http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/ The Latest in Retail, Entertainment, and Development in Raleigh Mon, 14 Sep 2015 21:31:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1
http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15790
Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:29:10 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15790
Jefe,
I don’t think that the management and food that has been in place for 2 weeks has much impact on the recent two years of that property. I think that the reason Damon’s failed and wasn’t refilled for a while is multifaceted.
Certainly Damon’s could have failed because ribs are just not THAT popular in Raleigh. The Smokey Bones manager in Wilmington told us that the company’s demographics show that Raleigh wasn’t a good expansion market for them. Luther’s was very good, as was Oh Brians, but neither made it in Raleigh.
The second point is the location. Right now it and Wendy’s are the ONLY restaurants within walking distance of the RBC Center/stadium complex that was designed with the car in mind. Much like the old Charlotte Coliseum, the idea with this arena is to get in and out quickly, so the land around it is best suited for office space. That way the roads are used for offices by day, entertainment by night.
This restaurant’s location is just off of the heavy-flow path. If you get there and they are too full, you are screwed because by the time you get to the nearest decent sit-down restaurant, you will miss your arena event’s beginning. So why bother gambling when you can just eat at a good restaurant on the way to the arena. Also the public might not realize that an event is going on. They could get stuck in traffic before it is too late, so they don’t even risk it, even on nights when there is no event.
The long term future of the area needs to be decided. I don’t think a half-hearted cluster of restaurants across Edwards Mill is a smart idea AT ALL. Either there should be a major, dense urban cluster growth (at least the size of North Hills and NH East), or the area should be completely office space. Once one is in their car leaving the property, would they go up into a quiet small development to go to a bar or just proceed to downtown? Probably the latter.
This impeccably maintained arena is 10 years old. It’s lifespan is probably another 30-40 years. I think we should just quit on the idea of having destinations walking distance from the arena because the facility’s replacement just might not be on that property. We have a great, car-friendly, tailgate friendly facility and we should enjoy it as designed. Where the city REALLY needs to improve things in the area is with bus access. There should be an express bus line from Glenwood Avenue and from NCSU running through dedicated bus lanes to the arena. THAT would encourage people wanting to go downtown after the game to just park and eat downtown before the game and ride back and drink after the game.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15788 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:06:53 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15788 WENT TO THE BISTRO WITH FAMILY THAT WAS VISITING AND WAS THE FIRST TIME IN THE AREA. THE REST. WAS VERY BUSY, BUT WITH A GREAT ATMOSPHERE. WE ORDERED SOME APPITIZERS BEFORE DINNER. OUR WAITRESS “AMANDA’ WAS GREAT. SHE WAS ATTENTIVE ANMD VERY HELPFUL. SHE EXPLAINED THAT THE MENU WAS LIMITED BUT VERY GOOD. SHE RECOMMENDED THE BISTRO CLUB AND I MUST SAY IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE HAD. ALL OF US WERE PLEASED WITH THE FOOD AND THE SERVICE. WILL SURELY BE BACK WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THANKS FOR THE GREAT TIME.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15787 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:04:03 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15787 My wife and I went to check it out before Canes game on Tuesday. The food and service were great! There was a feeling of excitement lingering as it should be in a sports bar before a big game! We will definately be back even if there are no events across the street.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15685 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:02:32 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15685 My wife and I are often in the area and frequently eat out. I was happy to see this place open. We tried it Friday 4/17 after they had opened on Monday the 13th. Something was horribly wrong. We waited 10 minutes to be seated (not bad except there were many empty tables (some stacked with dishes)), waited 45 minutes for food (standard stuff), and just an experience that was very unpleasant. Most around us (no, all) had similar experiences. I did not take it out on the waiter but several ‘manager types’ were standing near the kitchen and never came out to offer any explanation or apologies. I had hoped for much better.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15673 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:17:02 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15673 Went before the game Sunday. Was not very impressed with the boney ribs. Service was fair. Guess there was a reason for it to sit empty for two years after all.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15494
Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:15:29 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15494
The problem is that when there isn’t anything going on at the RBC center (i.e. Canes or Wolfpack games) then there is really no reason for anyone to be in that area just to grab wings and beer. There needs to be more development in the area (not likely).
Bad planning for a sports venue.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15477 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:09:02 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15477 “not much housing”
Ummm, what??
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15463 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:02:04 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15463 It never made sense to me why it was vacant for so long. The only thing I can think of is there is not much housing right near the place which could be argued. Its really pretty embarrassing to have the stadium(s) with nothing to do anywhere around it.
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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15412 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:08:37 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2009/04/16/backyard-bistro-now-open/#comment-15412 Does anyone have any insight as to why this place sat empty for so long? Such a great location, always seemed curious that it could sit empty for, what, 2 years?
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