Roast Beast Shuts its Doors (Boston, Worcester: live, prices, license)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by wolfgang239

Sounds like quite a bit of what he said was inaccurate. Doesn't sound like a conspiracy or anything. The City's reports are attached to the link, this guy just rage quit instead of doing things legally and safely.

Shocking (not really)

[GeePee]

Seems that if business was lucrative he would pony up the $150k for the fan, or maybe look for a different location?
Theres gotta be something behind this.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by wolfgang239

You would think after having another one shut down previously he'd at least brush up on regulations or hire someone with a bit of knowledge.

The previous business was not a restaurant, but a smoke shop in the same location. I forget the particulars but the city gave him a lot of hassles and he shut down and pivoted to the roast beef place. I can understand why he is frustrated as just a few years later those types of businesses are all over the place and thriving.

It certainly sounds like there is more to the story, but perhaps the past history has contributed to the owner being so short-fused with the city. Let's not crap on the guy too much. Running a small business isn't easy and I can understand why he feels singled out. I went in there a few times for sandwiches. DJ was a nice guy and they were the kind of neighborhood place we need more of.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

I went in there a few times for sandwiches. DJ was a nice guy and they were the kind of neighborhood place we need more of.

Sadly all the costly regulations are doing everything to prevent that. Only mega money conglomerates will own anything here.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by wolfgang239

Sounds like quite a bit of what he said was inaccurate. Doesn't sound like a conspiracy or anything. The City's reports are attached to the link, this guy just rage quit instead of doing things legally and safely.

Pretty much.

Sadly, this seems to be a common theme where ownership blames some outside force rather than admit they're emotionally and physically done with the biz. The Dive Bar in Worcester shuttered recently, after a long solid run, under the premise the landlord/gentrification was finally pushing them out ... when clearly it was a relatively clean termination point with the opening of their third restaurant/bar. Just be transparent and own your decision.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Pretty much.

Sadly, this seems to be a common theme where ownership blames some outside force rather than admit they're emotionally and physically done with the biz. The Dive Bar in Worcester shuttered recently, after a long solid run, under the premise the landlord/gentrification was finally pushing them out ... when clearly it was a relatively clean termination point with the opening of their third restaurant/bar. Just be transparent and own your decision.

The Dive bar seemed on point. They had an option for a short term lease (not long term) and with the lack of repairs/investment in the property from the LL they decided to pull the plug. The LL was wanting the space, it was just not an immediate shut down.

What is the new Armsby space?


Hard to have pity for a small business owner though if they lied about what they were doing to try to avoid safety features.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by timberline742

The Dive bar seemed on point. They had an option for a short term lease (not long term) and with the lack of repairs/investment in the property from the LL they decided to pull the plug. The LL was wanting the space, it was just not an immediate shut down.

What is the new Armsby space?


Hard to have pity for a small business owner though if they lied about what they were doing to try to avoid safety features.

Yeah, I'm not necessarily blaming ownership for the narrative, but it seemed everyone around Worcester (including local media) latched on to the idea that ownership had little say in the matter, which was objectively not true. It became quite the sob story, despite Lopez and Sadowski clearly having the capabilities (financial and otherwise) to keep it going at another location.

The new spot is Cónico in Hudson center, near Rail Trail. It sounds like they're making a fairly conscious effort to deviate from Armsby, similar to what Deadhorse crew did with Simjang, perhaps drawing from Lopez's place of origin. This said, I'm fairly certain it's Mexican/central American inspired based on the theme painted on the store front glass (it's got a dia de los muertos vibe ... maybe some agave plants too ... ::shrug:: )

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

It certainly sounds like there is more to the story, but perhaps the past history has contributed to the owner being so short-fused with the city. Let's not crap on the guy too much. Running a small business isn't easy and I can understand why he feels singled out. I went in there a few times for sandwiches. DJ was a nice guy and they were the kind of neighborhood place we need more of.

Yeah, I can sympathize with any small business owner who is frustrated with the hoops they have to jump through to not only get off the ground, but to keep the business going. It's WAY too hard to get started/keep operating in MA and we need to be more business friendly.

That said, fire codes are no joke, and this guy's flat out lying about the griddles being used only for toasting bread. He filmed a Chronicle segment not long ago where he's actually grilling onions and beef on the griddles for the world to see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYfi...ature=youtu.be

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Yeah, I can sympathize with any small business owner who is frustrated with the hoops they have to jump through to not only get off the ground, but to keep the business going. It's WAY too hard to get started/keep operating in MA and we need to be more business friendly.

That said, fire codes are no joke, and this guy's flat out lying about the griddles being used only for toasting bread. He filmed a Chronicle segment not long ago where he's actually grilling onions and beef on the griddles for the world to see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYfi...ature=youtu.be

So he lied, then stuck it in their faces, and whined about "the man" after they cracked down after sticking it in their faces? What a buffoon.

[johngolf]

People

Watch the video. He was cooking stuff.