20 minutes ago, Robuu said:

They really can't be "easily handled." You can't replicate having the actual owner of a business spending hours each week in their restaurant with a chain of restaurants in multiple cities. Same with having the chef who is the creative mind behind all the dishes, you can't replicate having the chef spending hours in the kitchen across a chain. At best, you could get by with 2-4 nearby locations before the whole personal touch disappears completely.

 

 

The profitability of a small restaurant is difficult. You need to always be looking to expand and grow or else you could easily go under. I would not wish the small restaurateur upon anyone who looks to develop a sustainable business for them and their families. While it may be cute as a patron to go to a small quaint little diner, it is also an extremely risky prop for the owner. They start off small, prove a concept and then the good ones figure out a way to grow. 

 

If you have a place that seats about 30 people, and you operate dinners and lunch time, practically speaking, you have 2 sittings each session, if you are lucky. With tight margins, it makes it hard to sustain that for a lot of years. Look at Taste of Belgium, he understood that he needed to grow from a waffle stand in order to have a sustainable business. Same with Thunderdome. Starving artists may make good work, but I prefer they don't have to starve.  

1 hour ago, DEPACincy said:

When we arrived she exclaimed, "Oh I've been to Han Dynasty! It's in the East Village! So great that they've expanded to Philly!" It made me irrationally angry that she thought it was an NYC restaurant haha.

 

Wow, the Brooklyn Han Dynasty is so unabashedly Philly. I mean, they wore the Eagles shirts for months, might even be doing it now!

 

To place this on topic, perhaps Han Dynasty could open an OTR location! ?

21 hours ago, troeros said:

Thunderdome group is exceptionally well run restaurant group. All of there ventures have been a home run in Cincy and in other cities as well (the Bakersfield in Indy is always packed).

 

 

The problem with revenue is that it makes it a lot easier to borrow money.  That's why chain after chain after chain expands too quickly and then collapses. 

 

White Castle is roughly 100 years old and keeps going because they don't borrow money to expand.  They only expand with cash. 

I don't think it would be as big of an issue if Thunderdome (and others like them) tied their restaurants' identities to Cincinnati. Think about how Blue Star and Voodoo Donuts have expanded to other cities but they remain "Portland" in people's minds. I'm not sure if people think "Cincinnati" when they go to Bakersfield... people probably think... uh... Bakersfield. 

 

This may be a little different, but worth contributing to this conversation. When I lived in Seattle, I got my hair cut at Rudy's. They have a distinct vibe that is true to their roots in Seattle, but in their 25 years they have grown to dozens of locations in 7 states.  Other coffee spots in that city have similar expansion strategies; Cherry Street, Victrola, Caffe Vita.  I don't think expansion like this is a problem if you aren't compromising your product. Collective Espresso sort of tried this. They went from 1 location to 4 locations (OTR, Northside, CAC, and Mobile) but have since retracted to OTR and Northside. Macaron Bar is doing this also.

41 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

 

The problem with revenue is that it makes it a lot easier to borrow money.  That's why chain after chain after chain expands too quickly and then collapses. 

 

White Castle is roughly 100 years old and keeps going because they don't borrow money to expand.  They only expand with cash. 

borrowing money was never going to be their problem. THey were highly successful in the business before they even started Thunderdome or Currito .

1 hour ago, TraderJake said:

 

Wow, the Brooklyn Han Dynasty is so unabashedly Philly. I mean, they wore the Eagles shirts for months, might even be doing it now!

 

To place this on topic, perhaps Han Dynasty could open an OTR location! ?

 

Haha that's funny. Never been to the Brooklyn one. My favorite Philly place outside of Philly is MaGerk's in Baltimore. Makes you feel like you stepped through a portal and landed next to the Schuylkill. 

 

Anyway, I would kill for a Han Dynasty in OTR! It's hard to find good Szechuan around here. 

1 hour ago, Traveler Joe said:

Have you noticed a change in quality of food at thunderdome in the past 5 years?

Honestly, I think the chicken has gone downhill. But that could be due to having gone at less crowded times more recently. It tasted "made to order" the first couple times I went. They pre-make their chicken, though. But that's not really the point. The point is it's a different experience versus e.g. having a chef-owner stopping by your table on occasion. Makes me feel better about patronizing a place when that happens.

 

2 hours ago, Traveler Joe said:

Does senate taste different now than when they were serving up hotdogs across the street from lavomatic?

Dunno, I've never been to Senate. But having a couple locations in the same metro is very different than what Thunderdome does.

 

2 hours ago, Traveler Joe said:

On the flip side who do you think is doing a really good job with this curated restaurant experience in town?

AmerAsia gets a lot of its personality from having Chef Chu and his son around. Tucker's feels very community-based. Please offers meals that you know you can only get in one place, for a limited time. There are countless places, that run the gamut from diner to fine dining.

 

2 hours ago, Traveler Joe said:

Does going to french crust pass that test?

I think the Jean-Robert restaurants have gone too far with expansion to give the vibe I'm talking about. JR would have been a good example in the Maisonette days, or when he first started with his own places. Not so much anymore. But @Chas Wiederhold has a good point that if a chain retains a commitment to its place of origin, that's also a level above what Thunderdome does.

1 hour ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

Starving artists may make good work, but I prefer they don't have to starve.

It doesn't seem to me that the desire to expand is universal. It is a cutthroat business, you're definitely right about that. But many owners are happy to stay at a size that feels manageable for them, successfully and as a labor of love. As a patron, I appreciate that. It's fine that not everyone wants to follow that path, but again I lament the sameyness that has resulted in the region due in no small part to Thunderdome. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop going to Maplewood. My enthusiasm for their establishments is a bit less, though.

I think city bird has better chicken than the eagle and the sauce that comes with it Is amazing. Similar Mayo Chipotle based to Cain's but the chicken is much more tender at city bird.

 

I also love that they are open till 3am on weekends as well.

 

One time I came with my friends Saturday night to City bird and they literally ran out of chicken. The employees were super nice though and gave us free chicken from the uber eats that weren't picked up.

 

Regardless of there authenticity to Cincy, otr is lucky to have birthed this mega success story. This restaurant group knows there stuff on how to create a good atmosphere, and a solid drink and food menu.

 

Also Thunderdome group has inspired many restaurant groups to create chains throughout otr. It's a great thing we have going on and should consider this is happening to otr. This is only inspiring folks to become the next eagle, or the next Senate, or any of the other success story restaurant groups in otr.

 

10 minutes ago, Robuu said:

It doesn't seem to me that the desire to expand is universal. It is a cutthroat business, you're definitely right about that. But many owners are happy to stay at a size that feels manageable for them, successfully and as a labor of love. As a patron, I appreciate that. It's fine that not everyone wants to follow that path, but again I lament the sameyness that has resulted in the region due in no small part to Thunderdome. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop going to Maplewood. My enthusiasm for their establishments is a bit less, though.

I get it. I agree that I don't like the sameness from the chain concept. I think what Thunderdome is doing is not quite the traditional chain concept and does have a uniqueness about their locations. They are kinda between the homogenous Applebees/OUtback model and the individual model like Scotti's

 

The Thunderdome people come from a corporate restaurant background, so it makes sense they would pursue that model. Many of the places you like, tend to come from the individual chef that looks to have their own place, it is more a labor of love for them. 

 

I think to your point, if you want a foodie place, it is the small establishment that you want to patronize. The larger the organization, the less foodie it truly is.

^ Fair enough, though "foodie" is kinda extreme. I mean, Tucker's isn't exactly a foodie place. But it has the authenticity, community vibe, etc., and I feel like my money is better spent there than in a Frisch's or Perkins (for example).

Frisch's is also local, and employs thousands of people in the area, including myself indirectly. Money spent at Frisch's is spread to a lot more people here than Tucker's.

^My first job was as a bus boy at Frisch's.  I was there for 18 months and by the end I was the third-most senior employee at the Mt. Airy location.  At one point we ran out of maternity uniforms and had to borrow one or two from the Colerain store. 

The parent company of Frisch's isn't local (NRD Partners I, L.P. of Wilmington, DE). Everyone who owns or works at Tucker's is local, so a larger percentage of money spent at Tucker's stays local. And I'm just guessing, but I would imagine Tucker's buys a larger percentage of their ingredients from local sources.

 

If you want to say more of your money stays local at Frisch's versus Perkins, yeah, but more money stays local at Tucker's, which most likely means it's spread to more local people as the owners, waiters/waitresses, and cooks spend their money. I guess it's always possible the Tucker family just looooves to go to the Christiana Mall every weekend, though.

Edited December 19, 20186 yr by Robuu

^Much of the argument for a strong local public transportation system is similar.  The biggest expense for any transit agency is labor, meaning the taxes and fares we pay stay local.  But when we own our own car, we don't pay ourselves to drive.  Instead, the much greater per-capita vehicle costs almost all filter out of the area.  The cars themselves, the gasoline, the insurance, etc. 

To think 10 years ago (2008) we were still adament on the success of the gate way quarter and if people would venture into otr to try Lavomatic. 

 

Now 10 years later we are arguing about these otr establishments are becoming homgemized chains.

 

I'm super curious where otr will be in 2028. Will be very fun to go back to this thread page 10 years later and get an update!

28 minutes ago, Robuu said:

I guess it's always possible the Tucker family just looooves to go to the Christiana Mall every weekend, though.

 

Good one! No one likes to deal with the traffic near the Christiana Mall. People only go if they HAVE to. 

 

P.S.- The DE in my user name stands for Delaware haha. 

3 hours ago, DEPACincy said:

Anyway, I would kill for a Han Dynasty in OTR! It's hard to find good Szechuan around here. 

 

All of the good Chinese food in Cincinnati is along the Reading Road corridor in the vicinity of Evendale / Sharonville. There's really not many good choices at all in the Cincinnati city limits. OTR, especially, is lacking in this regard. Quan Hapa has great food, but the vibe feels a bit too polished. It lacks the authentic look and feel of a place like the Imperial Inn. Yum Yum takes the cake when it comes to vibe, but the food is pretty average.

There is about 50 restaurants currently scattered between South of Liberty/Pendelton/Findley Market area. 

 

No doubt, I see the cap of restaurants with a fully gentrified OTR/Mohawk/Pendelton to be about in the range of 120-150 when all is said and done. 

 

OTR is has been praised by multiple large publications from the NYT, to Food and Wine Magazine, to the Chicago Tribune as being the foodie capital of Ohio....

 

With that said, I really hope that many of the immigrants who live in Sharonville/Reading/West Chester decide to open up a future restaurants in OTR. We still badly need Ethiopian, Indian (Injoy is pretty good though), Chinese, Mediterranean Food  (please someone open up a shwarma window or cart like they have everywhere in Columbus!!), etc. Hell, we still don't even have a damn Cincinnati Chili Parlor in OTR. How pathetic is that?

 

OTR has come a very long way. It's restaurants are all (for the most part) well run, and the food is rock solid. That said, we definitely need more ethnic options and variety.

 

We also need a damn chilli parlor. It shouldn't take this long for someone to do this people!!! I've been moaning about this on urban ohio for years now..But honestly, why is this taking so long? There are alot of small commercial spaces (look at the philly cheese steak window on East 13th street and Main) scattered throughout OTR. Open up a carry out window that serves cincinnati chili, that's near Main St and your guaranteed to make money. I'm drowning in college loan debt, but if that wasn't an issue that would be my first venture. It would be such easy money (especially on weekends, and fcc west end game days). 

 

 

2 hours ago, troeros said:

Hell, we still don't even have a damn Cincinnati Chili Parlor in OTR. How pathetic is that?

 

 

^This. I mean seriously whether it’s a Skyline, Goldstar, Empress, Dixie or somebody new, we just need somebody selling Cincinnnati style chili in OTR. Lots of tourists and locals alike drinking and spending time around OTR and Findlay market would like access to our chili. It’s one of our only regional foods and we should have it in our number one tourist neighborhood. 

There was a Gold Star on Race directly across from Findlay Market until about 2005. 

 

It was here:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1157711,-84.5183459,3a,75y,102.42h,93.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sueSBR9sX2gJRkxB9Dam7XA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

Edited December 20, 20186 yr by jmecklenborg

And it was good enough for bill clinton

20 hours ago, Robuu said:

Honestly, I think the chicken has gone downhill. But that could be due to having gone at less crowded times more recently. It tasted "made to order" the first couple times I went. They pre-make their chicken, though. But that's not really the point. The point is it's a different experience versus e.g. having a chef-owner stopping by your table on occasion. Makes me feel better about patronizing a place when that happens.

 

Right, there is a big difference between an independent restaurant run by a chef-owner and a chain that wants to create a brand that they can reproduce in city after city. When you are running a chain, you are thinking more about the cost of every decision you make. In fact, two Thunderdome restaurants have made penny-pinching decisions that make me less likely to go there: Currito getting rid of black bean hummus and replacing it with regular hummus, and Bakersfield no longer putting salsa on the table unless you pay extra for chips and salsa. Both of these were probably decisions made to decrease food and/or labor costs. I've also heard a few people say that the new menu items at Bakersfield aren't very good, but I haven't tried them myself.

I think the whole fascination with the chef-owner to be very interesting.  The places I can think of that have owners who go around checking in on people is when the owner has some underlying mental issues.  That being said buddy larosa refilled my drink once so I guess i'll have to move larosas into this category as well.

12 minutes ago, Traveler Joe said:

I think the whole fascination with the chef-owner to be very interesting. 

I literally used it as an example. It's not a "fascination." It's just the extreme end of the hands-on operation, totally opposite a chain.

21 hours ago, Robuu said:

e.g. having a chef-owner

37 minutes ago, taestell said:

 

Thunderdome restaurants have made penny-pinching decisions that make me less likely to go there

 

The Eagle used to broadcast the farm where their chicken came from... an important thing for someone like me who only eats meat if I know where it comes from, just like Fred and Carrie in Season 1 Episode 1 of Portlandia.

1 hour ago, Traveler Joe said:

I think the whole fascination with the chef-owner to be very interesting.  The places I can think of that have owners who go around checking in on people is when the owner has some underlying mental issues. 

 

It's not just that but people who work in restaurants trying to act like working in restaurants is a lot wilder and more interesting than it is.  I worked with a guy who used to work at Nada and we had to hear 2-3 times per week about something that "they" used to do at Nada. 

 

Yeah, there are some nutty people working at restaurants.  There are nutty people working in sales departments, in construction, in accounting, and everywhere else where time cards are punched. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Robuu said:

I literally used it as an example. It's not a "fascination." It's just the extreme end of the hands-on operation, totally opposite a chain.

 

I hear you, and while I understand it's not all of them but for every passionate chef/owner you have a jeff ruby who also fits that bill.  I totally understand the argument you are making its just that it seems to be something that is only occuring in very high end places or a short order cook/owner setups and sadly there is a lot of room in the middle that needs to be filled as well.

National eatery opens at Cincinnati Museum Center

 

A cafe with at least 15 locations across the nation is opening its doors at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

 

Bean Sprouts cafe will debut inside Union Terminal, which recently reopened after a $228 million restoration, on Friday. The kid-friendly eatery that features healthy options in whimsical shapes and designs will be located just outside the Duke Energy Children’s Museum.

 

Among Bean Sprouts’ offerings are the Grilledzilla, a grilled cheese sandwich cut into a monster face, and Do-Re-For-Me, a sunflower butter and organic jam sandwich cut and styled into the shape of piano keys. Other options include sandwiches, soups, pizza and treats such as organic ice cream and frozen fruit bars.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/12/21/national-eatery-opens-at-cincinnati-museum-center.html

Here's when Northside restaurateurs plan to open their East Walnut Hills eatery

 

 

The owners of Littlefield and Second Place in Northside are opening their new restaurant in East Walnut Hills just in time for the new year.

 

Branch, in a historic bank building at 1535 Madison Road, is opening its doors on Dec. 26. The building also houses Night Drop, a cocktail lounge in the old bank's basement.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/12/24/heres-when-northside-restaurateurs-plan-to-open.html

oh wow, that's so exciting about Branch. Shoshannah Anderson used to be the co-owner and chef at the great, long-missed Honey before the Littlefield owners recruited her to initially consult on a bar food menu at the Littlefield. She then started working for them full time. It's exciting that now she's the exec chef at a true full-size restaurant again.

Downtown noodle shop closing to bring back familiar name

 

A downtown Cincinnati restaurant specializing in dumpling and noodle dishes is closing to become a familiar barbecue space with an Asian twist.

 

Dope Noodle and Dumpling Shop at 29 E. Court St. is serving its final lunch on Dec. 29 after opening in that space in October 2017.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/12/27/downtown-noodle-shop-closing-to-bring-back.html

Terry's Turf Club may reopen soon with new owners

 

The embattled owner of Terry's Turf Club closed the restaurant just before Christmas, but it could be coming back soon under new ownership.

 

Terry Carter closed his eponymous restaurant at 4618 Eastern Ave. on Dec. 23, just weeks after settling with a former employee who recorded him uttering a sexual remark after allegedly firing her. He said at the time the two are unrelated, he's just ready to retire.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/12/27/terrys-turf-club-may-reopen-soon-with-new-owners.html

19 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

Downtown noodle shop closing to bring back familiar name

 

A downtown Cincinnati restaurant specializing in dumpling and noodle dishes is closing to become a familiar barbecue space with an Asian twist.

 

Dope Noodle and Dumpling Shop at 29 E. Court St. is serving its final lunch on Dec. 29 after opening in that space in October 2017.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/12/27/downtown-noodle-shop-closing-to-bring-back.html

 

 

I have honestly lost track of how many times this restaurant and its sister restaurant on Main Street have changed menus, changed names, swapped names with eachother, swapped menus with eachother, swapped locations with eachother... ?

 

I tried Dope once or twice and found the food to be okay but not great. They were trying to do too many different styles of noodles and dumplings and none of them were amazing. On the other hand, we got some delivery from Lalo (the sister restaurant on Main) recently, and I found their Thai-Mexican fusion Pad Thai to be really good.

Yeah those guys must have serious A.D.D. and just get sick of restaurant concepts pretty quickly. I don't mind it at all though because it keeps everything fresh and creative and it seems that the really successful items on their menus have lived on, like the drunken brisket from Huit finding its way into a burrito at Lalo. That said, I really liked Dope's pan seared dumplings, they were huge and good and there are basically no other dumplings in downtown, so I hope they find their way to a future menu. 

^ I'm looking forward to trying the new Babushka Pierogies on Main Street sometime soon. OK not a dumpling, but actually it is a dumpling ?

Dope’s dumplings are good, because they don’t overdo the thickness of the wrapping.  I like their miso ramen too, which has a nice mix of ingredients, as it should.  

 

I don’t think they’re doing themselves any favors with all this switching around.  It takes a while to build a clientelle and that just can’t happen when the restaurant changes every year.  Lalo was never a favorite, but a bunch of us liked Neuf.  When Lalo replaced Neuf and eliminated the Chinese dishes, we stopped going because the new items on the menu just weren’t very good.  While they may hope that they regain people who wrote off the last rebrand, I bet they lose just as many who don’t like the new concept.  

17 hours ago, jjakucyk said:

Dope’s dumplings are good, because they don’t overdo the thickness of the wrapping.  I like their miso ramen too, which has a nice mix of ingredients, as it should.  

 

I don’t think they’re doing themselves any favors with all this switching around.  It takes a while to build a clientelle and that just can’t happen when the restaurant changes every year.  Lalo was never a favorite, but a bunch of us liked Neuf.  When Lalo replaced Neuf and eliminated the Chinese dishes, we stopped going because the new items on the menu just weren’t very good.  While they may hope that they regain people who wrote off the last rebrand, I bet they lose just as many who don’t like the new concept.  

 

Same thing happened with me. Nuef carried over some of my favorite dishes from Huit but when Lalo took over all of that was gone and so was I. It sucks that after 4 years of experimentation that Huit was the best of the bunch. It deserves to return, hopefully with a similar menu from the original (with my much missed Pork Dumpling Ramen). We'll see...

Findlay Market's newest eatery opens

 

The newest eatery at Findlay Market opened its doors just before the Christmas holiday.

 

The OTR Bagel Bar at 107 Elder St. hosted its grand opening on Dec. 22. It's a project by Marshall Mann and Chris Cavallaro.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/12/31/findlay-markets-newest-eatery-opens.html

 

BrewRiver reopens inside former Bella Luna space

 

 

BrewRiver Gastropub closed its doors at the end of October, but it didn't stay shut long – the restaurant is reopened with a new name in a larger location, and we have your look inside.

 

The restaurant is "Gastropub" no more – BrewRiver Creole Kitchen opened its doors at 4623 Eastern Ave. on Dec. 28. Flip through the photos for a look inside.

 

The new tagline for the restaurant is "Taste like New Orleans, craft like Cincinnati." Owner Joby Bowman told me the name change is meant to reflect and play up the restaurant's culinary heritage.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/12/31/brewriver-reopens-inside-former-bella-luna-space.html

Two bagel shops just opened within a couple months of each other in OTR. Is this just a strange coincidence, the start of a trend, the importation of a trend? Why all the bagels all of a sudden?

 

Not complaining...vivan las bagels.

Athens had one of these places 20+ years ago and it's still going:

http://bagelstreetdeli.com/

 

It also had a bagel buggy in the 1970s and 1980s. 

Terry's Turf Club reopens, but question of ownership is unclear

 

The embattled Linwood restaurant Terry's Turf Club is again open and serving its famous burgers, but questions about who owns it remain unclear.

 

Terry's Turf Club at 4618 Eastern Ave. reopened for business on Jan. 3 after closing Dec. 23, although an employee who answered the restaurant's phone today said the new owners aren't taking over until Jan. 11.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/01/03/terrys-turf-club-reopens-but-question-of-ownership.html

Here's what's coming to the former Lachey's Bar space

 

 

An Over-the-Rhine restaurateur is bringing a tested concept into the former Lachey's Bar space at 12th and Walnut streets.

 

Taglio, the second pizza concept by the Wayne brothers, Nicolas and Jared, is coming to the former Lachey's space at 56 E. 12th St. with the goal of opening by spring 2019.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/01/03/heres-whats-coming-to-the-former-lacheys-bar-space.html

Texas chef opening Cincinnati wine, cheese and charcuterie spot

 

A Texas chef has moved to Cincinnati to open a new concept that will combine wine, cheese and whole-hog butchery into a Napa-inspired tasting room in O'Bryonville.

 

Waco, Texas native Eric Salome is opening Rinds, Wines & Swines at 1979 Madison Road in O'Bryonville. His goal is to open by March.

 

As the name implies, Rinds, Wines & Swines will offer a tasting room experience inspired by estate wineries in California's Napa Valley wine country. The establishment will offer a variety of wines by the glass or bottle with the option to take purchases home.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/01/04/exclusive-dallas-chef-opening-cincinnati-wine.html

 

Combined coffeeshop and craft beer taproom coming to O'Bryonville

 

A coffeeshop by day and craft beer taproom by night is getting ready to open its doors in O'Bryonville.

 

Two Columbus-based businesses are teaming up to open Bean & Barley Coffeehouse & Taproom at 2005 Madison Road, which could be ready for business in the coming weeks.

 

Bean & Barley is combining the forces of the Ohio Taproom and Grandview Grind, both of Columbus, to offer a full coffeehouse and espresso bar with about 20 taps showcasing beers from around the Tri-State.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/01/07/combined-coffeeshop-and-craft-beer-taproom-coming.html

 

Look inside Branch, East Walnut Hills' newest restaurant

 

 

East Walnut Hills' newest eatery, from seasoned Northside restaurateurs, is now open and we have your look inside.

 

Branch, from the owners of Littlefield and Second Place in Northside, opened Dec. 26 at 1535 Madison Road. Flip through the photos for a look inside.

 

The building, the former Central Trust bank in East Walnut Hills, also houses the bar Night Drop in its basement.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/01/08/look-inside-branch-east-walnut-hills-newest.html

Longfellow is expanding with a second room, which will be used as a bar and private event space.

 

 

Downtown hot chicken restaurant opens this week

 

 

Downtown's newest restaurant, a sister restaurant to the Court Street Lobster Bar that focuses on Nashville-style hot chicken, will be open before you know it.

 

The Fiery Hen, at 26 W. Court St., opens to the public Jan. 11. It's the second restaurant by Court Street Lobster Bar owner Dan Swormstedt. Flip through the photos for a look inside.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/01/08/downtown-hot-chicken-restaurant-opens-this-week-p.html

New owner talks about what will change, stay the same at the Turf Club

 

 

The new owner of what was Terry's Turf Club hasn't started full-time yet, but he already has an idea of what is going to change – and what won't – at the popular Linwood eatery.

 

Terry's Turf Club, at 4618 Eastern Ave., was closed by founder Terry Carteron Dec. 23, 2018. The restaurant reopened on Jan. 3, followed shortly by the announcement that it had been purchased by brothers Tom and Marc Kunkemoeller. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

 

Tom Kunkemoeller told me he and Marc officially take ownership on Jan. 11 of what will now be known simply as the Turf Club. He spent the last 21 years of his career in the restaurant industry as general manager of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse, where he will remain through January before starting full-time at the Turf Club.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/01/09/new-owner-talks-about-what-will-change-stay-the.html