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Message
re: Mimi's in River Ridge is closing
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:02 am to BlackenedOut
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:02 am to BlackenedOut
At some point, a restaurant has to "make a living" and that means serving what your customers want instead of taking your ball and going home when they don't like what you (restauateur/chef) want them to like. Unless of course, there's another location...as may happen here, or you'd prefer to close than serve what customers are buying.
I understand all sides of this issue. Sometimes the condescension in the food world is really hard to take. "Iced-tea drinkers" "blue hairs" etc. Money is the same color in every wallet.
I understand all sides of this issue. Sometimes the condescension in the food world is really hard to take. "Iced-tea drinkers" "blue hairs" etc. Money is the same color in every wallet.
4
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:03 am to RedPop4
quote:
At some point, a restaurant has to "make a living" and that means serving what your customers want instead of taking your ball and going home when they don't like what you (restauateur/chef) want them to like.
Agree with this too. I actually wonder what he was thinking even moving into that space.
eta: not exactly serving what the customers want, but adjusting.
This post was edited on 8/5/11 at 11:12 am
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:05 am to RedPop4
Ehh dont agree. Then no sushi restaurants would havbe opened 35 years ago, no Vietnamese in last 20, and everyone would just be eating at McDonalds.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:07 am to RedPop4
In my own personal opinion, he could have marketed to the crowd that he wanted a little better. It may be shocking to some of you but there are plenty of people that live out that way who would enjoy his type of food. I don't think they knew it was there. Especially since they kept the same name.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:11 am to Winkface
quote:
It may be shocking to some of you but there are plenty of people that live out that way who would enjoy his type of food. I don't think they knew it was there.
the prices were a little outrageous too.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:11 am to Lester Earl
When did he arrive? Mimi's had been open about 20 years which indicates, to me, a moderate success and consistency.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:16 am to BlackenedOut
quote:
Ehh dont agree. Then no sushi restaurants would havbe opened 35 years ago, no Vietnamese in last 20, and everyone would just be eating at McDonalds.
There's the condescension I was speaking of. It's not an "all-or-nothing" issue. New Orleans has always been a food town. The idea that the choice is either "razor-sharp cutting edge" or McDonalds certainly ignores the food history and dynamic of greater New Orleans.
I agree about the sushi or Vietnamese places, however they grew within their niches until acceptance grew. The Vietnamese started out in their communities and only grew as caucasian/non-Vietnamese customers started coming consistently. At least that's how I would surmise it to have happened.
Certainly I've only seen the Vietnamese places in non Vietnamese locations in the last ten years.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:16 am to RedPop4
quote:
Sometimes the condescension in the food world is really hard to take. "Iced-tea drinkers" "blue hairs" etc. Money is the same color in every wallet.
I think the problem is when it comes to making money is that for low to moderate priced generic food out that way, there is just too much competition. That place would need to be turning alot of plates and selling a shite load of ice tea to really make money in it's old format. Selling alcohol is how a restaurant really makes money and the older folks weren't buying much of it.
When they did, that wanted their high ball glass filled to the top with bourbon and only wanted to pay $4 for it. :)
There are a decent amount of people in RR/Harahan that eat high end food,but I just think the mind set is that if they are going to dress up a litte and pay big money, they are going to the city.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:19 am to RedPop4
Its not all or nothing nor was I trying to push that. From all accounts Mimi's owners have had the place on the market for years. They brought Pete in because they knew him and liked his food and hoped to revitalize the business on his not very cutting edge, cutting edge food. It worked, they found a buyer and now I think they will take that schtick into the city where the approach can work better.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:40 am to BlackenedOut
River Ridge is the type of place where a Mellow Mushroom or 5 Guys would kill.
McDonalds always has a line to the street out there.
McDonalds always has a line to the street out there.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:42 am to GynoSandberg
This explains a lot.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 11:58 am to GynoSandberg
quote:
McDonalds always has a line to the street out there.
Not really. I believe the McDonald's on St Charles Avenue is crowded frequently too. What does that say?Posted on 8/5/11 at 12:01 pm to RedPop4
Pete Vasquez arrived in late 2010. Article
It's usually a bad idea to change almost everything about a place when it's 30 years old. While it's not an absolute rule, it has been pretty consistent in my experience.
Now I can't begrudge the chef or the owner for trying something new but it flopped badly. Vazquez, who admittedly has culinary A.D.D. should have toned it down a bit. The blue hairs aren't a very adventurous bunch and changing things doesn't go over well if that's your core demographic.
Anyways, bye Mimi's. It was nice the few times we ate there (prior to the new chef).
It's usually a bad idea to change almost everything about a place when it's 30 years old. While it's not an absolute rule, it has been pretty consistent in my experience.
Now I can't begrudge the chef or the owner for trying something new but it flopped badly. Vazquez, who admittedly has culinary A.D.D. should have toned it down a bit. The blue hairs aren't a very adventurous bunch and changing things doesn't go over well if that's your core demographic.
Anyways, bye Mimi's. It was nice the few times we ate there (prior to the new chef).
Posted on 8/5/11 at 12:02 pm to RedPop4
quote:
When did he arrive? Mimi's had been open about 20 years which indicates, to me, a moderate success and consistency.
Yeah Mimi's has been there at least 20 years. I think he has taken over within the last 2 years, maybe even less. It was always a mom and pop type place, with moderate prices.
the worst thing he could have done was keep the name and jack up the prices(not that the food wasn't worth it).
It's just hard to change the perception of the place when you keep the name. And they see the new prices and probably think "ehh I'm not going there."
Posted on 8/5/11 at 12:03 pm to bbrownso
quote:
Now I can't begrudge the chef or the owner for trying something new but it flopped badly
I wouldn't say it flopped badly. They have been looking for a buyer for a while and it seems whatever they were doing brought in an interested party.
The restaurant had been slowly going down hill for a while, so I understand their need to want to shake things up. For 5-10 years it seems people really haven't though much of the place.
I agree that they went a little too agressive with the change.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 12:05 pm to GynoSandberg
McDonalds does not always have a line to the street. The one on St. Charles was usually worse.
A simple sit down place to eat dinner or another fast food place with a drive-through would probably make good money in River Ridge/Harahan. A pizza place, probably not, due to the proliferation of them in a small area.
The one on St. Charles was usually worse. A simple sit down place to eat dinner or another fast food place with a drive-through would probably make good money in River Ridge/Harahan. A pizza place, probably not, due to the proliferation of them in a small area.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 12:07 pm to notiger1997
Maybe I've been reading too many books, but this really looks like a well-calculated move to either bring in new diners and make money or get enough press and exposure that owners could sell.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 12:07 pm to notiger1997
quote:I agree with all of this. Why not change the name if you change the menu as much as they did?
The restaurant had been slowly going down hill for a while, so I understand their need to want to shake things up. For 5-10 years it seems people really haven't though much of the place.
I agree that they went a little too agressive with the change.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 12:07 pm to Winkface
quote:
Not really. I believe the McDonald's on St Charles Avenue is crowded frequently too. What does that say?
That people in the Garden District also like McDonald's?
I live 5 house down from the RR McD's. It's always packed. It's not an insult, just a fact.
Most people in RR like simple food and aren't hard to please.
Posted on 8/5/11 at 12:10 pm to GynoSandberg
Pete's menu did have some adventurous items, but it also had sausage and peppers, meatballs, and other italian things. Done differently but not crazily. Mimi's will probably revert back to a red sauce Italian joint, the owners and Pete will move on, and we will all forget this in a few months.
But it was worth a shot
But it was worth a shot
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