Brooklyn Burger Bar shuttering

[pastoralia]

So, word is they're closing their doors for awhile to revamp the place and change the name but it will still be the same people running it and still have a burger-centric menu. So, what's the point?

[xariana]

The work permit on the door just seemed to suggest some sort of kitchen remodeling (though I don't know if the language used could cover something more).

I honestly hope for a full overhaul. I went a few weeks ago (even after reading all the negative posts on here, yes that was stupid) and was amazed that it didn't even meet my very low expectations. Service was awful (our orders were all wrong and it was impossible to get a waiter's attention to try and fix it), the bun was stale, the fries weren't good, and even the ketchup tasted bad (seriously - I asked for another bottle because I thought it was just ours that was rancid but it wasn't).

[rarely]

joint is so bad that if they dont pack up and go soon we might just have to picket.

[Tay]

"I went a few weeks ago (even after reading all the negative posts on here, yes that was stupid) "
Uh huh...

[xariana]

In my defense - it wasn't my idea! I just was brought along for the unpleasant ride...

[BrookBoy]

The only thing surprising about this (at least to me) is how long it took for the doors to close.

Given their prime location, you'd think they would do a booming business as a pub, a neighborhood restaurant, a burger joint, any of those things.

But they failed on all counts: food, service, attitude. I never really heard anyone complain about the prices, so maybe they got that part right, but fair pricing isn't enough.

I went in one afternoon during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day in 2006 and ended up leaving without even placing an order. I posted an account of my visit here on CH afterward (Brooklyn Burger Bar: Uh Oh), and I never saw a reason to return. If they had been halfway as successful at getting customers as they were at driving people away, they would be getting rich...

What the owner should do is go hang around the Waterfront Ale House for a few days to see how a popular place is run.

[Tay]

"What the owner should do is go hang around the Waterfront Ale House for a few days to see how a popular place is run"

I think, after all this time, if the Owner hasn't figured out that something...No, make that, EVERYTHING is wrong, no amount of time spent elsewhere will be benificial. Clearly the Owner is either totally oblivious or just doesn't care.

[detour]

I walked by last night and they were open and doing business.

[Larry Brooks]

Here are 3 steps to success.
Fire the chef.
Fire the manager.
Fire the investors.
Burn the place to the ground to exorcise bad food karma.

Start over from scratch.

[redgirl]

isn't that 4 steps?

[david sprague]

five, by my count :)

[Larry Brooks]

Sorry folks. The firing was 1 step, then the burn down, then the restart.

; )

[Woodside Al]

They need to fire some waitstaff too.

Honestly, one of the worst run establishments I've ever seen. They had everything going for them and still blew it.

[zacfi]

Really. Even with 3 kids that like the place, we stopped going. It was more expensive than I thought it should be and never satisfying to the adults.

[ginsbera]

interesting....I wonder if they are taking one more shot to get things right. A great burger shop would be great in park slope, but it seems they just didn't have the right recipe (for the burgers or the restaurant). Good luck to them.

[gfood]

To tell the truth, I think we have a lot of great burger shops in Park Slope (Bonnie's and Blue Ribbon come immediately to mind, but there are quite a few more).

[Bob Martinez]

Absolutely. The burger at Johhny Mack's is quite good and the the house burger at Bar Toto, served on a pannini with gorganzola and red onions, is outstanding.

[elecsheep9]

I used to quite like the burger Johnny Mack's. And they had some pretty decent wings as well.