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Food for thought: The Sun says that Brooklyn Heights restaurant Palmira's has closed at the end of 2006, making it the seventh restaurant to fail at the 41 Clark Street space since 1982. That a 3.43 year life span for restaurants, but apparently Palmira's had been literally struck by lightning in 2003, "forcing the restaurant to spend its first two years hidden beneath scaffolding." Ouch.
One of the problems with the space is that there's just too much - it's 5,000 square feet, requiring many more customers for owners Roger and Victoria Desmond to break even. We guess one restaurant key to success may be a small space so it always looks full. We wonder if the owners will attempt to subdivide it; the only other type of place that needs 5,000 square feet might be a bank.
Other kiss of death locations: 311 Henry Street in Brooklyn (Tazza is still there, though) and 206 East 63rd Street in Manhattan, which has seen 11 restaurants in 30 years. What other locations have establishments that you put on Deathwatch?
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"Kiss of death" locations for restaurants aren't uncommon. Tony Bourdain mentioned this issue in his book Kitchen Confidential. Size may be a factor, foot and/or vehicular traffic patterns also may play a part, and of course some landlords might be particularly difficult.
It would be a sweet locale for a music venue! We are always looking for massive places to cram 2,000 partygoers into
I think many Park Sloper's agree that the location once occupied by Bar Minnow, now some kind of hamburger joint, is cursed, not because of any ghosts, but because of poor management.
But, in general, I shudder at the notion of a restaurant deathwatch. It takes great courage and great capital to open an eating establishment these days and most who make the effort have good intentions and a great deal of talent. I'd like to see most succeed. Of course if one is foolish enough to borrow heavily to open a restaurant, one would hope they would take care of details like cleanliness, quality ingredients, a warm welcome for customers, and good service. Ignoring any or all of these factors is enough to put you on anyone's 'deathwatch list.'
Tazza has undoubtledy beat the odds on Henry Street.
Palmira's was always a weird place.. it was advertised heavily in those free circulars like "Clip 'n Save", which gave it an air of le cheap. I'm all for cheap & cheerful, but it just felt like a tourist trap to me. Coupled with an inconvenient location (it's slightly above street level, so you have to climb some stairs to enter.. not so great for multi-generational family dinners), and the fact that it was hidden under scaffolding for years, it was bound to fail.
Most restaurants in that area (around the Clark St. 2/3 stop), with the exception of the delicious Iron Chef House sushi, seem to be cursed. There's a location further up Clark St. that's housed three different restaurants in four years.
131 Sixth Avenue, also in Park Slope. It's had a Japanese place called Yakitori Canteen, which was then shortened to Y Canteen and turned into a sushi place. It then closed and became Sadie Mae's Cafe, and indifferent soul food place, which now seems to be closed too. this all in the space of maybe three years.
I think the former Rocco's was known as a jinxed joint for a while... small wonder.
I'll miss Palmira's. My wife and daughter and I have been going there regularly since it opened and we never had a bad meal there. Always treated well. Had family events and gatherings there. Sad.
And I think in the three or so years before Roger moved in there, there were three or four different places (Cafe 41, Slade's, a couple of others) so actually we all thought Palmira's had staying power. Not to be, especially when you've got a $25,000 nut to make every month.
Of course, their genius landlords at 111 Hicks may have outsmarted themselves, since now they've got a big dark empty space which is bringing in zip-a-dee-doo-dah every month, and the nabe is down one good red-sauce joint. Nice job, guys.
Correction... I should have said $25 grand *a week*.
I read about this on Brooklyn Heights Blog over the weekend. Terrible news, that place was great.
Brooklyn Heights Blog
Whenever I went there I had horrible service, I knew people who worked there after and they said the kitchen wasn't the cleanest. That combined with the horrible location its understandable.
25k a week?? You must have that wrong.
howabout the space on the corner of henry/cranberry @ 80 cranberry street? i lived in that building for 6 years and every single year there was a new restaurant..jinxed!...i have since moved to cobble hill, so haven't checked up on what's there or how it's doing.....