurant, after the original in Newtown. Its grand opening is set for June 17. The restaurants grew from a popular food truck operated by Matt Cuffs. Click through the photos below for a look inside the new location.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/16/walnut-hills-barbecue-restaurant-sets-grand.html

Walnut Hills barbecue restaurant sets grand opening

 

 

A Walnut Hills barbecue restaurant, the first storefront tenant in the $9 million Trevarren Flats development, is ready for its grand opening this week and we got a look inside.

 

The Just Q'in BBQ restaurant at 975 E. McMillan is the second restaurant, after the original in Newtown. Its grand opening is set for June 17. The restaurants grew from a popular food truck operated by Matt Cuffs. Click through the photos below for a look inside the new location.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/16/walnut-hills-barbecue-restaurant-sets-grand.html

 

Really great article about Just Q'in. The owner seems like a good guy. He provides financial literacy classes for his employees, which I think is a wonderful idea for any employer to do.

Italian restaurant opening at Loveland Station

 

 

An Italian eatery is getting ready to open as the newest restaurant tenant in the $12 million Loveland Station development.

 

Bella's owner Kevin Kleist told me he plans to open his restaurant at 110 S. Second St. by the end of June.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/17/italian-restaurant-opening-at-loveland-station.html

Cincinnati restaurateur planning expansion, new fast casual concept

 

A longtime Cincinnati restaurateur is planning a new fast casual restaurant based on his flagship East Side Italian restaurant.

 

On the eve of its 15-year anniversary, the owners of Bella Luna are working on a franchise opening package and scouting locations for a new fast casual concept.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/20/cincinnati-restaurateur-planning-expansion-new.html

Maplewood, the newest restaurant at 84.51 is now open

 

 

The newest restaurant by the owners of the Eagle OTR, Bakersfield and Krueger's Tavern is now open in the 84.51 building downtown.

 

Thurderdome Group's Maplewood Kitchen and Bar at 525 Race St. officially opened on Monday morning.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/20/the-newest-restaurant-at-84-51-is-now-open.html

Wingstop coming to Short Vine

 

A new fast casual chicken restaurant is opening its first urban Cincinnati location after finding success in other neighborhoods.

 

Maurice Vilaboy and John Wacker are bringing Wingstop to 2707 Vine St., next to the LaRosa's in Corryville. It will be their third location, after restaurants in Cheviot and Colerain Township.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/21/fast-casual-chicken-wing-restaurant-coming-to.html

^For the sake of clarification, the author could have told everyone that this is going into the old Gold Star Chili, which had been a hookah lounge for about a year. 

Don't forget it also housed Doughby's which thought it would be a smart business decision to combine calzones, crepes, and wings:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1305769,-84.5094482,3a,39.3y,307.76h,89.92t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sldCBLuLHGYIOtKFtMc35oQ!2e0!5s20140801T000000!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

Downtown Cincinnati restaurateur opening new spot in Blue Ash

 

Sung Jun Oh, owner of Sung's Korean Bistro downtown, is opening a second restaurant in Blue Ash

 

The owner of a downtown Korean bistro is opening a second restaurant in one of Cincinnati's suburbs.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/22/exclusive-downtown-cincinnati-restaurateur-opening.html

^Not a subscriber.  Care to summarize?  I assume Sung, but where in Blue Ash?