I am truly about to lose my doggone mind here....after blogging about the Harlem Tea Room closing....I glanced at another column and saw this:
Ginger Express (CLOSED)
$13-$20
"Ginger" would like to thank all of our patrons for supporting us since our opening.
Unfortunately, Ginger has closed it's doors.
THANK YOU
Ginger is a quick service concept restaurant that focuses on healthy, full-flavored, fast affordable Chinese food, delivered though a modern and comfortable dining environment.
Our Philosophy
"To provide healthy, fresh, low-fat and calories full-flavored Chinese food in a comfortable modern setting."
The ginger root has been an Eastern food ingredient with documented beneficial remedies, of which the Western world increasingly has become aware as Eastern ideas about health and wellness have become more accepted and understood. Ginger Restaurant will explore its usage for flavor and for health in cooking and it will be an ingredient carried through many of dishes.
Sunday Brunch with musical vocalist. No cover charge. 1PM - 3PM. Call to confirm artist.
Now you all know that I absolutely LOVED this restaurant....I wrote a big ol' blog about it last year! The food was absolutely delicious...the pterodactyl (lol) bbq ribs in hoisin sauce were a MUST HAVE!!!!
I met Titus C. Bankuti at a benefit last year and we exchanged info....I was wondering why his emails kept coming back undeliverable.....
Dang! I really thought this restaurant would be around for a while....I'mma go ahead and take a guess that the rental fee on the space was absolutely killing them.
What's going on in Harlem people????
I am starting to believe that NYC is truly becoming an enclave for the rich.
Damn shame.
"Bear in mind, if you are going to amount to anything, that your success does not depend upon the brilliance and the impetuosity with which you take hold, but upon the ever lasting and sanctified bull doggedness with which you hang on after you have taken hold."
6 comments:
I hadn't heard about Ginger closing...they just quietly slid off the radar.
you know? gentrification is a funny thing. as a gentrifier, i'll say this about these businesses closing - they're not reasonable places. harlem is on the come up, yes, and because of this people get a bit too excited and upmarket. the caviar place on 120th and Lenox that closed - what about just some good sushi? a tea room? what about an upmarket cafe? $16 for CHINESE food entrees? they could have done better with $12 entrees and a location further west. the children's boutique on lenox between 118th and 119th - that brings no foot traffic and they should have known that space was too big to support that sort of niche business.
it seems like simple business to me.
Interesting comments and very thought evoking (at least for me...lol)...
But do you think in the case of Ginger that the prices were a little steep because of the high rent or do you think they were just being greedy? I am definitely curious on this one.
Also...are you trying to tell me that the children's boutique has closed as well?
I don't think it's greed, let's call it opportunism at the expense of business strategy.
Take, for example, Make My Cake. I want to support but they charge $3 - 4 per cupcake with no incentive for buying $6. For perspective, cupcake places downtown charge $1.50 - 2.50 with incentives for purchasing a half dozen. They charge for "no smush" containers - that should be a value-add considering their business. Does the cleaners charge you for the wire hanger and the plastic drape? No. Their real estate is most certainly cheaper than anyplace in the West Village. Labor is probably cheaper too.
It doesn't make good business sense. On top of that, service is terrible, prices are not posted, etc.
Wow girl....you really do make a lot of sense to me by putting in terms I can understand. And I do agree about that Make My Cake (although I DO love their desserts) needs to step their game up a bit.
Thank you for that.
You sound like a really sharp business woman...if you don't mind me asking...what is your business? I'd like to support if I can.
PS - You never answered my question about the children's boutique.
Yes, the children's boutique has been closed since the winter time 08. I used to be in management consulting and now do business strategy for a major magazine in New York.
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