bjay wrote:
News report that the operators of Batello are taking the space and will open "The Kitchen Step" in early 2015.

NJ.com link

The Kitchen Step will be a neighborhood joint with a wide-ranging but affordable and market-driven modern American menu ? from a brick-roasted chicken to mahi mahi tacos to an Asian-spiced tuna tartar to a burger.

He tailored the concept to the 45-seat space in the Grove Street neighborhood ? DePersio has been itching to do a wood-fired oven trattoria, but Jersey City doesn't need another Italian, he says.

"We want to feed the neighborhood," he says. "We want for people to feel like they could here every week."

Bill463 wrote:
" it really was not financially stable " says it all! Jersey City continues to be the best NYC bedroom community for me, but these poor people that continue to think they can start a private business here that will be successful....no. This is the truth why nothing stays after a few years. Plain and simple and done.

Atsushi wrote:
I'm not particularly sadden by this. I tried this place a few times, and I always felt people were not properly trained or worse, had an attitude. (Maybe greeting and saying customers thank you for coming with smile was too much expectation on my part.)

Anyway, when I commented about my experience, someone said, "Thirty Acre is not going to go anywhere anytime soon." Well, the time has come.

user1111 wrote:
JJ comments

special closing menu: bitter herbs, sour grapes, and lots of whine. you effed up. learn from your mistakes and move on. but don't blame jersey city because it didn't supply enough customers. sheesh.

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

plnj wrote:
I feel like a lot of you keep talking like the business fail $ wise. Please read this article again, the only time it seemed that money was a factor was if they had to decided to hire a real chef to run the place while they were in Seattle. To me, it sounds like they were over it regardless. Byob or Liquor license doesn't matter. Restaurants are hard work and rarely have a big return unless its some big chain place.

Direct quotes from the EATER article:
But honestly, it wasn't really working out. It wasn't financially stable, or the type of thing where we could sustain our family life with our new daughter.

The day that everything started to go downhill was the day that we stopped being BYOB

That day was the beginning of the end for our restaurant. We never just really recovered. We lost customers because it was strictly BYOB.


Direct quotes from the GRUBSTREET article:
It was both a financial decision as much as a personal decision.

Ultimately, there was a point, perhaps, where Thirty Acres and Jersey City maybe weren?t seeing eye to eye.

It was great for me as a cook, but as an owner, and as someone who?s growing a family, it sucks.

Alex and I, it?s only us here ? no investors, all the money, or lack thereof, is ours


I don't know about you, but that sounds like it was very, very much about the financials and the lack of money they were bringing in, but I guess you see it differently.

WhoElseCouldIBe wrote:
Quote:

Carmichael wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

plnj wrote:
I feel like a lot of you keep talking like the business fail $ wise. Please read this article again, the only time it seemed that money was a factor was if they had to decided to hire a real chef to run the place while they were in Seattle. To me, it sounds like they were over it regardless. Byob or Liquor license doesn't matter. Restaurants are hard work and rarely have a big return unless its some big chain place.

Direct quotes from the EATER article:
But honestly, it wasn't really working out. It wasn't financially stable, or the type of thing where we could sustain our family life with our new daughter.

The day that everything started to go downhill was the day that we stopped being BYOB

That day was the beginning of the end for our restaurant. We never just really recovered. We lost customers because it was strictly BYOB.


Direct quotes from the GRUBSTREET article:
It was both a financial decision as much as a personal decision.

Ultimately, there was a point, perhaps, where Thirty Acres and Jersey City maybe weren?t seeing eye to eye.

It was great for me as a cook, but as an owner, and as someone who?s growing a family, it sucks.

Alex and I, it?s only us here ? no investors, all the money, or lack thereof, is ours


I don't know about you, but that sounds like it was very, very much about the financials and the lack of money they were bringing in, but I guess you see it differently.

This bolded bit about no investors isn't accurate. They were the beneficiaries of David Chang in a number of ways, i.e., publicist, investments, connections, etc. Kevin's bitter turn against the community that had filled his restaurant for years is an immature and unnecessarily defensive way to exit. What did them in was a poor business decision to go tasting menu only. Maybe that's where JC wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with him, and if so, it's extremely petty for him to go out so rudely. Especially when they're hoping we'll all patronize the restaurant for one last time.

If the tasting menu model was the main issue, they could've switched back. If JClisters can think of this, so can the business owners. Let's give them some credit, it's not that hard to see.

To me, it seems like there are multiple factors at play, one of them being wanting to move to the Northwest.

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

WhoElseCouldIBe wrote:
Quote:

Carmichael wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

plnj wrote:
I feel like a lot of you keep talking like the business fail $ wise. Please read this article again, the only time it seemed that money was a factor was if they had to decided to hire a real chef to run the place while they were in Seattle. To me, it sounds like they were over it regardless. Byob or Liquor license doesn't matter. Restaurants are hard work and rarely have a big return unless its some big chain place.

Direct quotes from the EATER article:
But honestly, it wasn't really working out. It wasn't financially stable, or the type of thing where we could sustain our family life with our new daughter.

The day that everything started to go downhill was the day that we stopped being BYOB

That day was the beginning of the end for our restaurant. We never just really recovered. We lost customers because it was strictly BYOB.


Direct quotes from the GRUBSTREET article:
It was both a financial decision as much as a personal decision.

Ultimately, there was a point, perhaps, where Thirty Acres and Jersey City maybe weren?t seeing eye to eye.

It was great for me as a cook, but as an owner, and as someone who?s growing a family, it sucks.

Alex and I, it?s only us here ? no investors, all the money, or lack thereof, is ours


I don't know about you, but that sounds like it was very, very much about the financials and the lack of money they were bringing in, but I guess you see it differently.

This bolded bit about no investors isn't accurate. They were the beneficiaries of David Chang in a number of ways, i.e., publicist, investments, connections, etc. Kevin's bitter turn against the community that had filled his restaurant for years is an immature and unnecessarily defensive way to exit. What did them in was a poor business decision to go tasting menu only. Maybe that's where JC wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with him, and if so, it's extremely petty for him to go out so rudely. Especially when they're hoping we'll all patronize the restaurant for one last time.

If the tasting menu model was the main issue, they could've switched back. If JClisters can think of this, so can the business owners. Let's give them some credit, it's not that hard to see.

To me, it seems like there are multiple factors at play, one of them being wanting to move to the Northwest.

No one is claiming that the tasting menu was the main issue. The owners themselves have stated that the beginning of the end was the switch away from BYOB. I quoted it above, and it is elucidated in the Eater article. The switch to the tasting menu was just the final nail in the coffin.

What did them in was a poor business decision to go tasting menu only.

WhoElseCouldIBe wrote:
Quote:

Carmichael wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

plnj wrote:
I feel like a lot of you keep talking like the business fail $ wise. Please read this article again, the only time it seemed that money was a factor was if they had to decided to hire a real chef to run the place while they were in Seattle. To me, it sounds like they were over it regardless. Byob or Liquor license doesn't matter. Restaurants are hard work and rarely have a big return unless its some big chain place.

Direct quotes from the EATER article:
But honestly, it wasn't really working out. It wasn't financially stable, or the type of thing where we could sustain our family life with our new daughter.

The day that everything started to go downhill was the day that we stopped being BYOB

That day was the beginning of the end for our restaurant. We never just really recovered. We lost customers because it was strictly BYOB.


Direct quotes from the GRUBSTREET article:
It was both a financial decision as much as a personal decision.

Ultimately, there was a point, perhaps, where Thirty Acres and Jersey City maybe weren?t seeing eye to eye.

It was great for me as a cook, but as an owner, and as someone who?s growing a family, it sucks.

Alex and I, it?s only us here ? no investors, all the money, or lack thereof, is ours


I don't know about you, but that sounds like it was very, very much about the financials and the lack of money they were bringing in, but I guess you see it differently.

This bolded bit about no investors isn't accurate. They were the beneficiaries of David Chang in a number of ways, i.e., publicist, investments, connections, etc. Kevin's bitter turn against the community that had filled his restaurant for years is an immature and unnecessarily defensive way to exit. What did them in was a poor business decision to go tasting menu only. Maybe that's where JC wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with him, and if so, it's extremely petty for him to go out so rudely. Especially when they're hoping we'll all patronize the restaurant for one last time.

If the tasting menu model was the main issue, they could've switched back. If JClisters can think of this, so can the business owners. Let's give them some credit, it's not that hard to see.

To me, it seems like there are multiple factors at play, one of them being wanting to move to the Northwest.

Carmichael wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

plnj wrote:
I feel like a lot of you keep talking like the business fail $ wise. Please read this article again, the only time it seemed that money was a factor was if they had to decided to hire a real chef to run the place while they were in Seattle. To me, it sounds like they were over it regardless. Byob or Liquor license doesn't matter. Restaurants are hard work and rarely have a big return unless its some big chain place.

Direct quotes from the EATER article:
But honestly, it wasn't really working out. It wasn't financially stable, or the type of thing where we could sustain our family life with our new daughter.

The day that everything started to go downhill was the day that we stopped being BYOB

That day was the beginning of the end for our restaurant. We never just really recovered. We lost customers because it was strictly BYOB.


Direct quotes from the GRUBSTREET article:
It was both a financial decision as much as a personal decision.

Ultimately, there was a point, perhaps, where Thirty Acres and Jersey City maybe weren?t seeing eye to eye.

It was great for me as a cook, but as an owner, and as someone who?s growing a family, it sucks.

Alex and I, it?s only us here ? no investors, all the money, or lack thereof, is ours


I don't know about you, but that sounds like it was very, very much about the financials and the lack of money they were bringing in, but I guess you see it differently.

This bolded bit about no investors isn't accurate. They were the beneficiaries of David Chang in a number of ways, i.e., publicist, investments, connections, etc. Kevin's bitter turn against the community that had filled his restaurant for years is an immature and unnecessarily defensive way to exit. What did them in was a poor business decision to go tasting menu only. Maybe that's where JC wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with him, and if so, it's extremely petty for him to go out so rudely. Especially when they're hoping we'll all patronize the restaurant for one last time.

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

plnj wrote:
I feel like a lot of you keep talking like the business fail $ wise. Please read this article again, the only time it seemed that money was a factor was if they had to decided to hire a real chef to run the place while they were in Seattle. To me, it sounds like they were over it regardless. Byob or Liquor license doesn't matter. Restaurants are hard work and rarely have a big return unless its some big chain place.

Direct quotes from the EATER article:
But honestly, it wasn't really working out. It wasn't financially stable, or the type of thing where we could sustain our family life with our new daughter.

The day that everything started to go downhill was the day that we stopped being BYOB

That day was the beginning of the end for our restaurant. We never just really recovered. We lost customers because it was strictly BYOB.


Direct quotes from the GRUBSTREET article:
It was both a financial decision as much as a personal decision.

Ultimately, there was a point, perhaps, where Thirty Acres and Jersey City maybe weren?t seeing eye to eye.

It was great for me as a cook, but as an owner, and as someone who?s growing a family, it sucks.

Alex and I, it?s only us here ? no investors, all the money, or lack thereof, is ours


I don't know about you, but that sounds like it was very, very much about the financials and the lack of money they were bringing in, but I guess you see it differently.

bodhipooh wrote:
Esperanto's to Thirty Acres to ??

Hopefully, not another bar stuffed with TVs.

plnj wrote:
I feel like a lot of you keep talking like the business fail $ wise. Please read this article again, the only time it seemed that money was a factor was if they had to decided to hire a real chef to run the place while they were in Seattle. To me, it sounds like they were over it regardless. Byob or Liquor license doesn't matter. Restaurants are hard work and rarely have a big return unless its some big chain place.

third_street_hats wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

third_street_hats wrote:
Can you confirm which of the handful here in DT own their spaces? The only one mentioned previously that is likely renting is Abbondanza.

As far as comparing to NYC, I think the city has the population to sustain a BYO restaurant for the simple novelty that they are so few and far between. We're just not there yet, for better or worse.

How do you define "so few and far between"? There are a least 200 BYO restaurants in NYC, and the actual number is probably really high. Heck, they even have "top 100" lists of best BYO restaurants. If you think BYO is a novelty, you need to get out more.

I think that was misunderstood. I'm saying it is novel when BYO is connected to a high end dining experience.

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

third_street_hats wrote:
Can you confirm which of the handful here in DT own their spaces? The only one mentioned previously that is likely renting is Abbondanza.

As far as comparing to NYC, I think the city has the population to sustain a BYO restaurant for the simple novelty that they are so few and far between. We're just not there yet, for better or worse.

How do you define "so few and far between"? There are a least 200 BYO restaurants in NYC, and the actual number is probably really high. Heck, they even have "top 100" lists of best BYO restaurants. If you think BYO is a novelty, you need to get out more.

third_street_hats wrote:
Can you confirm which of the handful here in DT own their spaces? The only one mentioned previously that is likely renting is Abbondanza.

As far as comparing to NYC, I think the city has the population to sustain a BYO restaurant for the simple novelty that they are so few and far between. We're just not there yet, for better or worse.

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

Poncho11 wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

JPhurst wrote:
Still, when a couple that runs a restaurant decides to completely up and move to the other side of the country, that's a life decision that goes beyond whether a particular menu change or BYOB policy was working or not working.

I get what you are saying, but those of us commenting on the reasons are not doing so in a vacuum. The owners have gone on record (via an Eater article, posted in this thread, or the other one) that they couldn't make a go of it, and that they can trace their failure to the very first day after getting their license and suspending BYOB. I believe the words they used were "the day we stopped being a BYOB was the beginning of the end". Clearly, they made a business decision that backfired and, inexplicably, they didn't seek a way to regain their previous mojo.

In this day and age BYOB doesn't pay the bills. The places that don't have a Liquor license, don't have the money, or figures to hire another person to work the bar.

You keep saying this, while willfully ignoring the fact that MANY restaurants in NYC, and a handful here in JC, have thrived while sticking to a BYOB policy.

Poncho11 wrote:
Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

JPhurst wrote:
Still, when a couple that runs a restaurant decides to completely up and move to the other side of the country, that's a life decision that goes beyond whether a particular menu change or BYOB policy was working or not working.

I get what you are saying, but those of us commenting on the reasons are not doing so in a vacuum. The owners have gone on record (via an Eater article, posted in this thread, or the other one) that they couldn't make a go of it, and that they can trace their failure to the very first day after getting their license and suspending BYOB. I believe the words they used were "the day we stopped being a BYOB was the beginning of the end". Clearly, they made a business decision that backfired and, inexplicably, they didn't seek a way to regain their previous mojo.

In this day and age BYOB doesn't pay the bills. The places that don't have a Liquor license, don't have the money, or figures to hire another person to work the bar.