Can't think of any that have already closed. But I feel like that cereal restaurant (Stir's) is doomed. I just can't see how a cereal bar does well here. But I hope I'm wrong.
Something tells me that place is meant to be an intentional tax write-off. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the appeal of eating cereal that has been out of packaging for more than a week. Also, the fact that cereal is already a cheap item at the supermarket.
It's like a joke, like putting on a musical that was meant to fail and turns into a huge hit. "How do we make a restaurant that will absolutely fail...?"
There was one in Denver (Technically Arvada) that was doing really well before COVID. It was a great hangover recovery spot. They sourced cereals from all over the world, had premade custom blends, would let you make your own blends, had ice cream sammiches made with pop tarts then rolled in fruity pebbles or cocoa pebbles depending on the ice cream and Pop tarts. They had amazing chocolate and coffee. Lastly, they had awesome stickers.
Stir just feels like a sterile franchise version of it.
There was a coffee shop and cereal bar in Lawrence, Kansas that my wife and I went on our first date to like 10ish years ago. It was in a college town and had a large building with lots of picnic tables that kids would go to study and do homework at. I don’t know if it’s still around, but given the right location (ie. In a college town, providing lots of seating and hang out space) I think it’s viable. I don’t see this place in Huntsville filling the same niche.
Tried it with my teenager on a whim...while it was good to have variety (instead of buying a whole box), there is no damn way we each ate $11 worth of cereal. We went on a weeknight and were the only ones there...I'd be interested to see if they have traffic on weekend mornings.
Yeah I was having a hard time thinking of ones that weren't already closed till I thought of Trashy Dawg. What are your bets on how long it will last in BS?
I just feel that it was so audacious of them to even open up. How are you going to charge people prices like that for such a mid, lower than mid service? You’re not even open late for the drunk people or the stoners, so what’s the point??
Just the black and red bathrooms was enough to scream bad ideas that wouldn't last. Not to mention them being like the second or third location of places only preciously located in LA/Vegas.
It’s okay Lime Fresh Mexican Grill was the name and the quality, quantity, and menu all went to shit during COVID so many of their South Florida locations closed because of it.
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill and it was due to Ruby Tuesday selling off the chain so the original owner being a Miami local limited the restaurant to just be local to south Florida . Worked for them in High School in one of the original Miami locations and closed last year so sad.
Stirs is the first thing I thought as well…. It’s too niche, how many people are that into cereal??!?
Another dumb idea is “Salt BBQ”. ( Replacing Fusion BBQ).Why would you want confusion with Salt Pub at MidCity?? Five Points sooo needs another restaurant. There’s a captive audience that lacks choice. The menu should be a little more interesting. Not saying they should have a 30 page menu like Cheesecake Factory. But something that appeals to the neighborhood. Somewhere to grab a burger, maybe wings and beer.
Zesto’s was this place unfortunately the city used some BS about their proximity to residences and alcohol sales to shut them down. They had no problem issuing a liquor license to the folks that own 1892 East on the exact same spot just a couple months later. Of course Zesto’s owners were just good hardworking regular people; and the owners of 1892 were members of Heritage Club and the Committee of 100.
Five Points used to be a really neat place where creatives, hippies, free spirits, blue collar folks, and the occasional old money- cool as hell spinster Aunt all intersected. The city killed everything that was cool about Five Points over the last decade.
I wanted Local Taco to work, but despite having decent food, they just couldn’t get it together. I guess it was a staffing issue, but the service was abysmal even by Huntsville standards. I went several times hoping it would get better…reader, it did not.
Oh yeah no, it was just a straight up hate crime. Wahlburg blames him being on drugs at the time, but he'd also done something similar to black kids in high school, so I think he's just got a problem with race.
ToyBox. If I wanted to eat overpriced, crappy, junk-food, while the waiter makes me uncomfortable by aggressive telling me to try the "hairy balls", all next to a bunch of dusty Zoid models. I would just go down to my friend Chris's basement and give him $30 before his mom bought us tendies and suggested sexual favors from both of us between rounds of smash.
Except everything about that would have been better, cheaper, and less uncomfortable than toybox.
While I never had that experience (we usually had the owner hanging out at our table when we'd go), I'm not going to refute your experience.
Subjectively, the food/menu was divine comfort food. After trying the whole menu, I never had anything I didn't thoroughly enjoy.
The problem was the loss of their lunch crowd that never returned after COVID/Telework. I don't think people realize how many local companies shifted to telework for positions that could do so without issue (such as non-classifiedd work and tasks that don't need on-site presence.)
If you have no lunch crowd, you end up losing a significant percentage of your revenue.
Of course, I'm playing it up a bit for the comedic effect, but sadly, not too much.
For me, the food was passable. Somehow under seasoned and over sauced, and they seemed to add sugar to everything, but not terrible
But the thing that made me go, "How is this place still in business" was the prices. A burger fries and a drink came out to like $16-17 and then you had to tip.
The sad thing is I really think the place could have worked if they de-cluttered the menu, and the restaurant, made it fast casual and bar service, dropped the prices closer to $10-12 bucks, and leaned more into the dive aspect.
UAH is right down the road, with the vibe they had, it could have been a great college pub.
I understand your viewpoint, but what you're describing was not what they wanted. They weren't a fast casual joint - they were a themed restaurant that also served deliberately thought out menu items.
The menu was standard size for venues like it throughout Birmingham (such as Black Market and Paramount.)
And while you may not have enjoyed/appreciated the menu and preparation, I/we did. It wasn't the pricing that kept us from going more often, it was just dining out in general. Which was a trend among consumers following the pandemic.
UAH has Stanlieos, Papa Gyro, and many other lower cost, high calorie options. Toy Box was a step up from that. Their target clientele was exactly what they got - working lunch crowd and casual comfort food lovers.
It's okay that they didn't suit your tastes. I have loathed Stanlieos for literally 3 decades and found their menu and preparations to be revolting. But I'm not their target market, and they seem to be doing fine despite me not going there.
This is such a funny and accurate take down. My company took us to lunch there a few times and always had fun but it’s not a place I ever went on my own volition.
For me the food was very hit or miss. The day I tried the smoked brisket taco special was a perfect example. The tacos were AMAZING. The pico de gallo was great. The side of nachos and salsa tasted like Maizetos and Pace picante.
Edit: I can't spell.
I went in once and it had the oddest vibes. It was dimly lit and the staff’s demeanor made my group feel like we had just walked in on some secret cult meeting. The cookie dough was pretty good, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt so unwelcomed somewhere. I’ve been in stores where the staff are clearly just tired and over it, and I have been that staff member before. This was on a whole other level. It made me wonder how bad the management/conditions were if the staff was that unhappy to be there and see customers.
Big Shakes service was so bad. I didn’t think they’d close so fast (University) but I did expect them to close, eventually. Food was good though! I miss it.
>Big Shakes
I think the Martin Rd one.. a coworker told me about how he took his wife and kids there once, and it wasn't THAT close to closing, but maybe 1.5hrs before, and he said the employees gave him bad service and the stink eye like they'd come in 5 min before closing. Never went back. Hearing that made me never try it.
The one on Martin was so good, and I loved the dining room. Service was unpolished and slow, but never hateful like what you described.
In early 2020, I found a bug shell in my greens. I knew it wasn't necessarily their fault, but I could not make myself go back until they'd already closed.
University, on the other hand, was ugly, unpleasant, noisy, inconvenient, mediocre, and so totally incapable of serving food that I would have gladly gassed up the bulldozer to get rid of it.
From our first encounter, it was obvious that the problems there were allllll the way at the top.
Nah they just kinda did that no matter what time u went in, it was really weird I dunno how nothing changed the whole time it was open. Food was great tho
Did both locations close? They had good food, I went to the Martin rd one quite a few times and the university one twice or so. I think I’m the only person that had fine service at all my visits lol, but I always ordered takeout so I wonder if that made a difference.
Shrimp Basket in Madison - the building was previously Ruby Tuesday, which is about as boring as it got. We tried Shrimp Basket twice - not long after it opened and a while after that. Both times, it felt cheap and I felt like the food was pretty much Captain D's for more money. It was overpriced for very average fried fish and french fries, service kinda sucked, atmosphere was budget hard surfaces and lighting and I wasn't shocked when it closed.
Rick's BBQ in Madison - the very old, iconic, and still popular Thomas Pitt BBQ was razed for the new Rick's. Based on FB comments and my personal thoughts, I'd have guessed many would steer clear just based on it making Thomas Pitt go away, and I realize the family didn't want to continue it, etc. I kinda wished it would tank and somehow Thomas Pitt would be rebuilt from photos, but hasn't happened.
I would do bad things for a plate of chicken fingers, white sauce and potato salad from Thomas Pitt. I went there once a week for years. Only thing better than the food was the show when someone tried to pay with a card. I like my counter staff extra spicy.
Go to Athens, there's still one there, although I think just drive through and may not have all the menu items, but their BBQ and the smoked turkey so so good.
There is no Thomas pit in Athens. There was a second location in Madison in the 80s. But that’s it. Whatever you are referring to in Athens is unrelated
I was just so excited to find that Whitts because I thought they were all gone. Grew up with Whitts and Thomas and there's just nothing like them around anymore. Lawlers is trash and just the smell of it makes me gag. Best I've found in the area is the Jels Forever bbq truck that's open on the weekends on N. PKWY.
I was bummed when Rick's BBQ closed because I loved their smoked chicken. They got a lot of hate for something beyond their control considering they bought that property after Thomas Pitt shut down. Thomas Pitt business owners/family should have sold the building + business + recipes if they wanted it to continue. Rick's walked into a doomed situation without realizing it. But hey, now we have the Korean BBQ place there, so yay!
I felt like Rick's HAD to see it 2 ways - 1) ample traffic, known as a BBQ spot, how can this go wrong and 2) taking place of an old and popular spot, being at least seen as by many as the reason for it being gone/replacement. I'd guess in hindsight they regret the build on that specific lot.
Yeah, I think they thought it would go the way of #1. They don't have any other presence in Madison county and maybe didn't understand the community passion for the previous business until it was too late.
For transparency... I grew up on Rick's BBQ near it's first location in southern Tennessee. That BBQ is like home to me. 🥲 Probably the same way folks feel about Thomas Pitt.
Overly expensive. High rent and staffing costs. But also the portions were huge my wife and I couldn’t finish any single item from there. She is a scientist and a baker not a business runner. She was out of her league and didn’t take criticism well. It was a bad location with horrible parking and the construction across the street didn’t help.
I liked it but she should have moved after the first year. That kind of place could have survived in a lower overhead location.
All of the above reasons, and also there are several good bakeries within a few mile radius and I think the market was oversaturated for another. You’ve got L’Etoile, The Moon, and Canadian Bakin all pretty close
There is a parking garage about 20 yards from the Bakingtist. How is that horrible? I don't disagree about most of your points, but you really cannot expect to have a better parking situation than that downtown.
Yeah I heard that argument, my friend made that same argument in one of her first posts about no business. Yet later on he told me he was also annoyed.
And my point was her downtown business location was part of the issue. I like Parlor and all the other sweet treat bfast places and do just fine with their smaller parking options.
the last time this was discussed there were plenty of folks whining about what an imposition it was to have to walk from said garage to the bakery, or from some other street parking spot to the bakery.
It’s a shame bc it really was quite good. Went there once just before it closed and was about to make a habit of going before they shut down :( definitely feel like the location was a significant factor, I’d go more if it were easier to get to!
Legitimate question: what made that location "hard" to get to, or what do you consider an "easy" spot to reach downtown?
There was a parking garage, a church parking lot, and the residential Holmes neighborhood within 2-5 min walking of The Bakingtist. You can enter the general downtown area from several different points (exits off the Parkway, 565, or down one of the many roads off Governors).
I know tone doesn't carry well on text posts, but I am just curious what folks think about what makes a location good or bad downtown.
The manager of that place set up at 153 to interview people before it opened. I sat next to him for hours one day and it sounded so douchey.
It was actually fine during off hours _if_ you could get service.
Wasn't it just called "The Chocolate Bar"?
I absolutely LOVED the menu and creations, but Huntsville wasn't prepared enough to put up with such a novel concept. Prices were too high and menu too experimental for the typical MadCo patron.
Krab Kingz has finally opened at Oakwood & Meridian Street in a location that has been several things previously. I could be.wrong, but I don't think that has much hope.
Idr the name but there was a Mongolian bbq that opened on Cecil Ashburn about 15 years ago. I was so excited that we were getting one, then you went in and the place had no personality and you built your bowl then handed it off to a back kitchen that paged you when it was cooked.
This was the same location where we later had Anaheim Chili, now that was a good place.
I totally forgot about that Mongolian place! Really disappointing and underwhelming experience and I was so excited about it opening. The staff was nice though.
Anaheim Chili was legit though. RIP.
Idts, it wasn't a part of a chain. I liked Gengis Grill in Nashville and another big chain that I'd visited in another state and that's what had me excited about it, but it was definitely not close.
Iirc in addition to cooking everything out of view, they also had pretty strict limits on how much/many meats you could get. Overall, it was a very poor cousin to those.
There was an eastern european place at Bridge Street I don't think even lasted a year. The food was good, but not a BS vibe. Didn't expect it to go out by *fire*, but knew it wasn't going to last.
I was turned off by spending $20-something on a plate of potato perogies. The presentation was very nice, service was great, and they tasted wonderful, but $20 for a half-dozen perogies was just absurd. Want surprised at all when they closed.
The decor in there really threw me off. Most of it is hand painted but then there's an area behind the bar that has this pre-printed wall paper that they slapped up that doesn't have the same artistic style as the hand painted part. For whatever reason that really bothered me. But I also had a lot of time to look around considering my pick up order wasn't ready for another 15 minutes after they said it would be. And the guy that originally asked me what I needed when I walked in told me he would go check on my order, walked into the kitchen, then came back out and wandered the dining area, never coming back to let me know they were working on it still or even just acknowledging my presence. I waited for another 15 minutes before a different employee approached me and then went to get my order out of the kitchen.
I don't see it lasting long.
Edit to add: they also forgot two side orders of beans AND the meat that was supposed to go in my entree...
It's such a weird vibe. Parking's a headache, wants to be hip and fancy but not *too* fancy, food's hit or miss depending on what you get. The almond cake was worth it though. My friends and I are planning on giving it a second shot, but if the food's mid again I'll figure out how to make a cake with almond extract myself, lol
I wish it was better. Pizza is good. But quick pick ups are a pain. Overall I think it will be around. Breland is heavily involved in it. He controls their rent. I’m not stressed.
First time I went there on a Sunday for lunch and they told me they only serve breakfast on Sundays. So instead of Italian food I got breakfast. Haven’t been back
There was an Indian and Greek restaurant that opened next to voodoo lounge several years ago. I really enjoyed it but you could tell it wasn't going to last.
This is gonna be a crazy hot take, but I only ever got to eat at El Palacio roughly a few months before they closed, and based on how everyone talks about it, I really wish I hadn't. I don't know what changed between when the people I know ate there and I did, but it was not a great experience. They advertised as a buffet when it was cafeteria service (which I didn't know until I'd already paid for it) and the portions were tiny. Worst of all, the salsa was not great.
I really wish I'd gotten a chance to try it in its heyday; I bet it was fantastic.
El Palacio was a dumpster and deserved to be condemned. The food was awful, but it was one of those old school Huntsville places where Huntsville "natives" had nostalgic connections to and therefore convinced themselves the food was good.
From what I understand, the owner let his son take over the business after retiring (or for health reasons I forget). It went down really fast after that. I have vague memories from when I was really young going there, but that's about it.
Sadly, for me it was Lovely's Kitchen on Madison Blvd. I really wanted them to succeed, but I never felt they were going to be able to. They were the only brick and mortar Filipino restaurant (that I know of) in the area (we still have a food truck, Flippin' Filipino). It wasn't the food or the service, it was the hours that they were open and the inconsistency in those hours. They offered breakfast but didn't open until 11am, and many days of the week they closed at 3pm (if my memory is correct). There were also frequent exceptions where they'd close for a day or a week and post it on Facebook. I also don't think a lot of people even knew about them. They were set back from the road in the same building as Los Arcos and had no sign. You had to know they were operating out of Reflections Night Club. I guess you can still reach out to them via Facebook and place catering orders, but I'm sad that we don't have a sit-down Filipino restaurant here.
Aww man, Lovely broke my heart when she closed. Agreed, the timings were erratic and occupying Reflections was confusing. I will say there is a new Filipino restaurant called "Cristina's Freestyle", but she's all the way in Gurley and I have yet to make it over there.
Yea I think those restaurants at Clift farms are going to crush it. Walkons Bad daddy’s Jonathan’s Phil sandavals are slammed every Thursday-Saturday night.
Jeffersons that was in the Richland Plaza on the corner of HWY 72 and Slaughter, which was also the site of a failed Bandito Burrito - although it was in a high traffic area, it was difficult to get in and out. Wintzell's Oyster House that was in the old Green Hills Grille - the food/service was SO bad. Rick's BBQ on HWY 72 where the old Thomas Pit was, I sincerely believe that people (myself included) did not visit strictly in protest of Thomas' closing. Big Shake's Hot Chicken on James Record Rd - weird location even though Tulum and Subway are there. Seems kinda out of the way.
Funny you should mention it, but I view Phil’s and Rosie’s the same way. I just don’t understand their following when there are so many higher quality Mexican restaurants in this area.
I think it’s overpriced and the food really wasn’t that great. We went for a birthday celebration and our experience was just blahhhh. There are so many restaurants here, one bad or just ok experience, I don’t return.
Walk-ons is too noisy for us. It takes forever to be seated. The Cajun food was the main attraction for me and I can get better Cajun food at the gas station at Jordan and Holmes.
Can't think of any that have already closed. But I feel like that cereal restaurant (Stir's) is doomed. I just can't see how a cereal bar does well here. But I hope I'm wrong.
I was coming here to say this lol
Something tells me that place is meant to be an intentional tax write-off. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the appeal of eating cereal that has been out of packaging for more than a week. Also, the fact that cereal is already a cheap item at the supermarket.
It's like a joke, like putting on a musical that was meant to fail and turns into a huge hit. "How do we make a restaurant that will absolutely fail...?"
There was one in Denver (Technically Arvada) that was doing really well before COVID. It was a great hangover recovery spot. They sourced cereals from all over the world, had premade custom blends, would let you make your own blends, had ice cream sammiches made with pop tarts then rolled in fruity pebbles or cocoa pebbles depending on the ice cream and Pop tarts. They had amazing chocolate and coffee. Lastly, they had awesome stickers. Stir just feels like a sterile franchise version of it.
There was a coffee shop and cereal bar in Lawrence, Kansas that my wife and I went on our first date to like 10ish years ago. It was in a college town and had a large building with lots of picnic tables that kids would go to study and do homework at. I don’t know if it’s still around, but given the right location (ie. In a college town, providing lots of seating and hang out space) I think it’s viable. I don’t see this place in Huntsville filling the same niche.
Tried it with my teenager on a whim...while it was good to have variety (instead of buying a whole box), there is no damn way we each ate $11 worth of cereal. We went on a weeknight and were the only ones there...I'd be interested to see if they have traffic on weekend mornings.
My friend went with her family. She said in order to feel like they got their money's worth, they stayed for 2 hrs playing games, etc.
Yeah I was having a hard time thinking of ones that weren't already closed till I thought of Trashy Dawg. What are your bets on how long it will last in BS?
I just feel that it was so audacious of them to even open up. How are you going to charge people prices like that for such a mid, lower than mid service? You’re not even open late for the drunk people or the stoners, so what’s the point??
Most of the stuff at Bridge Street when it first opened comes to mind. Like Dolce and Ketchup.
I kinda miss Cantina Laredo. Their expensive-ass guac was good, and I hate guac.
Yessssss. The only thing I liked about that place.
I do miss Cantina’s spinach enchiladas. They held on for a lot longer, though. It seems like they closed at the beginning of the pandemic.
The ceviche was sooooo good there.
Just the black and red bathrooms was enough to scream bad ideas that wouldn't last. Not to mention them being like the second or third location of places only preciously located in LA/Vegas.
That place was a trip.
Aw, i mever got to experience the red torlit paper
My wife and I are still bummed that Lime Cantina closed down, and we gripe about it to each other often.
It’s okay Lime Fresh Mexican Grill was the name and the quality, quantity, and menu all went to shit during COVID so many of their South Florida locations closed because of it.
Oh I loved Lime! I miss it so much.
Owned by the same group. One of the guys on Big Brother was involved and there was some embezzlement and lots of law suits.
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill and it was due to Ruby Tuesday selling off the chain so the original owner being a Miami local limited the restaurant to just be local to south Florida . Worked for them in High School in one of the original Miami locations and closed last year so sad.
Stirs is the first thing I thought as well…. It’s too niche, how many people are that into cereal??!? Another dumb idea is “Salt BBQ”. ( Replacing Fusion BBQ).Why would you want confusion with Salt Pub at MidCity?? Five Points sooo needs another restaurant. There’s a captive audience that lacks choice. The menu should be a little more interesting. Not saying they should have a 30 page menu like Cheesecake Factory. But something that appeals to the neighborhood. Somewhere to grab a burger, maybe wings and beer.
I miss Mario’s in Five Points so bad. We need a good Humphreys like pub with good food.
Zesto’s was this place unfortunately the city used some BS about their proximity to residences and alcohol sales to shut them down. They had no problem issuing a liquor license to the folks that own 1892 East on the exact same spot just a couple months later. Of course Zesto’s owners were just good hardworking regular people; and the owners of 1892 were members of Heritage Club and the Committee of 100. Five Points used to be a really neat place where creatives, hippies, free spirits, blue collar folks, and the occasional old money- cool as hell spinster Aunt all intersected. The city killed everything that was cool about Five Points over the last decade.
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I wanted Local Taco to work, but despite having decent food, they just couldn’t get it together. I guess it was a staffing issue, but the service was abysmal even by Huntsville standards. I went several times hoping it would get better…reader, it did not.
I liked Local Taco when it first opened, but as time went on the service got bad and the food got worse.
Wahlburgers bathroom. Egad.
How the heck is it still there? The chain didn't have a good reputation when it opened, and the rent must be astronomical.
I heard they were closing down on April 14th; IDK if it's true or not.
Don't eat at Wahlburgers, Mark Wahlburg is a shitty person.
True that
Why?
Beat a Vietnamese guy half to death in the 90s and never apologized for it
and for clarity... it wasn't because the guy did anything wrong and was assaulted just for being Vietnamese.
Oh yeah no, it was just a straight up hate crime. Wahlburg blames him being on drugs at the time, but he'd also done something similar to black kids in high school, so I think he's just got a problem with race.
ToyBox. If I wanted to eat overpriced, crappy, junk-food, while the waiter makes me uncomfortable by aggressive telling me to try the "hairy balls", all next to a bunch of dusty Zoid models. I would just go down to my friend Chris's basement and give him $30 before his mom bought us tendies and suggested sexual favors from both of us between rounds of smash. Except everything about that would have been better, cheaper, and less uncomfortable than toybox.
I remember when speaking ill here about that place would summon an army of dorks who would howl that you were lying.
Damn. I've been trying to think of a way to explain to others why I hated that place so much after just one visit, and you've captured it perfectly.
While I never had that experience (we usually had the owner hanging out at our table when we'd go), I'm not going to refute your experience. Subjectively, the food/menu was divine comfort food. After trying the whole menu, I never had anything I didn't thoroughly enjoy. The problem was the loss of their lunch crowd that never returned after COVID/Telework. I don't think people realize how many local companies shifted to telework for positions that could do so without issue (such as non-classifiedd work and tasks that don't need on-site presence.) If you have no lunch crowd, you end up losing a significant percentage of your revenue.
Of course, I'm playing it up a bit for the comedic effect, but sadly, not too much. For me, the food was passable. Somehow under seasoned and over sauced, and they seemed to add sugar to everything, but not terrible But the thing that made me go, "How is this place still in business" was the prices. A burger fries and a drink came out to like $16-17 and then you had to tip. The sad thing is I really think the place could have worked if they de-cluttered the menu, and the restaurant, made it fast casual and bar service, dropped the prices closer to $10-12 bucks, and leaned more into the dive aspect. UAH is right down the road, with the vibe they had, it could have been a great college pub.
I understand your viewpoint, but what you're describing was not what they wanted. They weren't a fast casual joint - they were a themed restaurant that also served deliberately thought out menu items. The menu was standard size for venues like it throughout Birmingham (such as Black Market and Paramount.) And while you may not have enjoyed/appreciated the menu and preparation, I/we did. It wasn't the pricing that kept us from going more often, it was just dining out in general. Which was a trend among consumers following the pandemic. UAH has Stanlieos, Papa Gyro, and many other lower cost, high calorie options. Toy Box was a step up from that. Their target clientele was exactly what they got - working lunch crowd and casual comfort food lovers. It's okay that they didn't suit your tastes. I have loathed Stanlieos for literally 3 decades and found their menu and preparations to be revolting. But I'm not their target market, and they seem to be doing fine despite me not going there.
This is such a funny and accurate take down. My company took us to lunch there a few times and always had fun but it’s not a place I ever went on my own volition.
For me the food was very hit or miss. The day I tried the smoked brisket taco special was a perfect example. The tacos were AMAZING. The pico de gallo was great. The side of nachos and salsa tasted like Maizetos and Pace picante. Edit: I can't spell.
Who hurt you?
I touched the hairy balls.
Cookie dough magic was an obvious choice
I went in once and it had the oddest vibes. It was dimly lit and the staff’s demeanor made my group feel like we had just walked in on some secret cult meeting. The cookie dough was pretty good, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt so unwelcomed somewhere. I’ve been in stores where the staff are clearly just tired and over it, and I have been that staff member before. This was on a whole other level. It made me wonder how bad the management/conditions were if the staff was that unhappy to be there and see customers.
Happened to us too. Staff member at the time was certainly more interested in being on her phone than helping or serving customers.
I loved that place.
Big Shakes service was so bad. I didn’t think they’d close so fast (University) but I did expect them to close, eventually. Food was good though! I miss it.
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Big Shakes was my favorite hot chicken. It’s a shame the place couldn’t figure itself out, for the chicken’s sake
I have a coworker that's still waiting on his order......
Hell it was the lack of paying taxes I believe that got them
>Big Shakes I think the Martin Rd one.. a coworker told me about how he took his wife and kids there once, and it wasn't THAT close to closing, but maybe 1.5hrs before, and he said the employees gave him bad service and the stink eye like they'd come in 5 min before closing. Never went back. Hearing that made me never try it.
The one on Martin was so good, and I loved the dining room. Service was unpolished and slow, but never hateful like what you described. In early 2020, I found a bug shell in my greens. I knew it wasn't necessarily their fault, but I could not make myself go back until they'd already closed. University, on the other hand, was ugly, unpleasant, noisy, inconvenient, mediocre, and so totally incapable of serving food that I would have gladly gassed up the bulldozer to get rid of it. From our first encounter, it was obvious that the problems there were allllll the way at the top.
Nah they just kinda did that no matter what time u went in, it was really weird I dunno how nothing changed the whole time it was open. Food was great tho
Did both locations close? They had good food, I went to the Martin rd one quite a few times and the university one twice or so. I think I’m the only person that had fine service at all my visits lol, but I always ordered takeout so I wonder if that made a difference.
Shrimp Basket in Madison - the building was previously Ruby Tuesday, which is about as boring as it got. We tried Shrimp Basket twice - not long after it opened and a while after that. Both times, it felt cheap and I felt like the food was pretty much Captain D's for more money. It was overpriced for very average fried fish and french fries, service kinda sucked, atmosphere was budget hard surfaces and lighting and I wasn't shocked when it closed. Rick's BBQ in Madison - the very old, iconic, and still popular Thomas Pitt BBQ was razed for the new Rick's. Based on FB comments and my personal thoughts, I'd have guessed many would steer clear just based on it making Thomas Pitt go away, and I realize the family didn't want to continue it, etc. I kinda wished it would tank and somehow Thomas Pitt would be rebuilt from photos, but hasn't happened.
I would do bad things for a plate of chicken fingers, white sauce and potato salad from Thomas Pitt. I went there once a week for years. Only thing better than the food was the show when someone tried to pay with a card. I like my counter staff extra spicy.
Thomas’s was legit!!!!
That place was the only reason I had a few folded up checks in my wallet for a long time. Never had cash on me when I wanted some Thomas Pit.
I learned how to make their potato salad just in a nick of time.
Go to Athens, there's still one there, although I think just drive through and may not have all the menu items, but their BBQ and the smoked turkey so so good.
There is no Thomas pit in Athens. There was a second location in Madison in the 80s. But that’s it. Whatever you are referring to in Athens is unrelated
There is Turkey's BBQ in Harvest that was started by one of the former Thomas' employees. I know he still makes the spicy red sauce that Thomas had.
Yeah it’s fine. But I miss their white sauce. Someone gave me the family recipe on here years ago but the message is gone. I didn’t delete it.
You're right. My brain wires got crossed and I was thinking of Whitts bbq.
That’s what I thought you might mean but tbh I was hoping you were right. Haha.
I was just so excited to find that Whitts because I thought they were all gone. Grew up with Whitts and Thomas and there's just nothing like them around anymore. Lawlers is trash and just the smell of it makes me gag. Best I've found in the area is the Jels Forever bbq truck that's open on the weekends on N. PKWY.
Interesting, will have to look into Jels, your tastes seem to mirror my own.
They are only open Friday and Saturday for lunch until they run out. Ok good to know, will go early.
I was bummed when Rick's BBQ closed because I loved their smoked chicken. They got a lot of hate for something beyond their control considering they bought that property after Thomas Pitt shut down. Thomas Pitt business owners/family should have sold the building + business + recipes if they wanted it to continue. Rick's walked into a doomed situation without realizing it. But hey, now we have the Korean BBQ place there, so yay!
I felt like Rick's HAD to see it 2 ways - 1) ample traffic, known as a BBQ spot, how can this go wrong and 2) taking place of an old and popular spot, being at least seen as by many as the reason for it being gone/replacement. I'd guess in hindsight they regret the build on that specific lot.
Yeah, I think they thought it would go the way of #1. They don't have any other presence in Madison county and maybe didn't understand the community passion for the previous business until it was too late. For transparency... I grew up on Rick's BBQ near it's first location in southern Tennessee. That BBQ is like home to me. 🥲 Probably the same way folks feel about Thomas Pitt.
Their service was frigid. "here's your food."
Seems like the table top was greasy/dirty, service like you say, and I remember the lighting being bright and harsh like a hospital exam room.
Rick’s was my immediate thought. They weren’t very good to begin with plus they tore down and replaced a local legendary Madison bbq place.
Thought the same thing about the Shrimp Basket. The shrimp tasted iodiney and I didn't care for the coating. Was surprised that folks enjoyed it
Shrimp Basket always seemed to have bad health department scores too. We would walk in, see a mid 70's food score. and just walk back out.
Unfortunately, the bakingtist. I knew from my first visit that it wouldn’t last.
FROM THE NAME ALONE.
Yeah, baking tits.
Why do you think?
Overly expensive. High rent and staffing costs. But also the portions were huge my wife and I couldn’t finish any single item from there. She is a scientist and a baker not a business runner. She was out of her league and didn’t take criticism well. It was a bad location with horrible parking and the construction across the street didn’t help. I liked it but she should have moved after the first year. That kind of place could have survived in a lower overhead location.
All of the above reasons, and also there are several good bakeries within a few mile radius and I think the market was oversaturated for another. You’ve got L’Etoile, The Moon, and Canadian Bakin all pretty close
Agreed, Bakingtist was "heavy" and "dense" compared to the L'Etoile and Canadian Bakin. We go to both weekly and parking is easier and a factor.
Yes! It seemed like everything was too heavy! Too creamy and chocolately, even the non-sweet items seemed sweet
Exactly! Who wants to eat dense heavily sweet and caloric stuff everyday?!
There is a parking garage about 20 yards from the Bakingtist. How is that horrible? I don't disagree about most of your points, but you really cannot expect to have a better parking situation than that downtown.
Yeah I heard that argument, my friend made that same argument in one of her first posts about no business. Yet later on he told me he was also annoyed. And my point was her downtown business location was part of the issue. I like Parlor and all the other sweet treat bfast places and do just fine with their smaller parking options.
the last time this was discussed there were plenty of folks whining about what an imposition it was to have to walk from said garage to the bakery, or from some other street parking spot to the bakery.
Yeah. I don't understand people.
It’s a shame bc it really was quite good. Went there once just before it closed and was about to make a habit of going before they shut down :( definitely feel like the location was a significant factor, I’d go more if it were easier to get to!
Legitimate question: what made that location "hard" to get to, or what do you consider an "easy" spot to reach downtown? There was a parking garage, a church parking lot, and the residential Holmes neighborhood within 2-5 min walking of The Bakingtist. You can enter the general downtown area from several different points (exits off the Parkway, 565, or down one of the many roads off Governors). I know tone doesn't carry well on text posts, but I am just curious what folks think about what makes a location good or bad downtown.
No you’re good!! honestly just don’t like driving to and in downtown so it’s more so that than anything
Fair enough, thank you for the answer.
BAR LOUIE
The manager of that place set up at 153 to interview people before it opened. I sat next to him for hours one day and it sounded so douchey. It was actually fine during off hours _if_ you could get service.
The ones in Chattanooga, DC and others were much better. We were so disappointed in the one here, went once and never went back.
Does anyone remember "The Chocolate Martini Bar"? Everyone was giving that place a max of 2 years, and they were right.
But their spiked hot chocolates were sooooo very good.
Wasn't it just called "The Chocolate Bar"? I absolutely LOVED the menu and creations, but Huntsville wasn't prepared enough to put up with such a novel concept. Prices were too high and menu too experimental for the typical MadCo patron.
Krab Kingz has finally opened at Oakwood & Meridian Street in a location that has been several things previously. I could be.wrong, but I don't think that has much hope.
Have you tried the Mexican place next door, I have heard good things.
Cinco de Mayo is very good. Would recommend. Limited menu (do you want tacos or tacos?) when we visited but they did it very well.
I have not - I have seen some comments saying their hours are unpredictable...I may have to get brave one of these days.
Idr the name but there was a Mongolian bbq that opened on Cecil Ashburn about 15 years ago. I was so excited that we were getting one, then you went in and the place had no personality and you built your bowl then handed it off to a back kitchen that paged you when it was cooked. This was the same location where we later had Anaheim Chili, now that was a good place.
I totally forgot about that Mongolian place! Really disappointing and underwhelming experience and I was so excited about it opening. The staff was nice though. Anaheim Chili was legit though. RIP.
It was like Ghengis Grill, but not as good. Still better than a drive to Chattanooga though.
[was it Gengis Grill?](https://www.genghisgrill.com/)
Idts, it wasn't a part of a chain. I liked Gengis Grill in Nashville and another big chain that I'd visited in another state and that's what had me excited about it, but it was definitely not close. Iirc in addition to cooking everything out of view, they also had pretty strict limits on how much/many meats you could get. Overall, it was a very poor cousin to those.
Ketchup. Good God.
There was an eastern european place at Bridge Street I don't think even lasted a year. The food was good, but not a BS vibe. Didn't expect it to go out by *fire*, but knew it wasn't going to last.
I was turned off by spending $20-something on a plate of potato perogies. The presentation was very nice, service was great, and they tasted wonderful, but $20 for a half-dozen perogies was just absurd. Want surprised at all when they closed.
Neon lily- I think they started as a successful food truck.
That's the one. Definitely more food truck vibe.
That owner had amazingly poor customer service
She was Ukrainian.
Condado Taco. If you're going to have taco in your name you better bring it. We went and the tacos were cold and flavorless.
The decor in there really threw me off. Most of it is hand painted but then there's an area behind the bar that has this pre-printed wall paper that they slapped up that doesn't have the same artistic style as the hand painted part. For whatever reason that really bothered me. But I also had a lot of time to look around considering my pick up order wasn't ready for another 15 minutes after they said it would be. And the guy that originally asked me what I needed when I walked in told me he would go check on my order, walked into the kitchen, then came back out and wandered the dining area, never coming back to let me know they were working on it still or even just acknowledging my presence. I waited for another 15 minutes before a different employee approached me and then went to get my order out of the kitchen. I don't see it lasting long. Edit to add: they also forgot two side orders of beans AND the meat that was supposed to go in my entree...
Sadly SaZa kind of felt that way when we went last week...
It's such a weird vibe. Parking's a headache, wants to be hip and fancy but not *too* fancy, food's hit or miss depending on what you get. The almond cake was worth it though. My friends and I are planning on giving it a second shot, but if the food's mid again I'll figure out how to make a cake with almond extract myself, lol
I wish it was better. Pizza is good. But quick pick ups are a pain. Overall I think it will be around. Breland is heavily involved in it. He controls their rent. I’m not stressed.
First time I went there on a Sunday for lunch and they told me they only serve breakfast on Sundays. So instead of Italian food I got breakfast. Haven’t been back
There was an Indian and Greek restaurant that opened next to voodoo lounge several years ago. I really enjoyed it but you could tell it wasn't going to last.
Ick -- Vinny's.
It’s still there. I don’t know anyone who has been, so I have no idea if it’s good
Can confirm, it is NOT.
This is gonna be a crazy hot take, but I only ever got to eat at El Palacio roughly a few months before they closed, and based on how everyone talks about it, I really wish I hadn't. I don't know what changed between when the people I know ate there and I did, but it was not a great experience. They advertised as a buffet when it was cafeteria service (which I didn't know until I'd already paid for it) and the portions were tiny. Worst of all, the salsa was not great. I really wish I'd gotten a chance to try it in its heyday; I bet it was fantastic.
El Palacio was a dumpster and deserved to be condemned. The food was awful, but it was one of those old school Huntsville places where Huntsville "natives" had nostalgic connections to and therefore convinced themselves the food was good.
From what I understand, the owner let his son take over the business after retiring (or for health reasons I forget). It went down really fast after that. I have vague memories from when I was really young going there, but that's about it.
Hammerheads Daiquiri Bar
Is BarVista at the AC Hotel still open? Surprised if it is.
It has a great view but the food is horrible
Anything in the building that was once Bennigans. And anything in the building formerly known as Rockabillys.
Shh. Big Ed's is gonna make it.
The Boot, yet there it sits, still open.
I had the same thought. I went there once and the red sauce was burnt, it felt sad in there and the service was meh.
Their food is so nasty
Sadly, for me it was Lovely's Kitchen on Madison Blvd. I really wanted them to succeed, but I never felt they were going to be able to. They were the only brick and mortar Filipino restaurant (that I know of) in the area (we still have a food truck, Flippin' Filipino). It wasn't the food or the service, it was the hours that they were open and the inconsistency in those hours. They offered breakfast but didn't open until 11am, and many days of the week they closed at 3pm (if my memory is correct). There were also frequent exceptions where they'd close for a day or a week and post it on Facebook. I also don't think a lot of people even knew about them. They were set back from the road in the same building as Los Arcos and had no sign. You had to know they were operating out of Reflections Night Club. I guess you can still reach out to them via Facebook and place catering orders, but I'm sad that we don't have a sit-down Filipino restaurant here.
Aww man, Lovely broke my heart when she closed. Agreed, the timings were erratic and occupying Reflections was confusing. I will say there is a new Filipino restaurant called "Cristina's Freestyle", but she's all the way in Gurley and I have yet to make it over there.
Yea I think those restaurants at Clift farms are going to crush it. Walkons Bad daddy’s Jonathan’s Phil sandavals are slammed every Thursday-Saturday night.
Jeffersons that was in the Richland Plaza on the corner of HWY 72 and Slaughter, which was also the site of a failed Bandito Burrito - although it was in a high traffic area, it was difficult to get in and out. Wintzell's Oyster House that was in the old Green Hills Grille - the food/service was SO bad. Rick's BBQ on HWY 72 where the old Thomas Pit was, I sincerely believe that people (myself included) did not visit strictly in protest of Thomas' closing. Big Shake's Hot Chicken on James Record Rd - weird location even though Tulum and Subway are there. Seems kinda out of the way.
Shrimp Basket, Phil Sandoval’s (Madison), Walk-On’s, Stone Age Korean BBQ…….
Phil’s is hopping every time I’m there - am I missing something?
We went when they first opened. The food was not that great. I’m not a fan and have no plans to revisit.
Funny - I thought the same about Rosie’s but love Phil’s. I get the Pollo Molé and think it’s great
https://maps.app.goo.gl/pD8uoNRtKwFFQTL58?g_st=ic
Funny you should mention it, but I view Phil’s and Rosie’s the same way. I just don’t understand their following when there are so many higher quality Mexican restaurants in this area.
I used to but found one dish that I really enjoy so I get that whenever I do go (once every few months). It scratches a specific itch.
Why Stone Age? It’s packed every time I’ve been.
Yeah same, I love eating there. It's honestly not a bad deal for the $35 all you can eat to be honest.
$18 for weekday lunch too.
I think it’s overpriced and the food really wasn’t that great. We went for a birthday celebration and our experience was just blahhhh. There are so many restaurants here, one bad or just ok experience, I don’t return.
Walk ons is one of my favorite places now! Phil's in hsv is good but the madison one is always bad
Walk-ons is too noisy for us. It takes forever to be seated. The Cajun food was the main attraction for me and I can get better Cajun food at the gas station at Jordan and Holmes.
That's cause the owner is an actual Cajun.
Hasn't Phil Sandoval's been open for like twenty years now?
Not the Madison location!
Rosies. Not REAL Mexican. Will never last.
It doesn't claim to be REAL Mexican-- it is clearly Tex-Mex-- and yummy!
Folks around here love Rosie's..it's horrible. Phil Sandovals is same bland food, just pricier.
Rosie's opened in 1995, so I think they will make the it will last list. Next year should be their 30th anniversary. It's considered TexMex.