The coolest retro neon sign in Amherst will light up once more
Perhaps the greatest ally a small business owner can ask for is a supportive partner.
Either one in the actual business itself to help deal with the infinitely long to do list, or an understanding spouse who knows what you go through 24/7 and offers encouragement when circumstances conspire to overwhelm you.
The main reason Metacomet Cafe closed down somewhat suddenly last fall, after taking more than two years to serve its first burger, is because one of the two business partners -- a blood relative -- took ill, and is no longer in the picture.
Click to enlarge/read
The most recent note (dated 11/19/15) on the door from Spenser Hopton, who is decidedly still in the picture, said the Cafe would reopen by "next month." But now we're in the cold month of January and they still have not reopened.
So I called Spenser to inquire and was assured he has not given up. Metacomet Cafe will reopen by St. Valentine's Day. Yes I know, the dates seem to keep getting pushed into the future just far enough to allow breathing room.
And when you're now going it alone trying to run a business in town center -- the high rent district -- in a market where UMass unfairly competes with you and Internet trolls can savage you on Yelp (or those damn blogs) it's no wonder normal breathing is hard to come by.
Spenser learned a hard lesson from the brief time they were open last summer and will tweak things accordingly. The Cafe will offer a wider array of food -- serving breakfast, lunch and dinner -- with sit down friendly service.
Sounding more upbeat Spenser closed with, "I still have hopes the Metacomet Cafe will be cherished by the entire population -- both students and town folks."
And he's well aware this second chance is also a last chance.
This doesn't operate under standard rules of profit and loss. It's a rich kid's plaything. Doesn't matter to me in the end, as long as the foods good, but he can afford as many chances as he wants to pay for.
ReplyDeleteJust another losing proposition. How bout a five and dime?
ReplyDeleteCome on... you are blaming UMASS for the failure of this incompetent small business. You really are a bitter old man.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds determined, I wish him luck. There's always room for one more... if it's good. RM
ReplyDeleteA customer here and a customer there, pretty soon you're talking real money.
ReplyDeleteJust what the world has been waiting for: another burger n fries joint.
DeleteOpen February, closed by summer. This guy doesn't need a partner, he needs a lesson in how to run a business. The cool sign will be for sale before you know it.
ReplyDeleteThat's what they said about Antonio's...
ReplyDeleteAgreed, can't blame anyone or anything else about this restaurants' failure. This crew couldn't figure out how to open a refrigerator door without help. It must suck to have such anger at an old age.
ReplyDeleteWho signs: Spencer?" Are we supposed to be familiar with this guy somehow?
DeleteThanks,
Bill
I tend to agree with Larry on most things but blaming Umass for unfairly competing is just wrong. This spot has been occupied for the better part of three years yet was only opened 8 months and in those 8 months there were several chuncks of days when they did not open at all. All sorts of reason were posted as to why they were closed. For all the griping that this is the 'high rent' area they have paid a significant portion of rent and remained closed. Throwing money at a problem rarely works. The fact this place has had a series of false starts is no ones fault but the owners. They clearly were either too inexperienced to operate a restaurant or had a poor business plan. Blaming others for they failures is a losers mentality. Do they really expect locals to flock to them when the reopen? Perception is reality and the reality is this place will never succeed and I bet anyone that this place is not open by 2/14/16. 0.0 chance. None!
ReplyDeleteI don't want to eat anywhere where they only "dabble" in the restaurant business.
DeleteJust another case of someone who thinks it would be cool to open a business, having no concept of the need for a solid business plan, done no realistic market research, and lacking the desire to work very hard.
ReplyDeleteObviously the Metacomet owner isn't worried about money. He's paid rent for, what, two years, on a business that was open for only a few months?
Metacomet can join the ranks of other dead hobby businesses including All Things Local, wunderarts, and Wheatberry, to name a few.
It's not the fault of Yelp or UMass. And it's pure fiction to claim that doing business in the center of Amherst is tough. Plenty of businesses, including restaurants, survive and thrive there.
Who would anyone go to Metacomet when they were hardly ever open and their menu was so sparse?
Blogger Larry Kelley said...
ReplyDeleteA customer here and a customer there, pretty soon you're talking real money.
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No. "A customer here and a customer there" is a recipe for failure. They need a steady stream of customers. Plenty of restaurants in downtown Amherst are doing quite well, despite Larry's complaints.
My wife and I went into the Café during the Taste Of Amherst> The young people there were all standing behind the counter looking out the window. It looked like they were just waiting for someone to come in, so we did.
ReplyDeleteOnce in there and I ordered the metacomet burger, I was told there were no fries as the fryolater was broken. I found this strange as they only serve burgers and fries at this point. My wife was then given a sample of coffee to taste and she liked it so she ordered one. She was then told they had no coffee to sell.
When I got my burger minus the fries it was Ok except for the ice cold canned stewed tomato that sat on top making it gross to bite into.
Clearly there is a need for a crew in there that know what they're doing. Hiring clueless school kids is a recipe for failure. Expanding the menu wont cut if if you don't have the staff to pull it off. The next time they open I wont be going in if it looks like the same crew is in there. There are too many other good choices to eat at without taking another chance on this place.
Other restaurants in that same area of town that opened at or around the same time as MetaComet have thrived. Oriental Flavor is always packed and Osteria Vespa near the cinema is often busy as well. It's not the high rent, Umass, or Yelp it's the owners/managers strategy and likely lack of experience. It sounds like the owners got you on the horn and just made excuses as to why they have failed rather than take responsibility and admit they didn’t plan for it being this tough. The fact they have paid rent for over 36 months and been open less than 8 of those months shows they don’t have great business or financial management skills needed to be a small business owner.
ReplyDeleteThey blame, blame, blame everyone but themselves! Blame Umass! Blame the high rent! Blame the locals who wouldn’t eat there! Blame Yelp ratings. And speaking of Yelp ratings they have a 3.5 rating on Yelp which is the same rating as these downtown eating establishments who also compete with Umass and are in the high rent district and one of them that is their direct neighbor (Fresh Side)
Fresh Side 3.5 stars
Pasta E Basta 3.5 stars
Miss Saigon 3.5 stars
Amherst Chinese Food 3.5 stars
The Black Sheep Deli 3.5 stars
And these spots have 3 stars
High Horse
Panda East
The Works Bakery Café
These places seem to survive despite the challenges presented by Umass, high rent, and Yelp!
Perhaps it is time to stop obsessing over this start up business and let them buy their own ads.
ReplyDeleteBottom line, who really cares?
They had a cool sign, end of story. It's retro, but retro back to a time when folks believed in individual rights....so this is not even cool retro from a Amherstian perspective.
Actually this brief story is getting a ton of traffic, which does make my advertisers happy.
ReplyDeleteAntonio's serves shit pizza and they make $20k a weekend. Pasta E Basta serves Ragu and does okay. The latest incarnation of Amherst Chinese is the worst Chinese I've had since I can remember, and they are still open, Judie's has a gimmick and it makes up for the mediocre food. Hate to tell you but food is not the top of the list when it comes to success of most restaurants that survive and Amherst is proof of that. It's important but before that you need, location, marketing, a well planned menu, quality control, and a talented staff. Most of the success of Amherst restaurants is not because of the food but the other things that you need for success. This place is a joke no different than taking a car mechanic and having them open a clothing store - CLUELESS!! Take away the quality of the food and everything else necessary for success in a restaurant is missing other than location and even that can't help it.
ReplyDeleteI say if u want a burger go McD's in and out for under $5. Anyone who opens a burger join these days better offer something more. This could be any number of things,
ReplyDeletecan't tell u what, use your head and make it happen.
We are there during the slim window it was open and the menu was ridiculously limited. Why didn't you ask him why they're not open now? And how did they manage to pay 2 years if rent with no income? Call him back Larry we still have questions! Plus you love these page views and comments, right ��?
ReplyDeleteWe really could use a diner...
ReplyDeleteSeems Johnny's Roadside Diner thinks we all hated The Route 9 Diner and changed everything.
As a result- it is not doing well!
He took 4 years to open the place, not 2. Trust fund.
ReplyDeleteDabbling in the dining service doesn't make it.
ReplyDeleteFWIW. I walked by this place last night and that long 2 page note signed by Spenser that was posted on the window is no longer there.
ReplyDeleteAll Things Local didn't succeed because the selection was lousy, store poorly arranged and the staff/volunteers in the store were slow and unpleasant. Then, they ask us to help pay off their debt? No way.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great concept: all local. You just need to run it well!
I really don't know it is, but it reminds me of Maplewood Farms restaurant on Rte. 9. An amateur with money - builds a pipe dream and blows it. I pity the employees who really needed to making a living - the busboys would have done a better job. What a waste of money.
ReplyDeleteStop with the endless notes on your windows, Metacomet Cafe! There's just something so absurd about the owners' need to correspond with the public instead of actually running a restaurant for the public. It's right up there with the Seven Sisters' Bistro that everyone knew ahead of time was going to go bust--a massive building calling itself a bistro. Same with the Metacoment Café. Café means a coffee place, not a burger joint of which Amherst already has quite a few decent ones--High Horse, Johnny's Tavern, Hanger Pub, and at the low, but decent end, the White Hut.
ReplyDeleteThe Amherst restaurant scene should be so much more since we have a top-notch farmers' market, agricultue all around, tourists coming in. But the restaurants are so dreary and mediocre except for Johnny's Tavern, Oriental Flavor, Osteria Vespa , and Bread and Butter in N. Amherst. I'm afraid to try the new diner for fear of another letdown. Unlike previous commentors, I hated the previous diner, so it has nowhere to go but up. Still, I'm holding off for a bit until they get their sea legs. Let's hope they don't starting putting notes on the front door and windows.