Boston-based Au Bon Pain bought by Panera...will it survive? (sale, apartment)

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Side note but man is Tatte expensive! It's the closest coffee place to my work, but I have a hard time paying over $3 for just plain old black coffee. And their sandwiches are $10 or more too. Yet it's always (unpleasantly) packed with people.

Yeah, Tatte is definitely expensive. I also feel as if the portions are slowly getting squeezed since the Panera acquisition. I feel like I am saying everywhere new is too expensive these days. I must be getting old, but day to day cost of living has really gone up in this area.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Chains are still alive and well. Cafe Nero, Pavement, Flour (probably a few others I can't think of, of course Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks every .25 miles has been the case for ages) have taken the city by storm. I actually find that Boston has very few independent coffee shops, at least compared to other major cities.

I guess you may be right. But are we really considering Flour and Tate to be chains. I guess by all definition it has more than one location.
Side note. I to refuse to pay $2+ for a drip coffee, I do it maybe once a month as a splurge. But there is no shortage of people doing it. And even more shocking is the people paying $10 for the new juiced fad.
But I guess thats just it. in order for a chain to remain relevant they need to keep up with the trends.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by GeePee

I guess you may be right. But are we really considering Flour and Tate to be chains. I guess by all definition it has more than one location.
Side note. I to refuse to pay $2+ for a drip coffee, I do it maybe once a month as a splurge. But there is no shortage of people doing it. And even more shocking is the people paying $10 for the new juiced fad.
But I guess thats just it. in order for a chain to remain relevant they need to keep up with the trends.

I'm gland there are some of us out there who stand on principle!

Tatte and Flour have expanded very quickly and imo have the chain "feel" though it tries to be sophisticated. Tatte I believe is up to 8 locations now, Flour 7. Pavement and nero are both at 6.

I am lucky to live near Cafenation and Fuel America in Brighton for coffee and sandwich needs. Though they aren't "cheap" and aren't incredible, at least $3 coffee isn't a thing.

[mdovell]

I've had both and sometimes I miss ABP. I was in the suburbs at the time. ABP opened up and well had some issues.

First they had a yellow on white background for a sign of which no one could really see. They corrected that.

I liked the atmosphere and food but gradually they didn't maintain it. Eventually it became apparent they didn't care. The bathrooms were horrible. Why? Because it smelled? Why? Because it isn't clean? Why? Because the same lightbulbs were burnt out for years. Seriously they had light bulbs out for years. Pretty soon it was just me going there. They took down the tv and had raw cables exposed etc.

Ironically a Panera opened up nearly at the exact same spot that ABP was at. Panera helped me get though grad school. Having said that though Panera has pretty bad coffee. Love the food but get coffee from starbucks.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

I'm gland there are some of us out there who stand on principle!

Tatte and Flour have expanded very quickly and imo have the chain "feel" though it tries to be sophisticated. Tatte I believe is up to 8 locations now, Flour 7. Pavement and nero are both at 6.

I am lucky to live near Cafenation and Fuel America in Brighton for coffee and sandwich needs. Though they aren't "cheap" and aren't incredible, at least $3 coffee isn't a thing.

A coffee house opened near me a year or two ago. Specializing in wacky flavored coffee i swore i would never step foot in there. I then, for some reason went in simply because it was closer than option B. Wouldn't you know it... These guys had a damn fine cup of plain old hot coffee for $.99. Thats the last time I judge based on clientele.

[eevee]

Hey, whatever happened to the buffet-style, pay-per-pound ABP that used to be inside the Copley Mall? I haven't been by that area in eons but I remember grabbing quick (overpriced!) salads from there back in the day when I used to work close by there.

The only thing I really liked from there were the ham & cheese and the spinach croissants and some of the sweet treats when they were discounted 50% in the evening. Chicago had a few locations but most were closed. I just visited a location in Manhattan recently.

[bostonguy1960]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Side note but man is Tatte expensive! It's the closest coffee place to my work, but I have a hard time paying over $3 for just plain old black coffee. And their sandwiches are $10 or more too. Yet it's always (unpleasantly) packed with people.

I like the hot chocolate at Tatte; I think they even add whipped cream unlike most of the competition!

And they sell a chunk of their walnut cinnamon coffee cake for about $3.50 which is a reasonable price. Love their cheesecake slice: it's over $6 but really creamy and luscious, unlike at Oakleaf bakery in the Fenway near Symphony Hall which I found gummy, tiny and stale.

But someone here said a Tatte sandwich is $10? Wow! At Pavement last night, I noted their pressed panini of cheddar, gouda and tomato is $7+, and Flour's grilled cheese panini is about $6. Seems at Whole Foods, a made-to-order sandwich may be $8.50-$9.50. Sometimes a simple cluster of low sodium Triscuts and good cheese is my choice for a quick treat.

Someone tonight told me the new Tatte in the Fenway was absolutely jammed on his recent visit. So there is still a market for these $$$ spots, no matter how silly some folks consider us for patronizing these places.

So I'm told that Tatte is pronounced "Tah-TAY." Hmmm.... Supposedly it means "grandmother" or similar in some culture?

[bostonguy1960]

Originally Posted by eevee

Hey, whatever happened to the buffet-style, pay-per-pound ABP that used to be inside the Copley Mall? I haven't been by that area in eons but I remember grabbing quick (overpriced!) salads from there back in the day when I used to work close by there.

The only thing I really liked from there were the ham & cheese and the spinach croissants and some of the sweet treats when they were discounted 50% in the evening. Chicago had a few locations but most were closed. I just visited a location in Manhattan recently.

I could be wrong, but I don't think ABP does the 50% off baked goods, Mon-Fri, in the later hours nowadays. I've asked a few times in recent years at the Brigham and Women's and South Station locations, and the cashier doesn't have a clue what I'm referring to.

And the Copley Place buffet location was still operating a few months ago, but haven't noticed my favorite there in ages -- baked potatoes in foil.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

I like the hot chocolate at Tatte; I think they even add whipped cream unlike most of the competition!

And they sell a chunk of their walnut cinnamon coffee cake for about $3.50 which is a reasonable price. Love their cheesecake slice: it's over $6 but really creamy and luscious, unlike at Oakleaf bakery in the Fenway near Symphony Hall which I found gummy, tiny and stale.

But someone here said a Tatte sandwich is $10? Wow! At Pavement last night, I noted their pressed panini of cheddar, gouda and tomato is $7+, and Flour's grilled cheese panini is about $6. Seems at Whole Foods, a made-to-order sandwich may be $8.50-$9.50. Sometimes a simple cluster of low sodium Triscuts and good cheese is my choice for a quick treat.

Someone tonight told me the new Tatte in the Fenway was absolutely jammed on his recent visit. So there is still a market for these $$$ spots, no matter how silly some folks consider us for patronizing these places.

So I'm told that Tatte is pronounced "Tah-TAY." Hmmm.... Supposedly it means "grandmother" or similar in some culture?

Yep it is tahtay, at least that's how they answer the phone. I'll still go there sometimes since it's so close to work and the second floor at the Harvard Sq one is usually a bit less filled. But I just try not to think about what else I could have done with the $12-13 I just spent...

[alidmc]

I find Tatte pretty obnoxious. I try hard not to generalize, and I have no problem paying $$$ for quality, but I don't think the product is worth that kind of premium. Flour has them beat in almost every respect, except for the rustic industrial decor that's so hot right now(/s/).
As for ABP, I think the quality has improved. The salads could be better, but the sandwiches are good and reasonably priced at around $7. The stores just need a refresh. The one near where I work is pretty tired looking. They may also benefit from offering a coffee bar, as opposed to large vats of self-serve coffee.