From the tipline, news that the 5 Napkin Burger outpost on the southwest corner of 14th Street at Third Avenue has given up some up its dining-room space.
Plywood is now up next door, as workers are carving out a new storefront in the space between 5 Napkin and Joe's Pizza...
No word just yet on the new tenant.
This 5 Napkin location opened in February 2012.
Within the last few months, I had identical experiences at this location: seated, ignored, and eventually served cold food. I chalked the first up to a bad night, the second to a lasting, systemic problem.
ReplyDeleteI've never had trouble when seated at the bar — only in the dining room, and only and at night. An afternoon lunch there was fine.
Obviously the footprint was too big for them to manage in evening hours, resulting in no consistency to either adequately staff or bring food when it's ready to waiting customers.
My guess is that this location will be shuttered within six months.
It always shocks me that a single story building is still standing on this corner
ReplyDeleteI guess they'll be serving three napkin burgers now.
ReplyDeleteThey closed the restaurant in Boston last year. Too many of these wannabe mall franchise chains are finding out that the malls are closing down, and there is too much competition. So it seems they are down to 2 napkins now.
ReplyDeleteI reject the notions that a) messiness is intrinsic to a good hamburger, and 2) the messier the hamburger, the better. Both reflect a crude, dumbed down, Guy Fieri-esque mentality towards food IMO. Biting into a hamburger and getting it all over your face and lap?? Oh yeah bro, you want that!!! All that said, good luck to these guys.
ReplyDeleteTo Neighbor: Maybe prior to being built, the residential building directly to the south of Five Napkin Burger, purchased the air-rights of the Five Napkin building.
ReplyDelete@5:30 they didn't. I took a deep dive into the FAR ratios there when I lived nearby because I was always shocked there wasn't a taller building there!
DeletePinch, that is exactly the case !
ReplyDelete@Pinch: I believe you are correct b/c when I went to an "open house" for an apartment overlooking that building a couple years back, I specifically asked the broker about the possibility of another building going up that would block the northern view; I was told the condo had bought all the air rights between the condo and the corner, so the view was "protected."
ReplyDeleteGo to Joe Jr. two blocks up instead. Much better burgers and fries, and cheaper too. Or at least Penny Lane/Linen Hall, their burger's pretty reasonable, too.
ReplyDelete