June 3, 201411 yr When I first heard about their plans for Jackson Brewery, I thought they were way too ambitious. So when I first read they were doing this thing in Northside, I figured it was an acceptance of that fact. My bet is they're hoping to make enough money with the Northside venture to complete the OTR build-out.
June 3, 201411 yr When I first heard about their plans for Jackson Brewery, I thought they were way too ambitious. So when I first read they were doing this thing in Northside, I figured it was an acceptance of that fact. My bet is they're hoping to make enough money with the Northside venture to complete the OTR build-out. The Jackson Brewery project is extremely ambitious. Not much is happening North of Liberty yet except for Findlay Market and Rhinegeist. Even after the streetcar is operational, people would still need to walk a good distance (uphill) to get from the nearest stop to the venue. I wish them luck, but they may need to consider opening it in phases.
June 3, 201411 yr When I first heard about their plans for Jackson Brewery, I thought they were way too ambitious. So when I first read they were doing this thing in Northside, I figured it was an acceptance of that fact. My bet is they're hoping to make enough money with the Northside venture to complete the OTR build-out. The first time I walked around the Jackson Brewery was in the late 90s, maybe 1998. I had to get back in my car because unleashed dogs were roaming the property. It was wild.
June 5, 201411 yr A soccer bar in Northside? http://www.cincinnati.com/story/newintown/2014/06/05/world-cup-sports-barrestaurant-to-open-in-northside/10006225/ Maybe they will serve completos & roasted bone marrow & full English breakfasts yeah, I doubt it, too
June 12, 201411 yr Jeff Ruby: Waterfront restaurant to be rebuilt on land Jeff Ruby's floating Waterfront restaurant is making a move to dry land. Owner Ruby and the city of Covington have agreed to alter their plan to place the restaurant barge in the river at Covington Landing. Instead, it will be rebuilt on land, putting it on the empty Covington Landing space at the foot of Madison Avenue. "People may think it's sexier dining on a boat that's actually on the water," Ruby said. "But it's not safe sex." Concern for the safety of guests and employees, not to mention the extra cost of operating a floating restaurant, prompted Ruby to make the change. "The Waterfront has been sunk, hit by an iceberg, hit by a runaway barge, and come unmoored," Ruby said. "I watched the video of the last time; it was scary. We almost lost an employee." Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 19, 201410 yr Chicken finger chain coming to Cincinnati: EXCLUSIVE The Ohio franchisee for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers plans to open four locations in 2014. The fast-casual restaurant that specializes in chicken fingers will have 13 stores in Columbus by the end of the year. Caitlin Brooks, marketing manager for Raising Cane’s Ohio, said the Ohio franchisee believes the Cincinnati market could hold just as many locations. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2013/08/19/chicken-finger-chain-coming-to.html Cincinnati will have to wait a little longer for new chicken finger chain The Raising Cane’s chicken finger restaurant set to open in a former Five Guys space in West Chester has been delayed. Raising Cane’s Ohio Limited marketing manager Caitlin Brooks said the restaurant, which was expected to open in the second quarter of this year, is facing some development delays. “We still own the site, and we are still very intent on opening a restaurant there,” Brooks said. “We’re still really excited about the Cincinnati market.” Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 26, 201410 yr Another Broken Egg coming to Cincinnati A group out of Dayton has acquired the franchise rights in Southwest Ohio for the breakfast chain Another Broken Egg. A group of investors, including a few from developer RG Properties, has the right to open four locations in Southwest Ohio, including two planned for the Cincinnati market. All four have to be open by 2018. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/06/25/another-broken-egg-coming-to-cincinnati.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 26, 201410 yr New-to-Cincinnati bagel concept coming to U Square A local franchisee group for Einstein Bros. Bagels will open its first store later this summer at U Square at the Loop. Doug Newman, along with partners Marty Anderson and Paul Gold, plan to open Cincinnati’s first Einstein Bros. Bagels the first week of August. The 2,200-square-foot store will be located at 271 Calhoun St., right next to DiBella’s Subs. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/06/26/new-to-cincinnati-bagel-concept-coming-to-u-square.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 26, 201410 yr The Business Courier also reports that two Cincinnati area Five Guys locations have closed, including the one on Calhoun.
June 26, 201410 yr Really? That's surprising. That place was always busy it seemed. But at the same time it was entirely too much food for one person and there are a lot of better options available.
June 30, 201410 yr How many times has Lavomatic closed now? Local 127 and Lavomatic close Two urban eateries served up their last meals this weekend, as both announced on their social media accounts they were closing. Local 127, located at 413 Vine Street in Downtown, served up meals for the last time Saturday, while Lavomatic, at 1211 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine, announced it has closed on its Facebook page Sunday night. Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 30, 201410 yr I think it had three revisions. I called it a month ago when I walked by it, but it's always sad to see a mainstay close. With both gone - what does Wade own/operate now?
June 30, 201410 yr Enough that this sounds like the last time. Their recent brunch menu was actually really good and I enjoyed getting guetta sliders there. Too bad. Hopefully something with a little more stability takes its place. I only got to Local 127 once but I enjoyed it. I'm actually surprised by that. Maybe its lack of visibility from the Square had something to do with it?
June 30, 201410 yr You could barely tell anything was there, at least you could see from the outside that Lavomatic was a restaurant. I don't understand why business owners don't understand that your business needs to be visible and what it does needs to be obvious. A restaurant's name and signage need to insinuate positive feelings. "Local 127" is one of the worst names I've ever heard of for a restaurant.
June 30, 201410 yr You could barely tell anything was there, at least you could see from the outside that Lavomatic was a restaurant. I don't understand why business owners don't understand that your business needs to be visible and what it does needs to be obvious. A restaurant's name and signage need to insinuate positive feelings. "Local 127" is one of the worst names I've ever heard of for a restaurant. Sounds like a Pipefitters Union
June 30, 201410 yr That didn't take long... Owners of Bakersfield, The Eagle taking over Lavomatic space The owners of popular Over-the-Rhine restaurants Bakersfield OTR and the Eagle Food and Beer Hall are taking over the space that was just vacated by Lavomatic Café. Joe Lanni’s Thunderdome Restaurant Group, the parent company for Bakersfield and the Eagle, has already signed a lease for the restaurant space at 1211 Vine St. The concept for the new restaurant has not been finalized yet, but it is expected to open in October. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/06/30/owners-of-bakersfield-the-eagle-taking-over.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 30, 201410 yr I think that's the fastest turnaround I've ever seen. But it's a good thing since Bakersfield and Eagle are both fantastic and pretty affordable options which is nice. I can't wait to see what they do with this space.
June 30, 201410 yr Back in 2010, Martin Wade said that he intended to get out of the restaurant business by 2014. However, at that time, he indicated that Lavomatic would be sold, but apparently that never happened. Either way, I think this is a good thing. Lavomatic never had an identity. They were simultaneously trying to be an upscale restaurant and a gastropub, and it didn't work. They kept bringing in different chefs in an attempt to reinvent the restaurant. I don't know what the new owners have in mind for the space, but if it's as good as Bakersfield and The Eagle, I'm looking forward to it. Since Martin Wade is now going to focus on "the Rookwood Pottery Co., which he owns, and his real estate holdings in Over-the-Rhine," can he finally do something with the old Grammer's building?
June 30, 201410 yr Back in 2010, Martin Wade said that he intended to get out of the restaurant business by 2014. However, at that time, he indicated that Lavomatic would be sold, but apparently that never happened. Either way, I think this is a good thing. Lavomatic never had an identity. They were simultaneously trying to be an upscale restaurant and a gastropub, and it didn't work. They kept bringing in different chefs in an attempt to reinvent the restaurant. I don't know what the new owners have in mind for the space, but if it's as good as Bakersfield and The Eagle, I'm looking forward to it. Since Martin Wade is now going to focus on "the Rookwood Pottery Co., which he owns, and his real estate holdings in Over-the-Rhine," can he finally do something with the old Grammer's building? The Wade’s get hated on quite a bit, but Lavomatic was one of the place that got the Vine St. restaurant scene started. During Grammer’s their brief stint as a restaurant, there was a guy who made chicken wings with ghost chilis he grew out back. I don’t remember his name, but they were some of the best wings I’ve ever had in my life. I hope that whatever happens with Grammer’s, those chicken wings are somewhere on the horizon.
July 7, 201410 yr Olive's in the Ludlow Garage in breezy Clifton will switch from a dining only venue to a music & dining venue in an attempt to bring back the old 'Ludlow Garage'. Closing 7/20 & expecting to reopen in November. I got this from a post on NextDoor, so, no links.
July 7, 201410 yr There's a link to an article somewhere...I read it over the weekend while in NYC and can't remember where. Sounds interesting though. I think a venue like that will do well on Ludlow.
July 7, 201410 yr There's a link to an article somewhere...I read it over the weekend while in NYC and can't remember where. Sounds interesting though. I think a venue like that will do well on Ludlow. New Ludlow Garage and new Woodward Theater opening around the same time? Do we get enough touring acts to justify two new venues?
July 7, 201410 yr That's a good question. I have a feeling the Ludlow Garage will cater more towards small-scale local acts whereas the Woodward will be for the larger acts that were able to easily fill MOTR.
July 9, 201410 yr New Cincinnati growler shop will offer 40 beers on tap The craft beer craze in Cincinnati continues to grow, and now entrepreneurs who aren’t in the brewing business are getting in on the action. Jason Blake is one of those entrepreneurs. Later this fall, Blake and his business partner, Andrew Torbeck, will open the Growler House in East Walnut Hills. The bar and growler shop will have 40 taps, with at least half of them dedicated to local brewers. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/07/09/new-cincinnati-growler-shop-will-offer-40-beers-on.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 9, 201410 yr OTR church will become bar, event space A vacant historic church on Elm Street in Over-the-Rhine will become an entertainment venue, the Enquirer reports. Josh Heuser, who leads marketing and event planning firm AGAR, and his business partner, Michael Forgus, are spending $4.5 million to transform the 20,000-square-foot church into a bar as well as a place for weddings, meetings, concerts, receptions and other social events. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2014/07/otr-church-will-become-bar-event-space.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 11, 201410 yr This one looks good though I haven't been there in Columbus. Perfect plan to try to open for Oktoberfest. Looking forward to it and hoping some more of the Columbus restaurants come down here, particularly I would love if we had a Dirty Frank's too! http://www.columbusunderground.com/brezel-expanding-to-otr-cincinnati
July 12, 201410 yr Looks like a third pizza place is coming to the 100 block of W. McMillan...so Pomadorie's and Adriatico's will be directly across from a third pizza place going in the U Square development.
July 14, 201410 yr Looks like a third pizza place is coming to the 100 block of W. McMillan...so Pomadorie's and Adriatico's will be directly across from a third pizza place going in the U Square development. You can't have too many pizza joints near a campus like that... I wonder how Toppers is doing? I personally think it taste like Chuckecheese.
July 14, 201410 yr Plus, it's Pieology (http://www.pieology.com/) which is a really weird concept. I don't think it'll be competition for Pomodori or Adriaticos at all.
July 14, 201410 yr Looks like a third pizza place is coming to the 100 block of W. McMillan...so Pomadorie's and Adriatico's will be directly across from a third pizza place going in the U Square development. You can't have too many pizza joints near a campus like that... I wonder how Toppers is doing? I personally think it taste like Chuckecheese. Toppers is still doing pretty well from the nights I drive by. Mostly a drunk food place though so I'm not sure how that does for overall revenue. The new pizza place going in across the street from Pomodori's will do very well, and has a concept different enough from the other pizza locations to differentiate competition. It's called Pieology, and think of it as a Chipotle for pizza. Went to one in Berkley, CA near campus and was obsessed. Around ~$5 for a pizza with unlimited toppings. So no, the quality is no A Tavola or something like that, but it's a great deal for the college crowd. Predict a huge success. First one outside of the California market too, I believe, which is pretty cool (Correction: 3 other new market stores have opened in Colorado, Oregon, and Texas with a few other states on the way. Will be the first in Ohio and opens in August.) www.pieology.com
July 14, 201410 yr I'm not sure I'd ever count Pomadorie's as competition for anything...I never see anyone there. It still amazes me every time I'm over there that it's still open, especially with how successful Adriatico's new spot next door has been. I don't really like businesses closing, but its building is silly looking and the entire site is awful. That HUGE parking lot that's never used for anything other than overpriced tailgating before games could make for something much better. If there was a larger building there the new Market Street would have something to culminate at but as it is now it just ends in an ugly parking lot and a mediocre empty pizza place.
July 14, 201410 yr The owners of Pomadorie's and Adriatico's have a decades-old feud that came to a boil when Adriatico's chose to build...RIGHT NEXT DOOR. The owner of Pomadorie's actually dropped mice off at the old Adriatico's and called the health department reporting that he saw mice. I remember when Pomadorie's opened in the mid-90s -- it was the first yuppie sort-of high end restaurant in the area. The place was packed, but wood-fired pizza can't be delivered because it cools off too fast. It's a horrible business model for that reason.
July 14, 201410 yr I'm not sure I'd ever count Pomadorie's as competition for anything...I never see anyone there. It still amazes me every time I'm over there that it's still open, especially with how successful Adriatico's new spot next door has been. I don't really like businesses closing, but its building is silly looking and the entire site is awful. That HUGE parking lot that's never used for anything other than overpriced tailgating before games could make for something much better. If there was a larger building there the new Market Street would have something to culminate at but as it is now it just ends in an ugly parking lot and a mediocre empty pizza place. Agreed. I wish Pomodori's and Stop 'N Go were demolished and those sites redeveloped, instead of Christie's and Clifton Natural Foods.
July 14, 201410 yr It's also a hideous suburban building & lot layout, while Adriatico's is incredibly urban (flush with sidewalk, great use of tiny piece of land, addresses street very well, etc.)
July 14, 201410 yr The Pomodori's in Montgomery is a million times better than the Clifton location. In fact, when I'm up in the Kenwood/Blue Ash/Montgomery area, it's one of my favorite places to go for dinner. I have tried getting take out from the Clifton location and the food is always terrible, usually made wrong, and the portions are smaller. When I've eaten inside at that location, it always seems dirty and like I'm the first person who's been in that day. I wouldn't mind if they closed that location and redeveloped the site one bit.
July 14, 201410 yr It's also a hideous suburban building & lot layout, while Adriatico's is incredibly urban (flush with sidewalk, great use of tiny piece of land, addresses street very well, etc.) To be fair Adriatico's did tear down a neighboring house for...7 parking spaces. The hostilities between these two restaurants play out daily in Pomadorie's oversized parking lot, where tow trucks tow Adriatico's customers every day within a minute of cutting their engines. One day I was up there and saw a tow truck tow a car with three dogs in it. The dogs all had an excited look on their faces, they were happy to be going somewhere, even though their owner wasn't in the car!
July 15, 201410 yr It's also a hideous suburban building & lot layout, while Adriatico's is incredibly urban (flush with sidewalk, great use of tiny piece of land, addresses street very well, etc.) To be fair Adriatico's did tear down a neighboring house for...7 parking spaces. The hostilities between these two restaurants play out daily in Pomadorie's oversized parking lot, where tow trucks tow Adriatico's customers every day within a minute of cutting their engines. One day I was up there and saw a tow truck tow a car with three dogs in it. The dogs all had an excited look on their faces, they were happy to be going somewhere, even though their owner wasn't in the car! Aww, that's so cute yet so sad.
July 26, 201410 yr http://www.wcpo.com/entertainment/local-a-e/beer/search-for-new-brew-team-takes-tafts-ale-house-head-brewer-across-nation-ends-in-his-own-back-yard As predicted Tafts Ale house's opening will be pushed back. Article says it should soft open by Jan. I had a feeling it couldn't open by Sept/October, though I was hoping on checking it out by Midpoint Music Festival (which was wildly optimistic IMO).
July 28, 201410 yr New juice bar coming to Over-the-Rhine A new juice bar, Off the Vine Cincy Juice Bar, is coming soon to Over-the-Rhine. The new juice bar concept will be located at 1218 Vine St. The space was formerly occupied by Cincy Haus: American Legacy Tours, which was the hub for Over-the-Rhine walking tours and a shop for Cincinnati merchandise. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/07/28/new-juice-bar-coming-to-over-the-rhine.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 28, 201410 yr Mmmm...The Eagle...yummm... "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 31, 201410 yr Mahogany’s starts over at the Banks Mahogany’s at the Banks is getting a fresh start with a new menu, changes to staffing and other adjustments led by the former co-owner and manager of Cincinnati’s famed Maisonette, WCPO reports. Michael Comisar, who ran the Metropolitan Club after the Maisonette closed and then started a restaurant consulting business, joined Mahogany’s as general manager in July. He’s helping founder and owner Liz Rogers make changes to make the restaurant more upscale and expand its menu to include lighter, healthier options. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2014/07/mahogany-s-starts-over-at-the-banks.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 31, 201410 yr Hmmm. We'll see how this goes! Until then, The Eagle is the new Mahogany's. Those sweet potatoes tho. Damn.
July 31, 201410 yr Couldn't find an article for it, but WLWT just reported that Mahogany's is getting a new menu and general manager. The new GM used to be the GM of the Maisonette.
August 5, 201410 yr @TheRealJeffRuby "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
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