Well at Least It’s Branded

By on January 25, 2007 11:29 am in News

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What are the folks at the nearly totally empty businesses at 60 Henry Street up to while waiting for customers to show up? Creating a website and developing a “brand” of course!

We noticed the URL, cornerofcranberry.com,  posted in the window of the newly opened Blue Pig Party Place across from the triple threat now known as “Corner of Cranberry”.

It’s a brochure page featuring the menus of each establishment (note: we’re fans of Blue Pig) but not much else.  We just thought you should know that we are now in the presence of a MARKETING JUGGERNAUT!

Warning: If you are a stickler for proper spelling DO NOT read the menus carefully.

Update: The spot known to us as the “Blue Pig Party Place” has been reimagined as “Cranberry Place”.  Posters in the window promise that it’s not only a spot for kiddie parties but for “adult parties” as well.  They also say they’ll be “live jazz” and “wine tastings” soon.

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  • http://brooklynheightsblog.com Qfwfq

    Has anyone actually eaten at Food Maestro or Aficionada? I smell bhblog field trip…

  • Homer Fink

    “Food mob” … who’s up for it?

  • CMC

    We need someone to do a “recon mission”, to let us know if they are any good….then we can decide whether it is a good idea to encourage them.

  • Andrew

    The sandwich board outside Aficionada claims that the restaurant serves Spanish food (that would be nice to have closer than La Mancha), but what’s with all of the Mexican dishes?

    I have very little desire to try these restaurants…

  • ClatieK

    How are they paying the rent? I never see anybody in Aficionada or Food Maestro.

    Also, how long has the scaffolding been up there? I can’t imagine that’s good for business; why anybody would sign a lease there with those up is beyond me.

  • rms

    At least it’s branded??? I thought that was precisely the problem. “Agent Orange Cafe” would probably be as or more inviting than the current brands. Even before they opened, the names and logos for these places screamed “Olive Garden Wannabe.” My wife and I looked at each other as soon as the windows were dressed and placed bets on how quickly they would fail. (With a 5-spot on 6 months, I was the more generous.)

    I’m wondering where the owner(s) got the money to open these places, and if it wasn’t their own money, how they sold their business plans. I pass these places daily and wonder if I didn’t just get beamed to some chintzy restaurant row in Downtown Toledo. Maybe I’m being unfair, and the food isn’t as horrible as the facades would suggest, but nobody’s gonna know it as long as they keep plugging these ridiculous brands.

  • BP

    I think that the owner(s) are the same as the prior (failed) establishments (Chez Henry, Tapas, el Cubanito). In which case, they’ve had the lease(s) for several years. Whom I think also are/were owners of Buon Gusto on Montague. Don’t quote me, but I think that I have that right. (Don’t quote anything you read on a blog). Except for Blue Pig which is from up north.
    Please correct me if I’m wrong.

    Otherwise, I agree with rms about the Olive Garden-ness. At the same time, Olive Garden is pretty popular (and successful?).

  • Theo

    Ouch! As a “stickler for proper spelling,” I should have heeded the webmaster’s warning and stayed away from the menus. They even managed to misspell the name of one of their own restaurants: “Aficionada” is spelled “Aficianada.”

    By the way, RMS, having been to downtown Toledo not that long ago, I can tell you that the selection of restaurants there appeared far superior to what we have on this stretch of Henry Street.

  • Hyman Roth

    I liked El Cubatino . . . evidentily Aficianotgonnastayopen has Ropa Vieja, but I fear a critical mass element. If there are other people in it, I’ll go in, but if it’s empty, I just assume it’s bad.