Death of a Restaurant

[StraferJack]

Location isn't ideal, no

But the loacation will improve a lot when the cinema opens

In relatively recent years (up until it's Rose incarnation) it managed to pull respectable numbers of people

I think with the right owners it could do well

Then agaon, Am I right in thinking it's a tied pub? That could be the problem, or one of the main ones anyway. Combination of location, bad vibes and inability to buy beer at reasonable wholesale prices makes it a tough gig

So right owners with enough money to buy freehold could do well...

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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>

> It's location is not ideal.

> I don't think it viable to run any successful

> business from that location.

> Even someone who knows what they are doing would

> fail.

>

The most worrying thing to me was that when they were trying to get financial backing, they stated in the first sentence of their blurb that the location was their main advantage, because it was in "Lordship Lane" which had "high footfall", or was the centre of lots of activity, or something.

Lordship Lane is a very long road, and nearly all the action currently happens at the main drag further down. The Patch is presently out on a limb (and I don't think the cinema was publicly in the pipeline at that time? It certainly wasn't mentioned in their business plan, or at least the parts of it divulged on here)

The Patch would have to either appeal strongly to nearby-ish residents who would use it as their local (which it did not seem to go out of its way to do, despite originally positioning itself as a community pub) or else be a - can't think of the word, somewhere which people from quite a wide area go out of their way to go to because of a particular unique offering, or excellent good value food, or a fantastic atmosphere.

Sadly, as soon as I saw that they thought that their location was a great advantage, I thought they would be exceedingly lucky to succeed if that was the level of their business sense :(

ETA: Just seen the above post. Yes, it's a tied pub.

ETA: And yes, I think it could do well with a different management team, but I'm not sure why somebody would take it on unless they could buy the freehold and do as they wanted.

Can't remember who presently owns it, but that didn't bode well either if memory serves. People were posting on here warning others not to touch it with a bargepole in terms of taking on the lease.

[MrBen]

A few posters above just rehashing what they've said before a thousand times. The peculiar story of its founding, trajectory and the massively misplaced egos of some of the founders interests me more. It's a modern fable.

[StraferJack]

but all of it seemed so obvious from the get go MrB

[DovertheRoad]

.

[edcam]

Sue Wrote:

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> edcam Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The place was rubbish when it reopened so gawd

> > knows how bad it is now. Those tripadvisor

> > reviews say it all really.

>

>

> Some of the early reviews were quite glowing, to

> be fair.

>

> Since I couldn't afford to eat there, I can't say

> whether or not they were accurate, or placed by

> friends of the owners. As that Masterchef chef was

> involved at the start, probably they were

> accurate.

>

> Had a drink there once. The place was empty.

The early good reviews were inaccurate IMO Sue. The food was utterly mediocre, the service amateur and the atmosphere cold and dead, despite being quite busy at the time. And yes, WAY overpriced.

[Sue]

MrBen Wrote:

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> A few posters above just rehashing what they've

> said before a thousand times. The peculiar story of its founding, trajectory and the massively misplaced egos of some of the founders interests me more. It's a modern fable.

xxxxxxxxx

Yes MrBen, but things were said "a thousand times" before The Patch opened.

We're now almost a year on.

Worth rehashing with hindsight, I would say?

ETA: I only ever met (to the best of my knowledge) one of the people who started it, before it started, but I'd say "massively misplaced ego" probably would describe it :(

[loobylou]

I've had great food and good service there. I wouldn't eat there a lot, it is pricey but worth it for a treat/special occasion. I like it. I go for a drink now and again, I'm hoping for all of them that the cinema makes things better in

terms of foot fall.

[Jah Lush]

StraferJack Wrote:

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>

> In relatively recent years (up until it's Rose

> incarnation) it managed to pull respectable

> numbers of people.

Sorry, had to pull you up on this. You meant The Patch didn't you.

[Sue]

loobylou Wrote:

I'm hoping for all of

> them that the cinema makes things better in

> terms of foot fall.

But who is "all of them" now?

Who is/are actually left of the people who were involved in this "community pub" when it started with such a fanfare and such high hopes?

Growing all its food on the roof and in the garden at the back, involving local school children in the food growing, completely self-sufficient, community owned, MasterChef winner supervising the menu/kitchen, VIP celebrity opening bash .....

Don't get me wrong. I really hate to see any local business fail. And when The Patch actually opened, I had to eat my hat as I never thought it would get that far.

But - something has apparently gone horribly wrong, hasn't it.

And the cinema may well "make things better" in terms of footfall, but crikey, that would be an enormous stroke of luck for them, wouldn't it?

[Mick Mac]

I had some very good food there when it first opened and it had a very reasonably priced lunchtime menu for the quality of the food on offer. This was on successive Fridays in March and haven't been able to go back so I can't say I have helped them much custom wise.

At some point not long after opening it started to go wrong and I heard they had kicked out some key owner/mangers early doors and never recovered.

[Sue]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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>

> At some point not long after opening it started to

> go wrong and I heard they had kicked out some key

> owner/mangers early doors and never recovered.

xxxxxxx

How can you kick out a "key owner"????

ETA: Actually none of the people running it ever "owned" it, so far as I know, as it was a tied pub, but still, there was a team of people apparently managing it, so what happened?

[StraferJack]

Jah. I meant the pubs in the patch location. I was saying the patch didn't fail just because of location

[MrBen]

StraferJack Wrote:

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> but all of it seemed so obvious from the get go

> MrB

SJ playing the wise owl again.

Yes, granted there was stuff that was off key from the start (Concept with no substance behind it, oddly surly front of house). But for those operators usually all of it is a but whiffy. What gave hope was for a good few months was some truly excellent food. Like Mick and unlike edcam (who may have been once?) at least the five times or so I went there for dinner....one meal was the best I've ever had in London. Ever. And I'm including Finger Lickin' Chicken in that.

[JohnL]

Sorry to say it but ..

Stick the football on - BT and Sky.

Get some Ales in.

Get some live music (Like the Rye used to)

back to Magdala

Noticed the Firestation in Waterloo is boarded up - that had footfall but didn't mak it

[El Pibe]

major refurb

[El Pibe]

if that couldn't survive the world would be doomed.....

[????]

I'm with John in that the 'only' recent(ish) offer that 'seemed' to work their was mid-market, Basic burger/pizza type food and football/sport in the back as in propa football watching not sound down in the corner. A community pub for those that don't fancy the Castle.

[Otta]

Yep, I quite liked it when it was yellow.

Did nice pizzas, a good quiz, and showed football.

Sorted.

[Jeremy]

Of course I liked the old, pre-revamp comedy club era the best. Never really liked the yellow version as the football/rugby always seemed to be on, which isn't really my bag. The Magnolia showed promise at first, but the food was inconsistent and the space felt cold.

[Mick Mac]

???? Wrote:

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> I'm with John in that the 'only' recent(ish) offer

> that 'seemed' to work their was mid-market, Basic

> burger/pizza type food and football/sport in the

> back as in propa football watching not sound down

> in the corner.

But even that stopped working ultimately. It was the place to go for sport no doubt but if no big game on then it was quiet. 6 nations Saturdays were the best days in there.

[Jah Lush]

I think that's the only way it will work again.

[Otta]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> The Magnolia showed

> promise at first, but the food was inconsistent

> and the space felt cold.

"cold" is exactly the word I'd use for it. Thought Rose would make a real go of it, but she couldn't be doing with her business partner and got out sharpish.

Of course it'll never reach the highs of the bookcase wallpaper.

[El Pibe]

when that incarnation was closed for a refurb i just thought it'd be given a bit of TLC, maybe real books ;).

I never really took to the yellow one or anything after that really, just too cold a space, in every sense.

[Mick Mac]

Its one of those situations where being a big open space is a disadvantage. Some of the best pubs are tiny.