Death of a Restaurant

[MrBen]

When you lose 75% of your shareholding within a year, you've lost the bulk of your business.

When you're taking cash payments and running down stock, you've lost the bank.

When you have a blackboard up extolling your amazing menu but cant serve any food on a prime night, you've lost your chef.

And when you're explicity rude to a prospective and polite new customer on walking in, you've lost your self respect.

I've given this place it's fair dues for a while now, because I could see the good bits and wanted it to succeed, because the usual moaners gave it an unfair kicking without trying it properly. But there are limits. And limits have been reached.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I regret to inform you of the spontaneous, Scarface-like ego driven implosion of The Patch.

[Mick Mac]

Shame - seems it was doing well for a very short while. I went in March / April time for food and it seemed to be going well and the food was nice.

I'm not really sure why I haven't been back - but had noticed it being virtually empty throughout the summer and no longer enticing. There must have been a trigger point somewhere along the line.

[jacks09]

I was in there a couple of weeks ago and was told they were waiting for an imminent new owner. I worried then it would never materialise.

What do you mean about losing 75% of your shareholding?

[red devil]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> There must have been a trigger point somewhere along the line.

Mick Mac leads, others follow...

[StraferJack]

I always thought the initial criticisms were unfairly dismissed as "usual moaners"

I wished it well but it was an incredibly disorganised opening period - to the point of inept

I never doubted for a moment any of the good meals and times people had there (SOME good people were involved after all) but they were arrogant in their launch, promising the moon on a stick and yet they couldn't even deliver their website at the time. never mind all the promises about food grown on the premises etc

I'm certainly not glad it's failing (that end of the lane needs and deserves a good anchor) but I'm definitely not surprised

[StraferJack]

god - less than a year?

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,1207723,1212588#msg-1212588

[StraferJack]

and this paragraph is especially pertinent I think

"If I recall, the Ivy House promised much the same

> but followed through with projection spreadsheets

> and other plans on here. Goodwill remained in

> place before they opened and you can't get a seat

> for love nore money on a Sunday now"

[BrandNewGuy]

... despite a certain ex-Forum regular swearing blind the Ivy House would go bust in months because she knew best :-)

[david_carnell]

Heh - whatever happened to her eh?

Never went to the Patch. Never felt it was worth the schlep for the money they were asking but sad a local business has failed. It's a good size but a bad space and the location doesn't help.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Actually failed or you think it's failing? They tweeted their Christmas menu only yesterday and there were people in there when I passed earlier.

[Otta]

david_carnell Wrote:

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> Heh - whatever happened to her eh?

Buried under Sue's patio.

Or looking at the clock and thinking that cards are due.

[MrBen]

Like a half drowned man RPC...desperately clawing himself up the beach.

And this is the dillusion. They speak to customers like they did last night. Or a few weeks back. And can still think that they haven't lost the crowd. That they'll all come back. As long as there are some fawning groupies to keep topping up the ego. Hallucinating. It's almost like they're on drugs....

[aquarius moon]

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> ... despite a certain ex-Forum regular swearing

> blind the Ivy House would go bust in months

> because she knew best :-)

What did she know?!

[MrBen]

"Buried under Sue's patio"...Surely one of the best lines in recent forum history.

[Otta]

MrBen Wrote:

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> Hallucinating. It's almost like they're on

> drugs....

Haha, surely not.

[newboots]

Can you post in plain language or do we all have to pick our way through Forum-speak?

How did they address you last night Mr Ben?

I think quite a lot of locals were sceptical at the time ... the complicated menu and the prices seemed ambitious for the corner of Pellatt Road just down from the launderette.

[NewWave]

newboots Wrote:

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> Can you post in plain language or do we all have

> to pick our way through Forum-speak?

>

> How did they address you last night Mr Ben?

>

>

I was wondering same...what on earth happened?

I always ate good food there but did find it a bit boring as regards choice.

Also it needed more atmosphere, However I would go back and eat there again.

[Jah Lush]

I don't want to stick the boot in but I felt once they got rid of certain key staff at least six months ago, staff, that new customers had become friendly with and also at the same time became regulars got on with, that was the death knell.

Having said that I wish them well though it's not somewhere I've been in since the mid summer. ?4.40 for a pint of Guinness. Get ta fcuk with ya. I just hope they can address the faults and turn things around.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Why's this in the lounge?

[edcam]

We ate there a couple of months after it opened and the average but overpriced food and lack of atmosphere ensured that we never returned.

[Sue]

MrBen Wrote:

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> "Buried under Sue's patio"...Surely one of the

> best lines in recent forum history.

I don't have a patio, MrBen :))

And God if I did I wouldn't want that underneath it :))

Anyway the lady in question was until recently posting on here under another name (ETA as Otta's riddle above suggests).

But returning to The Patch, sadly if this is true I am not surprised. I was amazed they ever got as far as opening, because I couldn't really see how they could get financial backing, but when they did eventually open I wished them well as I would any new business.

But as said above, many aspects seemed to be quite disorganised to say the least. And what happened to all the community involvement stuff, schools growing veg for them, salads growing in specially imported equipment on the roof, etc etc?

Suddenly all that seemed to be forgotten in favour of turning into a "gastropub".

And why did the Masterchef involvement also disappear at quite an early stage?

History was rewritten on their Facebook page, too, if memory serves.

rahrahrah, I can't understand why this is in the lounge either.

[MrBen]

Like the Herne Tavern and Cafe G threads in the main section it perhaps shouldn't be in the Lounge. But this isn't exactly a review thread.

It's an odd tale about how a bunch of guys bigged themselves up with talk of TV crews at celebrity openings and space age vegetables growing on the roof. Who actively chose not to engage on this forum because, and I quote from a former manager here, "the EDF is dangerous and vicious and has already been responsible for the closure of two businesses on the lane". Who selectively edited their Facebook page to remove negative comments rather than engage and address them head on. And who then all fell out.... leaving a rudderless ship, several "appalling" one star reviews on Trip Advisor, empty tables, a kitchen that opens erratically and bizarre rudeness/borderline hostility to potential new customers upon entering the premises.

There's nothing cryptic here....I was simply one of those customers on the receiving end....despite my previous loyalty, support and spend. It seems that some of the staff have "problems" and need to sort themselves out.

And after the inevitable closing of the doors I just hope someone manages to make something of what could still be a decent anchor site at the south end of the lane. The cinema will help. Best of luck to whoever that is.

[Otta]

They should open it as an theme pub called "Ye Olde Boozer", and have darts, pool, and no food except nuts (not posh ones), crisps and scratchings.

Charge top dollar for beer.

I bet it would work a treat.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Kind of Hope & Greenwood for grown-ups? That could actually work in an area like this.

[Sue]

MrBen Wrote:

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I quote from a former manager

> here, "the EDF is dangerous and vicious and has

> already been responsible for the closure of two

> businesses on the lane".

Really?

Which two businesses have supposedly closed because of the forum??