The Foodie Report: Another one bites the dust?

Monday, January 14, 2008

Another one bites the dust?

Looks like McFadden's shuttered, but no confirmation of that. More details to come...

42 Comments:

at 3:41 PM

Mary said...

Wow, that surprises me. They always seemed so busy.

at 4:08 PM

Anonymous said...

They seemed busier before the smoking ban. I wonder if that was their downfall.

at 11:30 PM

Anonymous said...

the smokers like to claim that the ban marks the death of the bar scene in Cincinnati. The reality is that bar and restaurant business was UP in Hamilton County (and Downtown in particular) in 2007. I work for Heidelberg, the largest beer and wine distributor in the state, and the numbers don't lie. There was a brief decline right after the ban, but the rest of the year was up.

Business in NKY, on the other hand, is flat. Go figure....

at 10:36 AM

Anonymous said...

The reason I mentioned the smoking angle is because rhe amount of smoking in that place was amazing. The last time we went there before the ban was enacted there was a table in the center with 24 people seated, 22 of them were smoking, while eating which I don't understand. It looked like an ad from a magazine for cigarettes.
It's been quite pleasent lately, I'm sorry to see it close. I hope it reopens.

at 11:36 AM

Sean F. said...

Apparently it is just changing ownership and will open again under a different name.

at 11:44 AM

Unknown said...

I would expect to see a marked decline in restaurant/bar business and I'm sure there will be many who blame it on the smoking ban, but look around at all the empty houses for sale and the rising foreclosures if you want to see a real cause.

People have less money to spend and will likely eat out less as a result.

at 12:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Bring back McFaddens...I very much enjoy this place!!!

And I doubt it has much to do with the smoking ban.

at 12:14 PM

Anonymous said...

Proof that fancy furniture, clean bathrooms, smoke free breathing, and overpriced beverages will never work.

at 12:17 PM

Anonymous said...

The reason is because Cincinnati is a stupid, boring, and behind-the-times flyover city. Anything that Doesn’t have a Bangles theme or, this local hillbilly sport, "cornhole" shuts down. Don't get me wrong, Cincinnati is a great place to raise children but if you want to live this is not the City to do it in.

at 12:18 PM

Anonymous said...

Joe, do you know numbers from bar to bar?
I know Downtown bars and restaurants get much bussier in the months leading up to Christmass, than really die down after that. I was wondering if the up swing you saw had to do with that, or the fact that there are more bars and restaurants downtown now, than before the ban.
I for one can say I've eaten downtown one time after the ban, and that's said, 'cause I LIVE downtown. Now I just go to the KY, or stay at home and cook.

at 12:18 PM

Anonymous said...

ifsmad,

there are hundreds of places that use just that formula and do quite well if the food is good. What doesn't work anymore is going out to dinner to spend money and come out smelling like an ashtray.

at 12:22 PM

Anonymous said...

Must you add a link to the Foodie Report next to the online article regarding McFadden's closing? Our forum has been taken over by people who can't spell or write a complete sentence.

at 12:23 PM

Anonymous said...

Someone has Jumped the gun on this or McFaddens is using this as a way to generate publicity.

What I've heard is McFaddens is currently being renovated and will be back open by March.

at 12:25 PM

Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

at 12:27 PM

Anonymous said...

http://www.blackfinncincy.com/directions.html

at 12:32 PM

Anonymous said...

My comments concerning the formula of what will and won't work shouldn't be misconstued. McFadden's was a sports bar. Cheap beer and food in an unpretentious environment are what brings people through the doors. McFadden's tried to go upscale. Way overpriced and much ado about nothing.

at 12:45 PM

Anonymous said...

Maybe it went down because it didn't know if it was a sports bar or a dance club. As one interested in the sports and not the dancing, I wouldn't go in that place to watch a game.

at 12:50 PM

Anonymous said...

You guys that think it's because of it being downtown or the smoking ban, or the prices are too high: A) don't get out much, because McFaddens and other bars downtown are still very crowded with the smoking ban B) ... stay on the KY backwards side that still allow smoking and don't realize that these bars are crowded to this day and the smoking ban has been in effect for some time ... C) ... Don't come downtown often, because downtown is packed on the week nights and especially the weekend nights (don't believe me, try ordering a drink on a Sat. night. D) The only time you'll find cheap drink prices are at Taverns and Pubs, which I enjoy very much ... but McFaddens is neither.

at 12:51 PM

Anonymous said...

Maybe the owners of Alchemize can put their bar in that spot. We can then have yet another mismanaging owner blame their failing business on the demise of downtown nightlife. One last time, IT'S THE PRODUCT.

at 12:57 PM

Anonymous said...

You must be linked to a different story, the one that got me here said nothing about it reopening.

at 1:04 PM

Anonymous said...

According to a recent issue of the Ohio Tavern News they must have had a history of serving minors as they were hit with a fine of $10,000 or the option to close.

at 1:05 PM

Anonymous said...

@ 12:57 p.m. you are right ... I should have known with The Enquirer's DOOM & GLOOM approach that they would leave out important info like that ... No wonder it's a struggling newspaper ...

Here it is ... looks like we have to count on the Biz Courier for accurate info ... opening under new ownership and theme:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/01/14/daily6.html

at 1:09 PM

Anonymous said...

The Enquirer is a joke. They twist things to make it sound much more negative than it actually is.

at 1:09 PM

Anonymous said...

They should have tried cutting costs by doing away with the high-paid bathroom attendants for starters. Seriously though.. in Cincinnati a club needs to "close" and "re-open" every few years so people will come to it. Everyone wants to go to the "new" club in town. Its psychological. And, its a little sad.

at 1:12 PM

Nicci King said...

Hi, all,

And as the post said, "more details to come." There are more details and we put them out there when we got 'em.

Thanks...

at 1:13 PM

Anonymous said...

I didn't realize Cincinnati was a mining town. You say miners went there a lot? I never noticed.. Strange that would cause a place to close down though. I guess people felt trapped.

at 1:17 PM

Anonymous said...

They arent closing, the news paper is a little behind the curve here, the company who owns them are converting all McFaddens into Blackfinns(a slightly more upscale verson of McFaddens, which they have also installed in a number of major cities, so they arent directly in competition with Sullys Saloons (which they also own), the new website http://www.blackfinncincy.com/ is already up and running complete with a menu and everything. Hopefully the paper can try and keep up with the news and stop running one line stories that arent half the facts.

at 1:21 PM

Anonymous said...

Here ya go, Nicci! Courtesy of the Biz Courier ...

Seventh Street eatery closed; to get new owners
Business Courier of Cincinnati

McFadden's Restaurant, the casual Irish-inspired pub and eatery on Seventh Street, has shut its doors, but will reopen under new ownership, a spokesman said.

The restaurant's Web site is down and its voice mail is full. The windows are covered with tightly drawn curtains and the front of the restaurant, the hostess area, is crowded with stacks of its dining room chairs. There is no sign or notice posted, however.

The restaurant has changed ownership and is expected to reopen under a different name, said Thom Perez, a spokesman for the new owners. Perez declined to identify the owners at this time.

Bar Investment Group, which opened McFadden's in March 2005, signed a 15-year lease on the property. Debi O'Dell, general manager at Diamond Properties, which owns the building, declined comment. She referred calls to owner Paul Derrico at Bar Investment, but he could not be reached.

McFadden's replaced Nick & Tony's, which closed without warning in September 2004, less than two years after it opened.

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/01/14/daily6.html

______________________________________________

@ iluvotr ... and this is unique to Cincinnati how??? Are you suggesting that in no other city in the United States, a bar closes it's doors after 3 years and reopens for whatever reason they need to? I'm not sure how experienced you are at running a business or how large your business is, but I would bank on these restaurant groups knowing a little something on generating revenue? Maybe, just a little ...

at 1:27 PM

Nicci King said...

Anon 1:21 - Check the top of the food blog. We've posted the latest news we have on the coming changes...

at 1:28 PM

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 1:17 ... If you aren't from Cincy, I want to apologize on behalf on the Enquirer and the city. That's how they run their news ... They try to twist things as negative as they can. This is with everything they publish.

I'm surprised the headline for this blogg wasn't ...

"Another Downtown Restaurant was Slain Overnight in Over-the-Rhine""

at 1:29 PM

Anonymous said...

The word on the street is that 35 year old Cincinnati multi-millionaire bad boy Joe Tekulve has just bought McFaddens and is changing the name and reopening it in 3 months. The word is, he is sinking $1,500,000 into remodeling the place. Since the real estate and landscaping business is not enough, he is now trying to corner the market on the night life in Cincinnati. It should be very interesting to see what Tekulve does with the place and what kind of a bar he turns it into.

I heard he also plans on expanding this new concept that he is starting in Cincinnati to other markets throughout the United States, like Louisville, Lexington, Indianapolis and Columbus.

I am very curious to see what Joe Tekulve does with the place and his whole new concept for the party scene in Cincinnati.

I have been told that Joe Tekulve has developed a revolutionary concept that has never been thought of or tried before with a night club in the United States.

Someone close to Tekulve said that when the people of Cincinnati see what he has come up with it is going to turn the night life in this town upside down. People will have to make reservations a month in advance just to get in the place.

This thing is going to be huge Cincinnati!!!

at 1:36 PM

Anonymous said...

Good, Maybe the new place will start selling Bud Light. That's why my friends and I never went there. Lodge Bar is the same way. Big mistake!

at 1:42 PM

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 1:36 p.m.

- Maybe you & your friends should just stay put in Price Hill then.

at 1:47 PM

Anonymous said...

@1:29 Give me a break. I don't even want to go to a place that requires a one month wait. That is outlandish.. I don't want to be around the kind of people who would want to be at a place they had to wait a month to get into.. If I decide to go out on the town on Saturday night.. oh nevermind..

@1:21 - @ Yes, this is a Cincinnati thing. We've been missing the boat for years. Have you seen 4th st live in Louisville? How about Hoffbrau across the bridge.. Beer Sellar.. how long has that been there? Downtown Cincinnati shuts down after 5pm and doesn't open again until Monday morning. Sure some people drive all the way into downtown to go out to the clubs.. but it shouldn't be that way. People should live downtown... work downtown.. play downtown.. instead, they migrate back and forth guzzling gas and driving all over the place. This town needs an enema!

at 1:59 PM

Anonymous said...

iluvotr, if you aren't aware of Downtown's population growth, drop in crime, and millions upon millions of dollars of investment and re-investment ... with the condo boom and rising rent ratio, then your post' are worthless.

Educate yourself first ... then post.

at 2:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Most clubs around the WORLD close and reopen every few years, that's how clubs work.
People like to go to new and exciting places, 'cause the figure they'll meet new and exciting people.
Those clubs are making more money than most people can imagine. They can afford to open and close.
Why keep a club open at 80% capacity when a new paint job, a few chairs and a fancy lamp will bump to up to 100% capacity?

at 2:17 PM

Anonymous said...

Also, another bit to chew on ...

Downtown's stability/growth re: real estate -is one of the best in the region.

at 2:54 PM

Anonymous said...

@1:59 -

I am part of that growth. I own real estate in downtown. Don't assume anything about me because the City of Cincinnati continaully disappoints everyone by making poor decisions. Part of the "drop in crime" you speak of was the direct result of the Sheriff's patrols in Over the Rhine. Those were recently dropped due to lack of funding and CPD Turf wars. Educate yourself - and while you are at it - educate the Mayor and most members of City Council. I still say this town needs an enema!

at 3:15 PM

Anonymous said...

(I am part of that growth. I own real estate in downtown.)

Me too. How about that! Two people bickering about residential growth in the CBD and we both invest here! Ironic, isn't it?

(Don't assume anything about me ...)

I can and will make assumptions about you based on what you write.

(... because the City of Cincinnati continaully disappoints everyone by making poor decisions.)

This comment is why I and many other people on here will doubt that you live in the CBD.

Please post examples!

(Part of the "drop in crime" you speak of was the direct result of the Sheriff's patrols in Over the Rhine.)

Why don't you add investment and getting market-rate housing in the area, along with putting normal non-criminals on the street that also have a direct relationship with crime being lowered.

(Educate yourself - and while you are at it - educate the Mayor and most members of City Council. I still say this town needs an enema!)

Please post examples ... what decision did they make that makes you feel so threatened?

at 3:41 PM

Anonymous said...

@3:15

I'm glad to see you are so passionate about downtown. I spend a great deal of my time and efforts promoting this growth you speak of. I sold my home in the suburbs and made Over The Rhine my primary place of residence. I've lived downtown for several years now. Not sure why you would doubt that, but whatever. Not sure why someone would want to make up something like that either.

(Please post examples ... what decision did they make that makes you feel so threatened?)

First of all, nobody said I was threatened.

Second of all, I don't think this blogger will allow enough characters to support all the examples of poor decisions that the City of Cincinnati has made. (or hasn't made) I don't even know why I have to waste my time starting a list for you but here goes:

The Banks.
Paul Brown Stadium.
The Freedom Center.
Great American Ballpark's location.
The Main Street District.
Washington Park.
Turning down Hoffbrau's offer to build in Ohio.
The Subway tunnels.
Light Rail.
The Smoking Ban.
Nixing Sheriff's Patrols.
The Glencoe 'Hole'
Millions spent to move a fountain.
The Mayor's high paid body guards.
CPD Corruption.
Vine St. theater district..

are you still with me?

at 4:32 PM

Anonymous said...

Paul Brown Stadium - (Without it, we'd be Dayton)
The Freedom Center - (Without it, we'd be Dayton)
Great American Ballpark's location -(Yeah, that sucks, Blame the people in the suburbs)
The Main Street District - (Riots killed it)
Washington Park - (Give it till the end of summer)
Turning down Hoffbrau's offer to build in Ohio - (No Banks Protect, no place to put it)
The Subway tunnels - (Really? That was 1925)
Light Rail - (Blame the people in the suburbs)
The Smoking Ban - (Nothing can stop the ban, NOTHING!)
Nixing Sheriff's Patrols - (Half the town complained when they started)
The Glencoe 'Hole' - (do you want to buy the Hotel?)
Millions spent to move a fountain - (Too fix the fountain, it was going to fall into the parking garage)
The Mayor's high paid body guards - (Why do you think they're high paid?)
CPD Corruption - (Like what? You look hard enough any police department has corruption, everything is corrupted on some level, saying "corruption" is just lame)
Vine St. theater district - (Not sure...you talking about the Aronoff center)

It's so easy to complain, move to Dayton.

at 4:40 PM

Anonymous said...

Move to Dayton? What? And miss this new club that is going to open up where McFadden's used to be? No Way. I'm stayin'

-cheers

Previous Posts

Monday, January 14, 2008

Another one bites the dust?

42 Comments: