Caucus Club Closing After 60 Years

**stinkytofu** · October-04-12, 02:23 PM

Many saw this coming for years, but still disappointing.

http://www.freep.com/article/20121004/ENT08/121004053/Caucus-Club-Detroit-closing-Penobscot-Building?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

**DetroitPlanner** · October-04-12, 02:40 PM

Unfortunately the days for this type of establishment have been long gone. If they were willing to change with the times they may have been able to make a go of it. When you have tuxedo-ed waiters during lunch, high prices, and reliance on the smokey bar atmosphere it does not go well when today's office worker does not have smokes, drinks, and is paid comparatively less than what they used to be paid.

**Detroitnerd** · October-04-12, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Unfortunately the days for this type of establishment have been long gone. If they were willing to change with the times they may have been able to make a go of it. When you have tuxedo-ed waiters during lunch, high prices, and reliance on the smokey bar atmosphere it does not go well when today's office worker does not have smokes, drinks, and is paid comparatively less than what they used to be paid.

Give it a few years. It's a great brand, and I'll bet it's revived as something like "Joe Muer's Detroit Caucus Club!"

**bailey** · October-04-12, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Unfortunately the days for this type of establishment have been long gone. If they were willing to change with the times they may have been able to make a go of it. When you have tuxedo-ed waiters during lunch, high prices, and reliance on the smokey bar atmosphere it does not go well when today's office worker does not have smokes, drinks, and is paid comparatively less than what they used to be paid.

exactly. It was not this:

Owner Mary Belloni, who bought the restaurant out of bankruptcy in 1993 after working there as a waitress, told the Free Press today that rising costs imposed by the new owner of the Penobscot Building, Toronto-based Triple Properties, have made it impossible for her to continue.

I kinda find it hard to believe that a landlord would rather run a 60 year old, landmark business out of business and be stuck with a really hard to fill vacancy, instead of working with them on the rent. I'm thinking they did...and have for many years and this place just couldn't hold it together for all the reasons mentioned by DP.

**Honky Tonk** · October-04-12, 02:46 PM

Maybe they'll park a food truck in front of it?

**legalbeagle922** · October-04-12, 03:35 PM

Sad News - Just saw this story in the Freep.

The Caucus Club, one of downtown’s oldest and most venerable restaurants, is closing its doors after 60 years.
Owner Mary Belloni, who bought the restaurant out of bankruptcy in 1993 after working there as a waitress, told the Free Press today that rising costs imposed by the new owner of the Penobscot Building, Toronto-based Triple Properties, have made it impossible for her to continue.

She’ll close sometime this month and may hold an auction to sell memorabilia from the restaurant.

Opened in 1952 as a spinoff of the famed London Chop House, the Caucus Club was best known as a dark, clubby eatery where lawyers, developers, stockbrokers, advertising executives and bankers met to discuss business. Famed singer Barbra Streisand got a start as a lounge singer there in 1961; television chef Bobby Flay once did a segment from the restaurant, which was noted for its many perch, whitefish and other fish dishes.

The Caucus Club was also known for two specialty drinks. The Bullshot, a mixture of beef broth, vodka and spice, has been served there since 1952. The Tom and Jerry, served during the holidays, is a mixture of brandy and rums topped with meringue.

“We’ve been here for 60 years,” Belloni said today. “We provide a service, maybe not for every single person in Detroit, but certainly for anyone who’s conducting business. It’s going to be a loss.”

The closing of a famous restaurant is hardly unknown in any big city. New York City’s Tavern on the Green closed in 2009; in Detroit, the London Chop House closed years ago, although a new restaurant by that name recently reopened.
But if not unknown, the closing of the Caucus Club does create a speed bump on the road to an improved downtown Detroit.
“The economy hasn’t been great,” Belloni said. “There’s things happening downtown, but the whole big boom is still a ways away. Maybe in two years, it’ll really be great down here, but it’s still not as great a condition as it could be.”
Although her future plans remain uncertain, Belloni, 51, said she’s been talking to other downtown sites about creating a new dining entity elsewhere. She said she believes there is still a market for an upscale business restaurant downtown.
“It’s been a good ride,” Belloni said. “I’ve made a lot of friends. I know a lot of people. It’s going to be really sad.”

**poobert** · October-04-12, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by stinkytofu

Many saw this coming for years, but still disappointing.

http://www.freep.com/article/20121004/ENT08/121004053/Caucus-Club-Detroit-closing-Penobscot-Building?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Sad news. However I think failure to adapt almost certainly played a part here.

A few months ago me and some office mates caught happy hour at the Buhl Bar, which was packed - no seats available. It got really happy and we decided to bar hop to the Caucus Club. I'd never been there. It was completely empty. The servers were extremely nice and friendly, but it had kind of a forlorn feeling to it.

It would certainly have needed quite a makeover and make the food more innovative and less expensive. Business isn't really done over booze anymore, aside from maybe some wine during some elbow-rubbing, and certainly not over boozey lunches.

**Scottathew** · October-04-12, 06:11 PM

This is a duplicate posting. Join the conversation over here:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...s-Club-Closing

**scottn55** · October-04-12, 06:42 PM

The demise of places such as this is, to me, further evidence of the not so gradual pussification of America...

**Melocoton** · October-04-12, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

I kinda find it hard to believe that a landlord would rather run a 60 year old, landmark business out of business and be stuck with a really hard to fill vacancy, instead of working with them on the rent. I'm thinking they did...and have for many years and this place just couldn't hold it together for all the reasons mentioned by DP.

Why do you find it hard to believe? One hears these stories all the time in Detroit, about landlords, especially absentee ones, uninterested or unmotivated in filling their spaces.

**Detroitej72** · October-05-12, 12:19 AM

This place is straight out of Mad Men, and I love it!!!

Ti's a sad day in town when, yet another Detroit Institution is closing their doors...

**detroitbob** · October-05-12, 03:37 AM

agreed...last lunch several months ago was, quite frankly, mediocre at best. The room is tired. Service was fine. Mixed emotions.

**the rock** · October-05-12, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitej72

This place is straight out of Mad Men, and I love it!!!

Ti's a sad day in town when, yet another Detroit Institution is closing their doors...

Somewhere i still have my old combination London Chop House/Caucus Club credit card. I have many pleasant memories of this restaurant, and remember when Mary bought it. Back then, she used to greet you as you came in through the back entrance rather than the main entrance off Congress. My favorite waiter of all time was Charlie who passed away several years ago. He never asked me what I wanted for lunch. He just brought me a Penobscot Salad and a glass of Schloss Vollrads. Their Dover Sole was out of this world.

**Goose** · October-05-12, 08:11 AM

lack of Red Wing games was probably one of the final nails in the coffin, if she was on the fence about closing, the NHL lockout probably sealed the deal....

there are probably a few downtown venues that are going to be hurting with no Red Wings, fortunatly there is a bit of help with Tiger playoff run.......

**leapfrog** · October-05-12, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by scottn55

The demise of places such as this is, to me, further evidence of the not so gradual pussification of America...

Stay classy!

**pkbroch** · October-05-12, 09:23 AM

Back in 62-63 meeting with my boss and customers from J. Walter Thompson after work, having a great hamburger.

Going for dinner on a date, my favorite was their London Broil with Bordlaise Sauce. The Dover Sole was good, but I liked the Kingsley Inn's better.

The real death blow to these restaurants and those in the New Center was when the Federal Government went after the deduction for the so called " Three martini lunch. Federal tax deductions for luxury cars, boats and heavy entertainment expenses went away and so the fine dining in both areas went slowly down. The Caucus Club was one of the last standing.

Another interesting about the Caucus Club was that a part of the place at lunch was men only, I don't remember the details and I could be wrong. Someone on here must know, maybe the Rock.

**bailey** · October-05-12, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Melocoton

Why do you find it hard to believe? One hears these stories all the time in Detroit, about landlords, especially absentee ones, uninterested or unmotivated in filling their spaces.

I find it hard to believe because it seems to be the excuse every. damn. time. a place closes or can't get off the ground. It's never about the product, or about the change in consumer tastes, or location itself, it's always the evil landlord.

**Hermod** · October-05-12, 10:07 AM

It wasn't just the tax deduction going away. There was also a big corporate push to take strong drink out of the workplace culture. DUI used to be winked at. Now it is a firing offense in many companies.

**Bham1982** · October-05-12, 10:27 AM

I am generally far more negative than most posters re. downtown's prospects, but this closing really has nothing to do with downtown or Detroit.

Caucus Club was favored by men of a certain age and men of a certain type, and there aren't too many of those men nowadays [[and fewer by the day). This was old school dining and drinking, and it's amazing it lasted this long.

**Goose** · October-05-12, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Caucus Club was favored by men of a certain age and men of a certain type, and there aren't too many of those men nowadays [[and fewer by the day).

Out of curiosity, what type of men were these and how have men of today changed, what do they now favor?

**Bham1982** · October-05-12, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by Goose

Out of curiosity, what type of men were these and how have men of today changed, what do they now favor?

I think "men of today" if I may stereotype, aren't as much into the beefsteak & hard liquor, and eat/drink with different ideas in mind.

The concepts of sustainable and locavore dining, the antipathy towards drunken driving, the preference for casual, market-driven restaurants have all contributed to the closing of old school restaurants like Caucus Club, Carl's Chophouse, the original London Chophouse, and original Joe Muer.

I haven't been to the old or new incarnations of either of the last two restaurants, but I hear from my Dad and others that London and Joe Muer were dinosaurs and not very good in their waning years. They weren't in touch with newer dining trends.

**scottn55** · October-05-12, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by leapfrog

Stay classy!

It was meant to be tongue in cheek... Terribly sorry if you were offended bub.

**EastsideAl** · October-05-12, 11:23 AM

Well, I just made a longish post here right at the point when the thread was renamed and moved, so I guess it went off into the ether.

I don't have time to post it all again, but just to say that my Dad, who was a semi-regular at the Caucus Club during his working years, is very sad to hear of its closing. But then he's 87 years old, which is one of the reasons these places are almost all gone.

However, the "steak and scotch" type of dining that was once a regular staple for white-collar men isn't necessarily dead too. It has changed though, becoming much more a 'special occasion' type of dining, which has necessarily been made more attractive to women [[a much much larger portion of the customer base now) than the old-style 'men's club' type restaurants like CC. Witness the big success of a place like Roast, even as just a few blocks away the Caucus Club was fading into extinction.

**iheartthed** · October-05-12, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by bailey

I find it hard to believe because it seems to be the excuse every. damn. time. a place closes or can't get off the ground. It's never about the product, or about the change in consumer tastes, or location itself, it's always the evil landlord.

Aren't we talking about the same landlord who wanted to raze a historic building for a parking structure two weeks ago? Why is it hard to believe that he doesn't give a fuck about a historic restaurant closing?

**bailey** · October-05-12, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Aren't we talking about the same landlord who wanted to raze a historic building for a parking structure two weeks ago? Why is it hard to believe that he doesn't give a fuck about a historic restaurant closing?

I don't know, kinda apples and oranges isn't it? Illitch ripped down the Madison for a parking lot, but you don't see him running Da Eduardos out of the Fox over astronomical rent.

What I'm saying I doubt the rent was THE singular factor that killed a 60 year "institution".

Perhaps the "increase" by the landlord was simply a decision to to stop subsidizing the place with below market rent? After all, it was a Detroit "institution" it should be able to pay full freight right?