Suite 49 closes
WDAZ had the story yesterday on the closing of Suite 49 in Grand Forks and the City Beat ended up chasing it for the Herald.
I'm puzzled that this venture failed even though it seemed to have had a lot going for it, including what looks like a great location by Ralph Engelstad Arena and the involvement of a seasoned businessman like Randy Brown. Besides being co-owner of Suite 49, he's also been the driving force behind the success of Agsco, a major regional farm chemical seller, and other businesses. He's since sold Agsco.
Digging around in our archives, it was interesting to note that the restaurant building was estimated to cost about $2 million and the rent was the highest. That was in a 2004 story by my colleague Ryan Bakken.
In 2005, my colleague Lisa Davis wrote of the 18 plasma screen TVs and a communication system that lets servers send orders to the kitchen via a PDA. In retrospect, that seems to be a bit much but maybe it had to do with a strategy of creating a sophisticated ambiance. Whatever. I don't think those PDAs lasted.
When I wrote my story, I thought maybe Suite 49's owners simply miscalculated and the cashflow never panned out as projected. That's not an uncommon thing for new businesses, especially when they sink a lot of money into it.
The archives aren't clear but I think Suite 49 opened in December 2004 so it's been four years. I remember from my days as a business reporter that the benchmark for survival is about five years. If a new business gets past that point, it's chances of survival goes up.
Still, a friend of mine said she thought Suite 49 had lousy service and that was its downfall.
I kind of had to agree. The last time I was there was right after the Saturday game between UND and St. Cloud State. A bunch of us went to the lounge to get some drinks while waiting for the car to warm up. I think three different servers must've walked up to that computer they use for placing orders, which was right at the entrance to the lounge. They never even glanced at us, though it was clear we had just gotten in.
I know personal service isn't always possible in a crowded bar but I could forgive much if I didn't get that iron stare that refuses to acknowledge my existence. Fifteen minutes later, after using the lounge to keep ourselves warm, we left to find better service elsewhere without placing an order.
I also dropped in on Suite 49 the night Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination. Service was pretty decent then, by which I mean the server actually walked up to me and had a smile.
This sort of hit-and-miss service seems way more common in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks than when I first came to town nine years ago and it's been pissing me off. Is it just me?
If it isn't, I sure wish I knew how it was possible for managers of bars and restaurants to not be aware of this sort of thing. Surely if they were aware of the problem they would've taken care it. A reputation for bad service is hard to come back from.
Posted by: Tu-Uyen on 12/24/2008 at 5:18 PM | Comments (16) | Permalink
