Post Covid Boston - Restaurant and Entertainment closures (Cambridge, Quincy: construction, closing)

[GeePee]

My fear is that it will get worse after a lot of these smaller independently owned places vacate. I hope not, but I see a prime opportunity for landlords to get these little guys out and start attracting more of the big boys. Something tells me where going to see a lot more Whallburgers, Caffe Nero's, and Capital One.
I hope I'm wrong

[msRB311]

Ive heard restaurants are having a hard time finding people to work thanks to unemployment

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by GeePee

My fear is that it will get worse after a lot of these smaller independently owned places vacate. I hope not, but I see a prime opportunity for landlords to get these little guys out and start attracting more of the big boys. Something tells me where going to see a lot more Whallburgers, Caffe Nero's, and Capital One.
I hope I'm wrong

I'm hoping the opposite is true - that the glut of vacancies means landlords are less likely to hold out for the corporate tenants. Even when things were good, that was what they were doing. Now that there more open retail spots in prime locations, independent places should have more leverage, and landlords should be more motivated to fill a spot rather than trying to wait for the corporate tenant. But who knows?

[ocean900]

I miss Explorateur's expresso cookies.. screw Guy Fieri and his chicken that will probably never open anyway.

Where does everyone go to get cheap food around Newbury? The Pour House was my go to and now I have to head to chinatown or starve for the day.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by ocean900

I miss Explorateur's expresso cookies.. screw Guy Fieri and his chicken that will probably never open anyway.

Where does everyone go to get cheap food around Newbury? The Pour House was my go to and now I have to head to chinatown or starve for the day.

Greco on Newbury is good and cheapish Greek Style mezze.
Bukowskis right next to the bridge over the pike is great. Good beer selection.
Parish Caffe on Boylston has great sandwiches.

[GeePee]

https://boston.eater.com/2021/4/7/22...-2021-covid-19

on the other end of the coin. Here is a list of restaurants that reopened after covid hibernation.

[id77]

The problem is that the big corporate chains tend to draw the crowds, to my constant surprise. It seems very much that the tourists coming in to the city don't want to try the mom and pop restaurants or cafes.

Case in point one is ice cream joints. On any given day in the heat, you can waltz in to JP Licks or Emack & Bolio's on Newbury and there might be 2-3 people in line. Go to Ben & Jerry's and it's not uncommon to see 2-3x that many. Cold Stone Creamery at the Pru? Lines out the door many times.

Case in point two are some restaurants. If you have Capital in your name, you get crowds. Cheesecake Factory gets crowds. Earl's and Eataly get crowds. A lot of the little places nearby, not so much. It should never be easier to get a table at Giacomo's than Eataly, and yet some days that's exactly the situation.

It's not just a Boston problem. I'm reminded of a trip to Honolulu where I walked in to an excellent Italian restaurant a block away from a Cheesecake Factory that, when we stopped by to ask after seeing the crowds outside, told us they had a 2+ hour wait. Or the crowds that crap joints like Senor Frogs or Bubba Gump (twice in one thread!) get.

[id77]

Originally Posted by GeePee

Greco on Newbury is good and cheapish Greek Style mezze.
Bukowskis right next to the bridge over the pike is great. Good beer selection.
Parish Caffe on Boylston has great sandwiches.

The Parish Cafe on Tremont was not as good as the one on Boylston, which is probably why it's gone now.

[mascoma]

Mike's Pastry is still there, right? Cannoli heaven is the most important place in Boston. And Cambridge.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by id77

Case in point two are some restaurants. If you have Capital in your name, you get crowds. Cheesecake Factory gets crowds. Earl's and Eataly get crowds. A lot of the little places nearby, not so much. It should never be easier to get a table at Giacomo's than Eataly, and yet some days that's exactly the situation.

This is just a symptom of the majority being lazy and also dumb. The fact that you see even ONE person in a TGI Fridays in Manhattan is case in point.