We got an updated tip from a reliable birdie who has some friends in the business: There is some meat to the rumor that Coran Capshaw’s restaurant group, including Blue Light Grill, Enoteca, Mas, Mono Loco, Ten and Three Notch’d, is actually on the auction block.
The birdie points out that times are very tough for food and beverages businesses, especially high end places like Starbucks. With ATO Records successful signage of new artists, do you think the Coran empire is tired of running local restaurants in tough times? It would make sense and we have a strong feeling this is the truth.
What do you know?
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I would think Coran would want to hold onto them to maintain a strong local presence and the losses would be tax write offs.
with the coming deflationary period, the food service business will be the first to go. the profit margins are already tight enough in normal times, CC should cut his losses and invest in something with more opportunity.
i’m thinking CC could pump some money into green business. he’s got electricity generating windmills on his estate out in crozet, so you know he’s down with the whole green thing. and Obama is going to create incentives for people starting green businesses and creating green jobs, so there’s that….
also, green is a great euphemism for marijuana.
Plus, none of them had spicy enough food!
Somehow this seems like odd news, a friend of a friend was trying to start a new Bar in town and Capshaw has rallied his army of lawyers in order to stop the establishment from happening, doing everything from smear campaigns against the soon to be owner to empty threats of court hearings that the starting business can’t afford right now all because one of the managers is an ex con, which, btw, Capshaw is too from what I hear… Charlottesville always has been crooked, but this is a new low.
@4, can you have him email us?
I thought we did this post a few months ago?…
She didn’t post back…. maybe that manager dude stole her computer.
Doesn’t Blue Light make -like- millions? I heard its profits basically went to keeping the others open (Mas excluded).
If they close Mas, I think orchid would actually kill someone.
An updated tip from a reliable birdie who saw Ferris Bueller….
At least Sho’s information sounds rock solid.
we are not closing or for sell but we have the beaujolais nouveau in so come by zinc to celebrate with us starting tonight at 6pm and until the last bottel is gone. The astronomers will provide the tunes.
420 west main, see you at 6
I’m coming so you better have A LOT frenchy!
how’s 5 cases sounds ?
60 bottles of Beaujolais on the wall…holy shit I better get a cab.
beaujolais nouveau makes the worst wines. i prefer white hall.
/obligatory contrarian wine critic>
Beaujolais Nouveau is not the name of the winemaker, dude.
@Thor
I will E-mail you when I get out of work this evening. I am a friend of a friend, so my stuff isn’t 100% accurate, but Capshaw is involved as well as several local lawyers, that I am sure of, and their unified goal seems to be stopping this place from opening or at least reduce their ability to be any sort of competitionl. Everyone I know who knows those involved seem extremely upset over the matter. Would seem very odd that Capshaw would be causing this much fuss if he was selling, unless this is all about trying to close some sort of deal.
FRENCHY are there drink and food specials or anything like that going on?
i’m buying all of the restaurants in town.
because i have a lot of free time.
then i will be painting all of them green.
yea! tax breaks!
OOOOOH I haven’t had a good glass of beaujolais in FOREVAH. So tempting…
Philbert… you could put some Chartreuse in it…it could only improve.
I think it would be slightly icky. Maybe I’ll just go to X Lounge and drink my feelings.
Philbert…..Maybe I’ll just go to X Lounge and drink my feelings.
As in Penis Colada or a Strawberry Dickari? Explain.
As in: I’ll drink an Xhibitionist or two and then go flash my wang in the bathroom. JK! idk. It was a rough day in the electronics retail industry.
Sorry to hear that mate…. go flash your man servant at an unsuspecting victim and cheer yourself up.
I was really, really kidding. I’d be mortified to actually do something like that, and I’d like to point out the fact that phallic imagery was initiated by YOU, floozy.
Not that I minded.
@27 I can’t help it… it’s an illness.
@Sho
Making an educated guess then — am supposing what you’re suggesting here must have something to do with Bel Rio and its proximity to Mas?
@28 I so want to meet you and get drunk together. I think it will be the pinnacle of my social career.
Philbert…. we will have to sort that out… you can email me anytime at boozyfloozy999@gmail.com….. I’m bulk buying Chartreuse as we speak
Add a “trw@gmail.com” to my screenname and you got me in there too.
@29
No, this place was just purchased and construction has just begun, located somewhere around 5th street. This is more of a family business operation without a lot of money. Actually, not really a threat. So I can’t see why Capshaw is going through a lot of effort to financially ruin such a small place before they even surface.
capshaw is trying to ruin a burgening (sp) business? sounds really weird to me…
on the other hand, locating said business on 5th street is tanking itself…
/just saying
Are we talking 5th Street as in Ridge Street or 5th street near downtown mall?
@36 KCB join me for a Boddington’s at The Nook sometime.
@37 They’ve got Boddington’s at The Nook? Golly. I may have to go back (a disappointing brunch left me sour on the place).
Definitely will swing by the Nook one of these days.
The Nook has decent crab cakes, I’ll give them that.
Saying the Nook has “decent” food is a bit of an understatement. In addition to being an institution people grew up with, it’s a bargain for real food on the Mall. My employees get shift meals (i.e. free food), and they will still pay for food from the Nook. If you haven’t tried it, or haven’t tried it recently, go!
And Boddington’s to boot. A great beer you can’t get everywhere.
Thanks Dan. Our food, like yours, is far more than decent. Simple not trendy.
@41 omg, your employees get shift meals? i keep hearing about people getting free meals; at the 4 restaurants i’ve worked at, the best i ever got was half-price meals, 1 per day (even when i worked a 15-hour shift). i want free eppie’s!
how about Local and Bashir’s. the food was free for the staff
Hey , hold it Eppies is better than the nook
Eppie’s food is different than the Nook’s. I think we’re hard to compare, other than the fact that we’re both restaurants on the downtown mall with a nice price point.
the primary difference between the Nook and Eppie’s, for me, is the service. i’ve eaten at the Nook 2x since they re-opened (never before the remodel) and had incredibly slow service both times (once inside, once outside, both at lunch). i know they do a heavy lunch business, but they also have a LOT of waitstaff. the last time (inside), we were seated and waited for about 15 minutes before anyone came by and we had to flag down the host/owner. once we did that, the service was pretty good, and the food was tasty, but when you’re pressed for time, it doesn’t help to sit there twiddling your thumbs.
Eppie’s service model makes this kind of a comparison a moot point, i understand, but even when they’ve been wall-to-wall at Eppie’s, i think i’ve only ever waited maybe 5 minutes to order and then 5 minutes to get my food.
if you’ve got time to spare, and want table service, the Nook is fine, but all things being (un)equal, it’s Eppie’s for me, especially on Fridays.
/Chicken & Dumplings, PBR FTW!!!
I have been in lengthy lines at Eppies and still the time flies. My apologies to Wingnut for delivering slow service, especially in the face of enough staff. The first year we could not hire enough staff. We try to get the food out quick, but we’ve got to be quicker to the initial points of service. Thank you, your feedback will be shared with the staff. I’m sure it will be a painful 2009 on the Downtown Mall, we have to perform better if we have hope to survive the downturn in the economy coupled with the re-bricking. Wingnut, we are 0-2 with you, I’m hoping we get to 1-3 sometime soon.
@48: More feedback for your staff: The couple of times I’ve eaten at the Nook were at off-hours (Late lunch & late dinner), so the point may be moot, but I had great service at the Nook. Maybe because they were off-hours, but it seemed like we were treated “extra special.” It was about 12-18 months ago, so I don’t even know if you have any of the same staff.
I’ve yet to get to Eppie’s, so maybe that’s why I thought the service was great.
Thanks, Stu!
Eppie’s has speedy self service. Thanks Doc.
@48
thanks Stuart! like i said, once it was addressed, we ordered quickly, the food came quickly (almost surprisingly so, considering how busy it was) and we were able to pay pretty quickly. it was just that initial greeting that took so long. outside service, on the other hand, was slow the whole time, possibly because there were only a couple of tables filled outside and the weather was about 50/50.
oh, and both of my Nook experiences were within the last 60 days.
Just so you know Ten paid their people 4 days late last time around. Can the Capshaw machine really be out of $$ for the restaurants?
Doesn’t seem likely, but I know they’re losing money by the boatload. Then again if you pay that much to lax management who cannot control the real costs and don’t pay your people very well (if at all), what do you expect?
My bets:
Enoteca – Closed right after the first of the year
Blow Light – Closed for new concept after Graduation
Mas – is fine
Ten – is Capshaw’s favorite place – he’ll keep it going just for himself (look for another chef change in the near future)
Crazy Monkey – will also keep going
Three Notch’d – who cares?
if enoteca is doing so poorly, why is siips still around? cause it seems like it sucks a lot more.
I had some decent soup recently at Siips… roasted red pepper with cheese in it… slightly bizarre but very tasty. I like the space inside… feels like a big city bar.I do not like the outside bit that is bang in front of CVS. I mean who wants to quaff bubbly whilst staring at a big sign in a window promoting 20% off all incontinence products.
late to respond, however…I am a Capshaw rest employee and I can tell you that all is well with the group. No one has ever had a late paycheck in my time here. @52 where are you getting this mis-information?