Uno Fresco, which just opened in November on Needham Street near TJ Max posted this sign on its doors this week. Eater Boston reports all three of the chain’s spin-off restaurants have closed.
Uno Fresco, which just opened in November on Needham Street near TJ Max posted this sign on its doors this week. Eater Boston reports all three of the chain’s spin-off restaurants have closed.
I ate there once. Uno time.
I also ate at the original Uno in Chicago.
I also ate at Due, caddy corner to the original Uno in Chicago.
I also eat at Uno’s in Dedham and Framingham.
I won’t miss Uno Fresco.
Win some, lose some.
The number of new restaurants that have opened in Newton seems to have almost doubled in the last couple of years and I don’t believe that the demand for all this new food has doubled with it. If you like a restaurant or business you need to be loyal to it and support it and don’t harass them for donations. If you want them to support your little club or charity then offer to do a shopping event with the business where they can invite people from your charity to shop and the store will give you a percentage of the profits. It is not fair for millionaires who don’t work to be asking little Mom and Pop businesses and restaurants for donations when most of these people are barely making ends meet. Another nice thing is to thank your favorite local business for remaining in business and tell them that you appreciate their presence. This goes a long way too to help boost morale.
We tried it, too. The food was not good. Bummer.
@Alison: This was not a Mom and Pop enterprise, and they weren’t around long enough to have been asked for multiple donations. So your advice to treat local businesses with loyal patronage is not on point. But loyal patronage means that local businesses become a part of the community and should feel connected enough to direct some of that loyalty back to the community in which they thrive. Wise businesses allocate a portion of their budgets to expenses of this charitable kind! If businesses offer products or services that locals don’t find unique, cost competitive, interesting, creative or delicious, then those locals will purchase from Amazon or get in their cars and choose another place to spend their money. It’s up to the business to identify the community’s needs and tastes accurately before choosing to open and then, if the community adopts the products and services for sale, a marriage can happen!
@Alison, again: About your observation that “It is not fair for millionaires who don’t work to be asking little Mom and Pop businesses and restaurants for donations when most of these people are barely making ends meet.” When someone walks in to a business to ask for a donation to a charitable organization, does the business person ask to look at their bank accounts? If they are asking during the day, how would the business person know whether the person soliciting donations works a night shift? How could the person asking for donations know whether the poor business person is barely making ends meet? But, let’s suppose they are millionaires and don’t work, are they pocketing the money for themselves or helping their community? Charitable donations support many local causes in the community and even our tax laws are written so that it is less painful to donate from a business (with a deduction) than personally.
I’m so tired of the assumption that all of us living in Newton are well off. While many Newtonites are comfortable and some are rich, many are not. There are those of us who are single parents, have had periods of unemployment, have huge medical expenses, etc.
As to being asked for donations, if you really object you can refuse. However, in addition to what Sallee wrote above, supporting the community can be seen as a form of advertising. I’ve learned of businesses I wasn’t aware of because they were listed as sponsors of community events, projects, teams – and I’m more likely to try them out in thanks.
Alison, I thought you were making a valid point from the perspective of someone who has operated a small business in one of our villages. It appears I am in the minority so far.
I’m sure there are “millionaires who don’t work,” but I will say that the millionaires I know and have known all work. Certainly not any harder than those who are not and they are not any better or worse people than any other. Alison, it seems from your many pistes on the subject that you and others you know have been badly treated by others while owning businesses in Newton and I am really sorry about that. I know it must seem that someone is always asking you for something because so much goes on here, but I really wish there had been someway to approach those people with a small bit of your story and maybe, just maybe things might have worked out differently for you both.
There are rude and inconsiderate people in all income ranges and also great ones in each. We need the “soccer moms” and the “lulu lemon wearing moms” as you or another have referred to them to be the room mothers and Village advocates just like we need everyone else. I hope you are on to your next successful endeavor.
Posts, not pistes. Oh my, where did that come from?
@Marti: Dunno where your typo came from, but I almost looked it up, thinking I had found a new and funny entry to use in our traditional family Dictionary game. If it isn’t a word, I think it should be!
Sallee-Have you ever owned a business of any kind?
Marti- I am not in the minority in my viewpoints. I know many people in Newton who own small retail businesses and they ALL resent being hit up for donations in their stores. Does anyone like it when a panhandler approaches them for money? I don’t think so. I have my charities that I like to contribute to on my terms. It almost felt like extortion when people would come into my store unannounced and when I am in the middle of wrapping a gift and they would almost demand that I give them a donation on the spot. Usually there would be people standing around and I would be put totally on the spot and it was rather embarassing. My point in airing this on this blog is to try and educate some people out there some of whom might even be culprits in doing this type of thing to merchants now. Just as @mgwa said that he/she does not like the assumption that all Newtonites are loaded then I would like to speak for merchants in saying that please do not assume that they can afford to donate to your causes. I guarantee with an average household income in the mid 100K range that most donation seekers earn more money than the merchant that they are begging off of. Another suggestion that I would like is for you to offer to buy your favorite merchant a cup of coffee the next time that you are in their shop. Thank them for trying to make a living in this city. It ain’t an easy endeavour.
@Patrick-Thanks for the nice comment. You owned and operated a small business in Newton so you know what I am talking about. Until someone has walked in our shoes they have no clue what we deal with. The armchair small business consultants on here who have never worked a day of retail in their lives really have no clue. Next time that someone has the urge to go into a small shop or restaurant in Newton and hit them up for a donation try doing this instead…Go in and thank the merchant and ask if you can go buy them a cup of coffee or grab them a bite to eat. Put your act of kindness there instead of trying to extract money from the poor little guy for your after school program or new playground or whatever other thing that you should be donating to yourself and deducting from your taxes yourself.
Sallee-The fact that this wasn’t a Mom and Pop restaurant doesn’t matter. I saw the building permit in the window when this place was built and they spent close to $1 million building that space out and Newton got a nice permit fee from this corporation which has local offices in West Roxbury. This business also employed people who are now jobless. This is not fun and games. The closure of this business definitely hurt people I am sure. When I had my store I sometimes wondered if I sold $10 bills for $5 would it matter? The street that I was on was so desolate during certain times of year that I could see dust balls flying down it. It was the Wild Wild West.
Alison Haran, let me offer a clarification to your perception of me. While I have worked in the retail industry in multiple store operation positions and while I have been self-employed at times during my career, I have not been a small retail operation owner/manager. My small business was not in retail. It was your perspective, not mine, to which I was referring.
My appreciation and empathy for your comments stem from my support of village businesses and from multiple occasions when I searched for a sponsor for my local youth sports teams. By and large I found the local business owners and local managers for large companies to be very generous even when it put an added stress on their financial situations. I considered myself lucky to have their support, and in turn tried to encourage reciprocal neighborhood support.
@Patrick-I am sure that the businesses were happy to support a worthwhile organization such as your youth sports team. I kept all the donation requests that I received over the years and you wouldn’t believe the ridiculous things that people had the audacity to come into my small business and ask me to donate to. These people actually probably felt that they were doing a good deed when in reality they should be blowing the cob webs off of their own wallets and check books and writing the checks out themselves. One of the worst parts about donating to some of these local charities was that once you donated to them they bothered you every single year plus they printed it in a booklet that circulated and everyone that had another charity event would know that you were a soft touch and they would be in looking for a donation for their luxury playground. Between people asking for discounts, asking for donations, and the greedy landlords this is a very tough city to make a buck in if you are a small independent business owner. The donation seekers like to hit up the small independent merchants because when they ask the National chains and franchises for a donation it needs to be in writing and they need to supply a charitable tax id number and most likely they will be denied the donation request in 6 weeks time via a form letter.
@Alison: This may not be your intention, but your resentment of people of means reads like a whole lot of sour grapes.
No doubt, you’ve had first hand experiences that drive this. No doubt such individuals exist. But it’s unbecoming and unfair to the many generous Newton residents who give time and money to make our city a better place to live and who do support local businesses. It’s also unfair to suggest that all small businesses resent this as much as you did.
Yes, our small businesses are often besieged with requests for donations. Yes, it’s truly challenging and cuts into thin bottom lines.
But rather venting, I see this as a good opportunity to remind people of yet another reason why they should make it a priority to shop, dine and bank locally.
Sallee, you’re in luck. Piste – a ski run of compacted snow. I did have to look it up. I used to love to play the Dictionary game.
@Greg Reibman-I do not resent people of means and I agree that people should not only shop and dine locally but they should cherish their local businesses. You misunderstand me completely. What I do resent is when people of means or any people who have zero clue about owning a small business pontificating to me about what it is like to own a small business. I also did not appreciate the unrealistic expectations that the Newton public often had for me and my small business. They want the BEST selection of merchandise and they want the HIGHEST level of customer service and they want the CHEAPEST prices. Newton has the most demanding clientele in the country except for one other place in New Jersey according to a poll that I read a few years ago. I am a rarity in that I owned and operated a small business in the heart of Newton Highlands for a very long time and I am willing to speak about my experience. I am now going to go back to writing my novel entitled “The Little Shop of Horrors”.
@Alison Haran – what was your business in the Highlands?
@Alison: Yes, I have owned a family business in New Jersey. Grew up in a family that gave generously to the community. Offered products and services that were valued. Next question?
@SalleLipshutz-What were the products and services that you offered? Is the business still in existence and if not what happened to it?
@ Alison: I moved away. What happened to your business?
Sallee-I closed it.
Sallee-I also got tired of people who had no clue about running a business in the worst economic times since The Great Depression coming into my store with their unrealistic expectations and donation requests harassing me. Life is too short to put up with that type of aggravation. What kind of products did you sell? You made it sound like it was a very lucrative and successful business that you owned that was beloved in your New Jersey community. You just closed it and moved away to Newton?
Alison, would it be safe to say that not everyone is suitable to retail?
@Terry Malloy-given the title of this thread its apparent that Newton is a very tough business to do retail in in general. I can’t believe that the uno restaurant closed after just a couple of months! What happened to bakers best and the rox cafe in the highlands? I can’t believe that those businesses just closed like that too!! Have you ever worked retail Terry? It definitely is not for lightweights.
Yes, I have worked in retail and yes,”it is not for lightweights”. Hence, my comment.
@TerryMalloy@From what I have been reading on this blog Newton is a particularly tough place to be in retail. Did you own your own retail business or something? Does anyone know why Bakers Best closed and then Rox cafe closed right after that? I just noticed that Morning Star Gallery in West Newton is closing now too. What do you do for work now Terry?
@TerryMalloy-Are you asking me if I was suitable for retail? Yes I was fantastic at retail but the climate in this city changed dramatically as did the clientele and as a result it was no longer was fun for me so I closed the business and Lincoln Street went down the drain after I left. Do you work?
I’ll take your word for it that Newton is a tough retail environment but I don’t think that’s the reason behind Uno Fresco on Needham St closing. This was a new spinoff restaurant concept from the Pizzaria Uno folks. They opened three of these restaurants and simultaneously closed all three. It sounds like there was a problem with the whole concept rather than this specific Newton restaurant.
I was surprised to learn this evening, a little after the fact, that Yogurtland in Newton Center closed a few days ago. I liked their yogurt, but I wonder if there are too many here at one time. It was generally full after school, but I haven’t been there since snow season. I also like Yogurtbeach, but don’t like to go while it still has no tables and chairs. That is really taking a lot of time. Speaking of taking a long time, I’m happy Subway finally was able to open.
Alison, I don’t agree that Lincoln Street has gone down any drain. It is one of my favorite streets.
Audrey, Bakers Best closed of it’s own accord. I’m not sure about why Rox Cafe closed, but the rent there is high and I know several people who didn’t like it for varying reasons. I think that is where Anna’s is going, but I’m not positive. Hopefully they are well enough known and liked to do well. I’m really sorry to see Morning Star Gallery closing. I was just there a few days ago.
Lincoln St. went down the drain? I love Lincoln St.
Did the Walnut Street Subway finally open? If so, does anyone know why it took so long?
Yes, the Subway on Walnut Street is open. He said there were problems with something on his lease but mostly it took that long to work out the number of seats with the town.
Oh my gosh.
Something similar seems to be going on with Yogurt Beach ‘re: seats. They’re open, but no tables. Why is the city holding them up? Makes it hard on a small business.
Baker’s Best was a huge draw for Lincoln Street. He brought hundreds of people a day to that street in the form of take out customers. I also used to draw a lot of people but the problem for me was more complicated because my store was so small that I couldn’t compete by carrying larger higher ticket items that my competitors were able to sell. My average ticket was very small and all my expenses literally doubled in recent years. People don’t realize all the costs and expenses that go into running a retail business between the cost of bags, gift wrap, help, rent, heat, lights, credit card fees…it is the law of diminishing returns. Restaurants have an even tougher time in that their inventory is perishable with a shelf life of less than a week. I used to sell candy but if it doesn’t turn fast it gets stale and then you have to throw it out plus when you sell candy you need to maintain a constant cool dry temperature in your store. The way to go is to be a landlord and charge rents but unfortunately there are hardly ever any buildings for sale in newton because they are gold mines.
Yogurtland was just a couple of doors down from Craft Beer Cellar- I’m wondering if rent was the big issue on that block or something else?
BTW, CBC has re-opened on Austin St- much smaller space, which I believe they cited as a reason for moving. I now have a new “I’m a little early to pick up my son from NNHS” hangout.
Interesting about Subway and the seats- I was always under the impression there was something with the space and permits or ventilation that caused the delay, but I really didn’t know.
It’s great to have the CBC in Newtonville.
Re: Subway. Aren’t the number of seats tied in someway to the amount of parking needed? It seems most places are getting waivers for spaces required and that may take time. I think he said he has been paying rent for the two years he was waiting.
@Marti – Yes, seats are tied to on-site parking, which penalizes restaurants locating in village centers and who do not have their own onsite parking. The Economic Development Commission has been lobbying the Alders on this topic for years, and has pointed out how this requirement is fundamentally different and punitive when compared to other uses (banks, for example).
The Alders have improved the chances for restaurants to get special permits, however the seats per sf ratio in Newton is still lower than many of our regional peer communities. Steve Feller (the new chair of the EDC) has done some excellent analysis of this and the EDC will be pushing this issue among others in the coming months.
@Chris
Good to see this is on EDC’s agenda.
@Greg
Helping getting our regulations up-to-date on this issue would seem like a natural thing for your day job. Overall this seems long overdue.
Thanks @Paul
By the way, quick clarification: From my understanding, the Alders and others had nothing to do with the situation at Subway. That had to do with insufficient power to the store, and it took a while for NStar to address the problem. In other words, it wasn’t the City.