What has happened to Good Food Café?

[ron_newman]

I walked to Jim's Good Food Café on upper Mass. Ave. to get a sandwich, only to find it already closed for the day. The sign outside now says that the hours are

Tuesday-Friday noon-3pm
Saturday-Sunday noon-5pm

I don't see how any restaurant can stay in business with those hours. They used to be open until 9 every night.

Anyone know what's going on with them?

(Here's an old post about them, from 2008. People liked the place a lot.)

Comments

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

No idea. Most lunch-only places are in areas where there are a lot of businesses and very few residences, like in the Financial District.

[ron_newman]

Even those are usually open longer hours, often as early as 7 am to catch the breakfast and coffee crowd.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Maybe the owners can only afford to keep the place if they work part time jobs elsewhere. I know of people with small businesses who have to do that.

Sounds like

[silveraeroguy.livejournal.com]

the same m.o. as Supreme Kitchen on Highland.

Perhaps the owners just didn't find it viable to be open so late?

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I know that he was trying to get more catering business, so maybe he's focusing on that?

Re: Sounds like

[ron_newman]

Didn't Supreme Kitchen add evening hours recently? In any event, Supreme is open for breakfast, while Good Food isn't.

[jovianconsensus.livejournal.com]

Teele Square Cafe is now the same story, alas. I asked them and they said yes, they get more business before 5 and no, they don't get enough to stay open after 5.

Tufts students? Work-from-homers? I don't know.

[jovianconsensus.livejournal.com]

To be clear, at least they're still open for breakfast.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

No one was ever in there at night when I was in there. They get a lot of lunch traffic.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

As was the same with both places before that.

[jovianconsensus.livejournal.com]

Yup, and I seem to recall this community tut-tutting about the old one's hours and predicting success with later hours. Shows what we know I guess.

[ron_newman]

are you referring to Good Food or to Teele Square with that comment?

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Good Food Cafe.

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

Same with mornings and late afternoons. I've always wondered how they're still open.

[ron_newman]

Opening at 8 is going to miss some of the breakfast crowd.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

I know that I'm never at Teele because they don't open early enough for me to grab a coffee, etc in the AM on my way to work, and aren't open late enough for it to be a sit and social coffee + snack option after. Sad, since I like the staff and menu a great deal.

[panterka37.livejournal.com]

Jim told me that he is taking care of catering orders when he removed the morning hours. I really like the place too so hopefully he gets enough of those to keep it afloat.

[panterka37.livejournal.com]

Btw, looks like Jim has decided to take up tweeting for the cafe just two days ago!

http://twitter.com/thegoodfoodcafe

[ron_newman]

Since you understand what Twitter is and I don't, can you call his attention to this LJ post? I'd love to see him post here.

[panterka37.livejournal.com]

I couldn't send the personal message on Twitter, so I sent a message with a link to this post through the contact form on the cafe website.

[goodfoodcafe.livejournal.com]

Hi..Thanks for telling me about this Marina.

It is true that we have reduced the hours at the café recently. Over the 3 years that we have been open so far, we have found that there really isn't enough A.M. foot traffic to warrant being open any earlier than lunchtime. Also, in the past year or so we have found that the post-lunch and early evening business has decreased significantly, which has been the experience of many shops in the area probably as a result of this nasty economy. We have been focused on catering and corporate business in order to keep things moving while we all wait for all that bailout money to trickle down. We’d love to be open earlier and later and hopefully there will be a demand for it soon. Incidentally, if you work at a place that orders group lunches, let us know!

[ron_newman]

Thanks. We got a response from Jim, see below.

[ron_newman]

Thanks for your reply! I'll try to stop by again during your limited open hours. Has Singabella across the street cut into your business?

You may want to take a look at your website, which advertises much later hours (which is what caused me to make the unsuccessful trip to your restaurant last week). This page says noon-7 pm and this one says noon-9pm.

[elements.livejournal.com]

I was really disappointed some months back when Teele Sq. Cafe first made that change, but I can see how they don't have enough people coming in for dinner to make it worth being open. Still, it's a shame, cos their food made for a great inexpensive dinner out.

[ron_newman]

I stopped by again today at noon but found you closed, with construction workers and painters inside. Are you moving elsewhere? Your phone is disconnected too. I made a second post here that you may want to respond to.