468482 Tue Dec 11 11:08:46 -0800 2007 5 8 Midwest 0 3198682 Does anyone know why they closed down ? their food was so amazing Tue Dec 11 11:08:46 -0800 2007 135947 gypsyvice 1 3198716 http://www.kansascity.com/199/story/358090.html I never went to the KC location, but I visited the Las Vegas store. I thought that the food was ok, but the portions were so big, easily big enough for three with leftovers. I couldn't get my husband to split french toast and I certainly didn't need that much. Maybe that is why we never went. Tue Dec 11 11:19:57 -0800 2007 3198682 75006 amy_rc 2 3200148 I hate when I'm on vacation and I cannot eat my leftovers because our room has no fridge! I heard the Hash House concept wasn't "right" for KC. But, who knows. Tue Dec 11 18:45:14 -0800 2007 3198716 88683 stellamystar 2 3200570 I definitely couldn't find anything on it. I mean that was kind of the point of the place... Everything I had there was incredibly delicious and it really is too bad they couldn't make it. Tue Dec 11 23:05:20 -0800 2007 3198716 135947 gypsyvice 3 3200857 I think to make it in The Legends, you need to be more than just a food place. Since the only thing they had to offer was really big portions (no matter how good) they just weren't a good fit. Also, I think they must have been way underfunded to go out that soon. Wed Dec 12 06:17:56 -0800 2007 3200570 53854 WyCo 1 3245315 So, from what I read in the newspapers about the closing of Hash House a Go Go, they blamed it all on weak weekday traffic . . .hopping on the weekends, dead on the weekdays. I can tell you that it must have been a bone-crushing loss they were taking during the week to open and close a restaurant of that size, cost and scale all in one year. It is almost never done in professional chain restaurant concepts, unless the results have been so bad that there is no way to fix it, or if the profit is no where in the ballpark based on their projections. It happens, but very, very rarely. Look at all of the money they lost with this experiment . . .someone got fired over this I suspect. So, I was asked earlier in the year, by someone who was working with the folks at Hash House a Go Go, what my professional thoughts were about the restaurant and my experiences there. Here's what I typed up and sent him, I thought perhaps you might also think this was interesting in light of their sudden closure. I ate there twice, of my own free will, not at the request of anyone, and I really enjoyed the food. I am sad they left before I had a chance to take all of my family there for brunch. They are from Oklahoma. They would have been at ONE with the Paul Bunyan portions and reasonable prices. Enjoy! "I've managed to stop at the Legends twice now to eat at Hash House a Go Go, once for dinner and once for brunch. The week they opened for business I had gone twice (before my travels began) and tried to get there for a late dinner . . . in fairness to them I was arriving at their door about 15 minutes before closing time during a weeknight, and both times I was met with a sever locking me out of the front doors. The second time it happened I had asked him for at least a menu so I could check the place out and he shrugged his shoulders and walked away like he had not heard me. Clearly, he had. NICE! Here are my unsolicited thoughts in a nutshell, I am assuming you want them or you would not have asked me. ;-) . . .FYI, my professional background is in retail and restaurant marketing, so I know a bit about what I speak. 1) LOCATION: Did it move from it's original location? I was surprised the location had changed from where I thought they were going to open at the Legends. I thought they were supposed to be in front of the mall across from Chop Stix where their sign had been hanging. Very hard to find them on the dark side of the moon with no real restaurant parking very close with all of the construction. If I park in the parking garage, I walk under the walkway next to Saddle Ranch Chop House and could miss Hash House entirely . . .I noticed they have hung signs on the construction fence, and I think this helps. 2) CONCEPT: Ok, I was really completely mistaken about what Hash House a Go Go was all about. Even though you were nice enough to send me your press release. Don't laugh, but I honestly thought that this concept had their own farm called Twisted Farms where they grew their own food that they then used to make their dishes with in the restaurant. It is part of the whole "eat local" approach to food that is sweeping across the country, as discussed in the Washington Post article below. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/28/AR2007072801255.html?hpid=moreheadlines I am not sure how I got that so "twisted" up in my head, I asked you not to laugh . . .but I think it had something to do with the owners being on Martha Stewart's show, and the name of their restaurant company mothership having the word "farm" in it. I had even been to their website and looked at the menu items before they opened and still thought my pipe dream sounded plausible. Clearly, I was smoking it. It was only after I went back to their website and read their mission statement that I realized how confused I had become . . .and that Twisted Farms was their way of describing their concept NOT a way to use the food they had grown on their farm. I know, I know . . .I was confused. You can stop laughing now. 3) NAME: I have to be honest . . .I love the name Hash House a Go Go for a Breakfast/Brunchy place, which is my guess when they must get most of their business. I do not think the name matches the décor, theme or food. It sounds a little too upscale and limits one to breakfast thoughts. Twisted Farms is a much better name for the restaurant that would tie everything together for me. Just more of my confusion on the concept that might be others as well. 4) PRICE: I have to give it to them, as ginormous as the portions are (which I do understand is part of the concept and history) . . .I see how their target customer would see the value of it at the price point they are charging you get two meals, maybe even three for the modest price of one. Certainly, in KCK, big food at a little price is something that everyone would like and understand. I'm sure they know that they will see check dropping, as people start to learn they can both eat off one plate for $13. I hope they have accounted for that in their pricing strategy. Plate splitting fees are a disaster in the midwest and do more damage than make up for the loss of profit. Better off to upsell guests on a salad or dessert or cocktail and make up the cash. 5) FOOD: The food is very, very good. I'll confess, I am not a huge fan of the "home-cooking" types of dishes. The truly good news in all this, although I am terrified by that much food being served to me at one time, I like the gourmet twists placed on the food, and have been shocked by how scary the food looks and how delicious it tastes. Kinda like eating a Goober Burger (you know a hamburger with peanut butter on it). I laugh at the small trees of Rosemary jutting out of every dish. It just adds to the size insanity. I even had $10 worth of Rosemary tied to the outside of my to-go bag. I used it the next day making dinner for my family. 6) ATMOSPHERE: This was the aspect (apart from my silly notion on the concept identity itself) that I was most confused by . . .A light and sophiscated "brunchy" sounding name like Hash House a Go Go with an interior (even during the day) that seems dark - black and red and silver plate all over, with black and white farm photos on the walls, and wheat etched glass dividers, that plays 80's danceteria techno pop music, and serves huge portions. Who is the target customer? What is the age of that person? To me, if felt like Hee-Haw meets Chipotle on some planet where food is engineered to be big as your head. I guess what this means to me is I am not sure where this restaurant fits in my decision set? What do I go back to Hash House again and again for? Breakfast? Yes! Lunch Yes! Dinner, No! Drinks, No! Come with friends? No! Come with kids? Yes! Come with family? Yes! Come on date night? No! 7) STAFF TRAINING: Everyone could use a lot more of it, the Hash House a Go Go staff is no different. Not horrible, it was friendly . . it was just either too attentive or not enough . . .and absolutely zero menu knowledge to share. I asked one server what the restaurant was supposed to be about because it was my first time dining here and he said "I don't know, no one has asked me that . . .big portions of food?" I asked another server to tell me what people were ordering and I was pointed to all items with Sage Fried Chicken in them. I said "Oh, is this your signature dish?" and was told "No, that would be our meatloaf." No clue about a wine list, I had to ask for it to be brought to my table both times. (A couple of nice selections on it, but the way . . .I was impressed.) Keep workin' with the kids, they will get it soon. Anyway, I wish them well . . .I think the Legends management needs to get all over talking up and getting press around all of the new restaurants that can only be found out there." Sat Dec 29 12:54:00 -0800 2007 3198682 40185 jvergara