Abigail's for sale
Subject: Abigail's for sale
Thai restaurant now! Please, Planet Thai??http://www.trulia.com/property/1095705417-524-Saint-Johns-Pl-Brooklyn-NY-11238
Comments
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Isn't there already a couple Thai options?
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Nothing East of Classon.
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I just want a better-run Abigails! Get new management/ownership and have a nice vibe, decent wine/beer, and American food.
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I have to agree. I live on this block and have tried to be supportive of these guys countless times. They just don't seem to care. With the right management that place could completely rule.
Hoping for the best!xlizellx wrote: I just want a better-run Abigails! Get new management/ownership and have a nice vibe, decent wine/beer, and American food.
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Subject: reason behind sale?
what are the reasons for selling, anyone know? -
Subject: Re: reason behind sale?
skribe00 wrote: what are the reasons for selling, anyone know?
Like owning a horse and not knowing how to ride. Just gets boring to look at it after awhile -
puppymom wrote: I have to agree. I live on this block and have tried to be supportive of these guys countless times. They just don't seem to care. With the right management that place could completely rule.
I agree about the lack of good management. Hate to say this, but if the co-owner's in a wheelchair, and the kitchen's downstairs, there's no way for him to properly expedite orders and make sure the kitchen is even functioning in a time-sensible manner. Don't get me wrong, his laid-back style was very welcoming, but if you're running a restaurant, you can't slack off.
Hoping for the best!
My husband and I also tried many times to be supportive (see older posts on this thread). I've got TOO many complaints. Looking forward to new ownership. -
The price seems crazy, one could easily open a new place from scratch for far less. This location is unproven as is the current restaurant. I would also imagine that a lease signed today would have better terms than one signed a couple years back so there can't be much value if any from that.
So if they are holding out for that price or anything near it I don't think it will sell. -
So is this a condo store or the purchase of the balance of the lease and the fittings? It's written up in Trulia and Corcoran like it's the sale of a condo, without actually saying that. Like everyone says there really isn't much of a business to buy. Whoever buys it will likely want to make a big distinction between "Abigails" and whatever the new owner calls their place. I'll be interested to see what happens, all the bad reviews here kept me from ever going to Abigails, there are plenty of places that charge less and have better reputations.
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Ben and bohuma both make lots of good points about the practicality of established vs start up. Lots of things to keep in mind. 1st anything that Abigail's did right and they did lots right for so many will be canceled out. Regulars and people who enjoy the place will be left out in the cold. The small place on Franklin(Next to Brkln Coffee) Barrette,and now Abigails would be or have been better off going through a NYC business broker who knows how to keep his or her mouth shut. If you don't like to be in charge anymore lease it to somebody who does. Once you decommission your oven/stove/hood and permits you are the whim of every a-hole in city government. Hire a new manage(w a stake in the profits) and let them do their thing. This dining room and bar are not the problem, hours of operation,available seating,again not the problem.I am sure when they opened they wanted to establish a reputation in the area, they have for bad service. In the blogposterchild world every body will hear you are limbo and find their new regular spot. Everybody else will wait for the cheap drinks farewell party. * important note to anybody* the realtor may answer everything with"no problem" or "it's really new I'm sure it's up to code" and they may even think they are telling the truth. The decomish of a kitchen or liq license will be a disaster for the new buyer. Hurry and sell before the new condos get finished.
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If this is a case where someone is walking in and taking over the operations with the liquor license, DOH license, and lease in place, the price makes more sense. Without that, this only makes sense for someone who is already operating a thriving business, knows the ins and outs of the licensing/permitting process for restaurants and bars in NYC, who wants to expand to a second location. That type of person has a built-in client base, and would simply need to advertise among their existing customers. Think of some of the Williamsburg spots that may want to expand. Doesn't make sense really for an existing PS/PH business as the proximity would only result in canibalizing your own client base.
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I've only been there once, however I definitely think they could have better management. Food was good, however the service was up and down. That could really be a nice place, however the price is a bit steep.
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Last time I went it took them 30 minutes to inform us they didn't have any hot chocolate. Our total time at the table was about 2 hours with at least 90 minutes of waiting for beverages and food.
I really tried to like this place, but the service is absolutely awful and not even the good food can compensate for that. There are far too many options in the hood at this point to keep spending my money there.
Also, if anyone knows that woman who sings jazz on Saturday morning can you please tell her to stop walking around begging for dollars while people are dining. It's off putting. -
Ishtar wrote:
OMG- really!?!?!? That's mortifying... :shock:
Also, if anyone knows that woman who sings jazz on Saturday morning can you please tell her to stop walking around begging for dollars while people are dining. It's off putting. -
i like how it's close to the 1 and 6 trains...
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mikedevice wrote: i like how it's close to the 1 and 6 trains...
Yeah, they also say it's in Prospect Heights.
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Ishtar wrote: Also, if anyone knows that woman who sings jazz on Saturday morning can you please tell her to stop walking around begging for dollars while people are dining. It's off putting.
That was the last straw for me, the waitress collecting tips for the jazz band while we were (finally) eating.
That was also the visit when they served me cold coffee, so I guess the tip-collecting would have been the straw after the last straw.
It's a lovely space, and the food was always good (once it finally arrived), so I hope someone can make a proper go of it. -
I went there once and the service was beyond horrible. I can see from this thread that I'm not the only one with that experience. And, to top it all off, our server had a mini-meltdown at the table when we complained. I can't believe that they've managed to stay in business this long. Needless to say, we never returned.
The owner had the neighborhood willing and ready to support the establishment, but still could not pull it off. Sad. -
BKChickie wrote: And, to top it all off, our server had a mini-meltdown at the table when we complained. .
Oooo- details, please. :bounce: -
Whatchuwant wrote: Oooo- details, please. :bounce:
If I can recall, we had had enough with the poor service and said something like "This is ridiculous, you've walked back and forth across the dining room 10 times for other things, all you have to do is go right there and get hot water for tea and get us jam." Then we had to hear the server complaining about there being "half the normal staff." Not our problem and even if they had been fully staffed, she still wasn't working in an efficient way. -
puppymom wrote: I have to agree. I live on this block and have tried to be supportive of these guys countless times. They just don't seem to care. With the right management that place could completely rule.
me too! i love abigails because they host salsa nights twice a month - it is so perfect for that! - but i am constantly astounded at how bad the service is, and how expensive the food/drinks are. i never go unless i am going to dance, and that's really too bad because it's so close to my house and such a pretty space. final straw - they are out of everything all the time. mustard. limes. chicken. tomatoes. any bottle of wine under $30. i have wanted to post here and say, "Abigail! strike 3 pages off the menu, pick 10 things and do them well and for pete's sake, carry all the ingredients!!"
Hoping for the best!
[quote=xlizellx]I just want a better-run Abigails! Get new management/ownership and have a nice vibe, decent wine/beer, and American food.
i have my fingers crossed for new owners that are open to the existing community (keep the salsa nights, por favor!) but also serve good, affordable food/drinks that makes people want to come there all the time. i wish Abigail and her husband could have made that happen. -
Subject: muaha
The salsa nights were unbearably loud, and the music often continued past 11pm on a Sunday night. I am sorry that all their quaint little gimmicks couldn't mask the mediocre food and service. -
absolutely agree with andreadia above. there were WAY too many things on the menu, not many of them very good. pick your 10 best things, perfect them, and maybe you've got a shot. perhaps that would have brought the prices down too - less dishes means less ingredients means less overhead.
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So.....did anyone catch Abigail on Chopped last night???
She got kicked off in the first round! These weren't even top chefs she was competing with. She purposely didn't clean her shrimp, leaving the veins in and had a total attitude about it! Totally offended the judges. -
Whatchuwant wrote: So.....did anyone catch Abigail on Chopped last night???
yup, and yup.
She got kicked off in the first round! These weren't even top chefs she was competing with. She purposely didn't clean her shrimp, leaving the veins in and had a total attitude about it! Totally offended the judges. -
The veins add substantial flavor. It's somewhat cultural that they're often 'cleaned' in the US. Many people prefer them in.
Sounds like the judges were some ignorant bastards. I don't blame her for having an attitude about it. -
eastbloc wrote: The veins add substantial flavor. It's somewhat cultural that they're often 'cleaned' in the US. Many people prefer them in.
Eh- yes and no. For jumbo shrimp, you clean them because the veins are so large that they get in the way of the flavor. For smaller ones, yes, culturally speaking, I do understand its common not to clean.
Sounds like the judges were some ignorant bastards. I don't blame her for having an attitude about it.
It's not so much that they're ignorant bastards- it's that the contestants are being judged on their culinary expertise via the Western way. If she'd stated that she was from another culture (she's from East freakin' Hampton) and that's the way she was raised to do it, then fine. But that's NOT what she said. She said (crap, what did she say?) that she didn't see the importance of cleaning them and "at her restaurant" they come cleaned already....or something to that effect.
And what's this 'many people prefer them in' about? Many around the world? Many people that you know? I personally like them cleaned and many that I know like it that way too. -
FYI, the shrimp "vein" is not a vein at all (all arthropods have an open circulatory system), but the shrimp's digestive tract. When you eat it, you're eating shrimp shit.
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Carnivore wrote: FYI, the shrimp "vein" is not a vein at all (all arthropods have an open circulatory system), but the shrimp's digestive tract. When you eat it, you're eating shrimp shit.
I know, right?!?!?!
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But leaving the vein in is a guaranteed shortcut to shrimp and grits! Or grit, at least.
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