June 18, 2007
(Soup) Nazi Invades Greenpoint
Blimpies, Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, and Starbucks. All these chains have popped up in Greenpoint along Manhattan Avenue since last year. Today, Manhattan Ave. gets an Original Soup Man (aka the Soup Nazi). Gothamist stopped in to sample the wares and went with a bowl of the lobster bisque. We didn't even have to ask for bread, as the franchises seem to give you bread and a choice of fruit for free (sorry, George Costanza). On the downside, the soup was salty and expensive at $9.95 +tax. While pricing like that might fly in midtown Manhattan, it seemed somewhat outrageous for Greenpoint.
We left still feeling hungry and lighter in the wallet, considering we only bought soup. Is a business like the Soup Man really sustainable in Greenpoint? Where you can get a very filling Polish platter for less than the cost of a bowl of soup? Time will tell if the Soup Man will close down like Blimpies or thrive by dishing out bowls and cups of soup with bread.
And even though their website has "rules" for customers, we didn't have our cash ready and still got soup.
This store of the Original Soup Man is at 592 Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn.
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it's amazing this guy built a chain out of a seinfeld episode. and the qualities that made it unique and interesting seem to have been destroyed by the cookie cutter syndication.
Wow, it takes 12 years to build a location in Brooklyn.
I happened to try one of the Soup Man's packaged soups. They were pretty good, but pricey.
$9.95 for soup for one person, and you were still hungry?! Granted, lobster is an expensive ingredient, but still, that seems like a lot of money for one portion of soup.
Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins has had a storefront on Manhattan (near Greenpoint Ave.) for a while. The nicer new one that was built on Bedford and Manhattan within the last year is the 2nd one.
yes, they do paul. it also has nathan's. but i was just talking about new stores.
- tien
I ate there twice when I worked in Midtown and never went back after that because of what you stated. Paying 10 plus bucks for a bowl of soup is outrageous and I was always still hungry. The first time I got a free (and ugly) t-shirt out of the deal, so I guess that's why I went back for seconds. I am not sure I'll visit the one in Greenpoint even though it's a mere stone's throw from our apartment. Just too pricey. Plus, it's like 100 degrees outside. Hot soup makes my tummy turn right about now.
i used to eat at the soup nazi in midtown. he was only open during the late fall-late spring timeframe. he hasn't been opened in years. does anyone know if he is going to ever reopen?
I used to frequent the old one in Midtown a few years ago...not sure what you guys are talking about with the "still hungry" complaints. I'm a huge eater, and while a $10 lunch isn't super-cheap, the soup nazi would hook it up. Included with the rather large cup of soup was one (often two) pieces of fruit, bread, and a cookie. It was most certainly a full meal.
Did he crumble any crackers in it?
As a mater of fact, he did.
Oh, well. Crackers in a bowl. That -- That could be a meal.
there's no way i'm paying $10 for a bowl of soup in this neighborhood!
Also, the Nathan's space has not been operational for a while. No need to be creating false expectations.
I used to get soup nazi years back. Lobster Bisque was like ALL lobster meat and some juice. That's what I call good soup. The chains sadly, do not taste the same at all. They must have tweaked the recipes to make it more profitable. I was ALWAYS full after soup nazi. Not so full after Original Soup Man.
paul, i had no idea that the nathan's space wasn't open! i've actually never been in that location.
#7 - the original location of the soup man is no longer open.
and i have no idea how crackers in a bowl is a meal.
12 - where in union sq? i'm near there, would love to try.
Check out the "Rules" for press. What the...?
1. The issues with the franchisor are much deeper than it appears.
1. The company is undercapitalized. An investment bank retained to raise capital for the franchisor had discontinued its efforts after having received commitments for approximately 25% of the targeted capital. This was a result of the poor operating results of the company and its underlying franchisees.
2. The company has been seeking an acquiror of its operations. Throughout this effort the issues and challenges brought to the attention of the company by its franchisees have been quietly addressed but none of the problems have been resolved.
3. The misrepresentations made by the franchisor to induce franchisees to acquire territories and open up an Original Soupman outlet are many: (a) understatement of food costs; (b) co-branding with Cremalita ice cream to balance overall sales in warm months was abandoned soon after first 12 stores opened for business; (c) mandated use of cups and bowls that are 25% larger than purported serving portions, resulting in giving away 25% more product than consumer was paying for and at the same time causing an increase in purchases of product from the company to replenish inventory.