[Photo from Friday]
Several readers have noted that Avenue C Restaurant has been dark of late... including through this past weekend.
There isn't any word of a closure — temporary or otherwise — on the restaurant's website or social media properties. Calls to the restaurant go unanswered (the voicemail system has not been set up, per a message). Meanwhile, Open Table is reporting that this is a permanent closure...
The restaurant just debuted last July at 102 Avenue C between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. One EVG regular who lived nearby said that the staff was friendly, but the place didn't do much to distinguish itself for return visits. (The website copy was stunningly generic: "Welcome to Avenue C Restaurant, the new trendiest American restaurant on the Lower East Side! From it’s industrial décor, to chic vibe we deliver the location to enjoy an amazing experience.")
Someone put a lot of money into the space, giving it a whole new look from its nine years as Edi & the Wolf, which resembled some kind of cozy Austrian garage. Executive chefs Eduard "Edi" Frauneder and Wolfgang "the Wolf" Ban decided to close up last April due to "increasing operating costs," Eater reported.
Could it be the lame name and basic menu? Sorry but to run a restaurant in this city ya gotta make more of an effort. Fingers crossed something great replaces it. Edi & the Wolf was so yummy..I was sad to see them go.
ReplyDeleteI have lived around the corner from this spot for a decade now. The only real foot traffic which would presumably boost business would be Thursday through Saturday. Perhaps Sunday brunch. That's about it. I worked in this industry for almost two decades. In order for it to have been successful, it needed to be a destination with a renowned chef and/or concept at the helm. Ave C has gone through massive redevelopment since 2010. It gets better. But, with any place, things take time. And when you're paying higher minimum wages, increased rent, taxes, product, and on and on, things really add up. It makes me sad. I liked this cute restaurant and had high hopes for it. Unless landlords ease up a bit and allow for reasonable rents, I really don't foresee how any business can flourish without loads of capital, time, a bit of patience, and some good ole fashioned luck.
ReplyDeleteThe full lexicon of the routine cliches in one post, including the obligatory "blame it on workers living wage".
DeleteIn fairness, you shouldn’t use quotation marks around a statement that wasn’t made. You aren’t even paraphrasing. Minimum wages have gone up. Just a fact. If anything I’d say the commenter was blaming the landlord. Not the worker’s.
DeleteThis place seemed to be doomed from the start. The places that are successful on Ave C are all personality -- fun, quirky, interesting -- something you're not going to find in Midtown. Simply naming the place "Avenue C Restaurant" made it seem like the antithesis of that. It's a shame, I still miss Edi and the Wolf!
ReplyDeleteHey Zum Schneider should take it while it's available
ReplyDeleteIt was actually very good.. unfortunately you need PR to get people to go to AVE C for a higher end place.
ReplyDeleteGenuinely too bad. I was hoping it would succeed ... but it was always empty. The food was far from basic. It was excellent. I had planned to go again soon. Too bad.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah the ungoogleable name probably didn't help
File under "what were they thinking". Not even a minimum of creativity with the name. Actually call it anything but Avenue C.
DeleteI liked the food, drinks, and service here. Liked Edi & the Wolf, too. The name and lack of good PR and social media presence likely set it up for failure. If no official word, maybe they will try a re-boot; I am hoping they do.
ReplyDeleteSadly, the menu was very hit or miss here.
ReplyDelete