It seems that the Rox Cafe in Newton Highlands has closed. This was my Tuesday night hangout for dinner at the bar along with several other regular patrons. Many knew that this was a challenging location.
Baker’s Best was a draw to the village and we all had hoped to see the Rox fill the void. I wonder what will next take this space on Lincoln Street?
Really disappointed to hear this. Let’s hope another restaurant can make this location work.
I really wanted to like the restaurant – walking distance to my house, and we all like the Rox Diner! The cafe really didn’t have the same customer service – at all. Our three dinner/lunch experiences stunk in customer service, and we told them.
The last time I was there last week at 8 PM for dessert, they had run out of an appetizer (that a friend wanted) and tiramusu. The waiter was not happy that I didn’t want anything else.
I really want a good family place to go in there, and I am really concerned about the other local stores. Without a good restaurant in that space the Village will suffer.
I hope something goes in quickly and it is good.
My experience there agrees completely with NewtonMom’s. It wasn’t the location – it was the restaurant. I had bad experiences with service there, and it was only marginally better when I tried again last summer. If they’d concentrated more on service quality, they likely would have had enough business to stay open. I think they over-stretched themselves when they expanded there.
Am I the only one who misses KFC/Taco Bell?
I jokingly call my sister the “Angel of Death” because she knows almost instinctively if a place is going to make it or fail to make the grade. She pronounced thumbs down the first time she went there with a friend and her daughter right after it opened. We went there two or three times after that and weren’t all that impressed with either the food or the service. I was reluctant to say anything because too many other people were saying they really liked the place. This is sad because I know the owners tried to do everything right and I also know they were eager to be an integral part of the Newton Highlands community.
A related problem that can’t be overstated is the exorbitant high rents being charged in all parts of the Highlands. This is causing tough times for almost any small business that locates here. I’m a member of the Newton Highlands Area Council and it’s tough coming up with anything to fight these kinds of pricing headwinds. Pretty soon it will be all banks and nail/beauty salons. Sad.
Sorry to see this go. We often took our small kids there for late-morning weekend breakfasts, and they were great with the kids, but in retrospect, it was probably a bad sign that we practically never had to wait for a four-top at that time on a weekend day.
I think the problem was the owners tried to make it something that wasn’t in their sweet spot.
Rox Diner was and still is excellent. To my mind, it’s an upscale diner, with a really broad menu that works breakfast, lunch or dinner.
I went to the Cafe two or three times before giving up. Much more limited menu, and the service was suspect.
Groot – I don’t think it’s a difficult location, but agree with Bob that all locations in the Highlands are too pricey. That said, people in the Highlands *really* wanted to like the Rox Cafe. If they’d done a decent (not excellent, just decent) job with it, I think it would have been successful. A lot of us in the community would have forgiven the food if there’d been good, friendly service – because that’s what makes a neighborhood place.
Darn. I really liked it. Maybe that says something about my palate, but we had a number of enjoyable meals there.
I anticipated this on the day the Rox Cafe opened. Michael Baker [Baker’s Best] was one of the most knowledgeable restauranteurs in Newton. There was a reason he gave up on that location. If Baker couldn’t make it work, the owners of the Rox made a mistake thinking their bottom line would be different.
Now I’m very concerned about the Rox Diner in Newtonville. I’ve been a regular there for breakfast since they opened. In my opinion, the quality of their food declined measurably over the summer. They don’t keep the place as clean as they once did, and I’ve noticed little things [like un-repaired upholstery] that sometimes indicate a restaurant is in trouble.
I’ve made this point before… The Newton Board of Health should be issuing letter grades after each inspection, which are posted at the front door of each respective restaurant. This keeps the restauranteurs on their toes, and consumers informed. Long overdue!
It may have not been very good food but at least it was overpriced.
@Mike: Michael Baker has consistently said that he left the restaurant business so he could focus exclusively on his extremely successful catering operation, not because the restaurant was not doing well.
I’m sorry to see any local place close. I didn’t find it a welcoming place and after 2 or 3 times gave up. I still miss Bakers Best. When it was there I was never bothered by the location. I agree with Mike Striar about the Rox Diner. I can walk to it and didn’t mind the wait, but I’ve noticed the same things. The rents in Newtonville are high too. I’m hoping the new ice cream place does well and am surprised, but very happy, the cup cake place is surviving. I would guess the rent isn’t as high where Yogurt Beach is and it is good.
I can confirm Greg Reibman’s view that Baker’s Best was not a failed institution. It was just as popular toward the end as previously. I suspect catering is a higher margin business than is a restaurant.
I am surprised to read of some dissatisfaction with Rox Diner. I live right around the corner so frequent it a lot [though a little less this past summer due to lots of travel. But I’ve found it consistently good, even those times i was there this summer.
Perhaps Rox Cafe was too much of a drain on the owners’ attention.
As some others have commented, I had horrible service the two times I went. The second time I was with a friend, and it was her third time getting horrible service. And we are not picky people! Whatever magic the Rox Diner has just somehow couldn’t be translated to the Rox Cafe. Too bad. 🙁
I should have said “don’t” mind the wait because I haven’t stopped going and hope the Rox diner has a long and profitable life. Is Subway doing well in another dimension or does it just close when I’m walking by?
The service and menu was never at the same level as the Newtonville location. I just hope this doesn’t mean that the Highlands will be getting another nail salon or dry cleaner.
I agree completely with KarenN. Here comes the lighting now.
I’m another Rox Diner fan with fingers crossed that it continues to do well.
We really liked one of the bartenders at the Rox Cafe, and had some excellent meals there. That said, the rest of the waitstaff wasn’t so great. We are still very sad to see the place close. It filled a nice price point between O’Hara’s and 51 Lincoln.
When looking for a neighborhood eatery, I find that great service can make up for food that’s just ok (assuming the price is reasonable), but poor service undoes even the best food. I agree with Barbara – the Rox Cafe filled a niche. I hope whoever moves in there understands how important customer service is.
Another person who really wanted to like the Rox Cafe. I found the service disappointing during multiple visits when I ate in the dining room even when there was hardly anyone else in there. I’ve also had pretty slow service at the Rox in Newtonville and just hoped they would make it work in the Highlands especially when it seemed like one of the owners was there quite a bit . I did frequent the take out shop and found the woman who originally worked there was very personable. She disappeared though and the menu was a bit limited and pricey. I miss Baker’s Best and hope the site does not sit empty for as long as it did when they left as I know that hurt the other businesses. If someone can go in there will decent food & friendly service they would do well.
I liked the Rox Cafe and never had bad service, though I was usually there when it wasn’t busy. I had good chats with bartenders. Recently I had a tasty pan-seared tilapia and the waiter encouraged me to chat with the chef who explained how he makes it. I’ve now been making it myself at home according to his instructions.
I wouldn’t say that I liked the layout of the place with the split entrance and the bar in the middle. But it was a serviceable place for that price point and I often took my little kids in there, with success.
Whatever financial issues might have been plaguing them, Rox Cafe contributed generously to the Newton Highlands Village Day silent auction. I didn’t have to do any convincing. They also offered free ice cream the day of the event.
Sorry to see them go.