Baile corcaigh closing today

[pffft]

Anyone who went to the pub got the point...they were trying to do high end...but for that neighborhood, high end just wasn't realistic. Do that in Birmingham and you're on to something.

[BVos]

They might have been able to pull it off in SW Detroit if it had been in a location that more people are familiar with and is easier to get to off the highway. That location would only draw neighborhood folks and those who seek it out. That's not enough people to support a restaurant like that.

[Det_ard]

Anyone who went to the pub got the point...they were trying to do high end...but for that neighborhood, high end just wasn't realistic. Do that in Birmingham and you're on to something.

Exactly, transport that restaurant to RO/Bham/Northville/A^2 and it makes a lot more sense.

The only Corktown location that might have made it work would have been right by Slows. More visibility and lots more casual drop-in traffic from the Slows overflow and folks waiting for their table.

[reddog289]

Not to threadjack But I miss the Innisfree Pub in Garden City, First place I met real Irish folks in an Irish Pub. An Irish resturant in Corktown does make alot of sense, Yet the place had a run longer than the Mercury Coffee Bar. Which seemed as though it was in progress when Baile Corcaigh started up.

[downtownguy]

Anyone who went to the pub got the point...they were trying to do high end...but for that neighborhood, high end just wasn't realistic. Do that in Birmingham and you're on to something.

So, high end means dinners of $15-$20 or so? What they did was create a restaurant with class. And options. The Fish & Chips and Shepherd's Pie were very reasonably priced. Besides many other factors, what hurts these places is the attitude that in order for it to be good, it must be located in RO/Bham/Northville/A^2.

Exactly, transport that restaurant to RO/Bham/Northville/A^2 and it makes a lot more sense.

The only Corktown location that might have made it work would have been right by Slows. More visibility and lots more casual drop-in traffic from the Slows overflow and folks waiting for their table.

Slows, which opened after Baile Corcaigh, by the way, has done a great job building their business and took a gutsy move to locate where they are. But, the crowd that goes there is more city savvy and isn't scared away.

On the other hand, Baile Corcaigh was catering to a somewhat older crowd. Yes, I'm sure the owners are kicking themselves for not having the foresight to locate across from an abandoned train station and instead choosing such a hard to find spot 2 blocks from Tiger Stadium in one of Detroit's nicest neighborhoods.

[Det_ard]

Slows ought to be a case study for an entrepreneurial course at business school. They created and sustained a huge buzz. Not so for BC.

BC's location was a minus. Being in an off-the-beaten-path location in a neighborhood that isn't a destination for most people hurt them. Corktown is a great residential neighborhood but who says "Let's go to Corktown for dinner"? In RO or Ferndale there'd be no Irish tie-in like in Corktown and the rent would be multiples higher but so would the visibility and the foot traffic. How many potential customers do you think walked by their restaurant every day? 25? In one of the other locations I mentioned, probably 1500.

I hope they take their concept to a better location and hit a home run.

[bailey]

But, the crowd that goes there is more city savvy and isn't scared away.

I'd probably say it was the opposite actually. Slows, regardless of it's proximity to blight is easy to find and on a main road. BC, you had to go find. and you had to know that Corktown is there.