The Emporia Gazette

history_nerd (anonymous) says...

Anyone know what's up with Italian Garden? Are they closed for good? They've been dark and empty the last few times we've driven past.

November 7, 2009 at 2:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Oh I hope not.

November 8, 2009 at 6:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

HenryVIII (anonymous) says...

We tried to eat there el otra dia, pero they were closed. Hopefully they'll re-open with some booze!
'enry

November 9, 2009 at 11:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

almedina (anonymous) says...

they are closed for good , go eat more tacos

November 16, 2009 at 9:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

giggles (anonymous) says...

Is there some verification for this? What is the reason? I am guessing the economy made it difficult, along with some of the problems they had early on, but I was wondering if anyone knew for sure.

November 16, 2009 at 3:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

HenryVIII (anonymous) says...

Por que tacos? Yo gusto hamburguesas con queso y papa fritas con cerveza! Muy delicioso!
'enry

November 16, 2009 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

HenryVIII (anonymous) says...

YY4U,
Back in the day, I used to dip my french fries in a vanilla malt/shake. Mmmm good...
You should check this place out if you're ever in KC. http://www.chefburgerkc.com/menuback.pdf
This link is the back of their menu...note the "spiked shakes". They're like the best of both worlds!
'enry

November 17, 2009 at 10:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

I'm just sorry to hear about Italian Gardens. If it's true, then perhaps that building was just too much. Imagine the heating and cooling bills. Early on during the summer, their a/c went out. I can imagine what that must have cost to fix.

I think a small place, real small, just a small storefront place on Commercial that just serves a few really good traditional dishes and nothing more would be a better bet. Develop your own sauce, one red, one white. Develop your own salad dressing and serve only that, period! Serve three entrees and the best house salad you can muster up for the cost. Keep that salad fresh and cold and crisp at all times. Never serve any of that stuff from a plastic bag! Ever! Prepare your own from scratch with fresh greens. Learn how to keep greens fresh at all times.

Bake your own bread, with real bread flour not the junk you get in the store. Make it the very best peasant style bread you can. Forget pizza. If you try to do too much, it won't work. Serve a lunch special, just one dish. Make it so good, people will automatically think of going there once they've tried it. Change the lunch special once a month for variety. At dinnertime, put everything on nice linen and serve wine if you can afford the license. Provide the very best wait staff you can and train them yourself. Train them to dress a salad with panache at the table. Class it up -- no street clothes. You provide the tops; they provide the black slacks, no jeans or hip huggers.

Ever had homemade meat ravioli made from scratch? Freshly grated parmesan, not the stuff in the green (retch) can? Dandelion greens in the salad and a hunk of warm bread with a crispy crust and soft chewy middle?

Dessert? Only one. Tira misu.

In New Orleans, some bistros just serve one dish. But that one dish is so well made, and they're so well known for that one dish that people go only there and no where else for that one dish. Happily, some of the bistros have begun to return after Katrina.

If Italian Gardens has truly gone, I'm sorry to hear about this loss to Emporia because we have bellyached for a real Italian restaurant for a long time. It takes a lot of money to open and maintain a business. Closing is such a great loss both monetarily and emotionally. Good luck to them.

November 17, 2009 at 2:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

create

Sounds to me like you just described a great second career job for your self. I can't wait to give you a try. :-)

November 17, 2009 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Well thank you, biscuit, but alas, this old gal is growing old. I've got the wannado but the giddyup just ain't what it used to be. I must now reserve my talents for dinner guests.

I think the mistake so many newbies make is too many menu offerings. The secret is to offer the very best you can with a few dishes. No short cuts. Plenty of time for expansion once the place takes off and you have to move to a bigger place.

I remember a little Italian place on Commercial where Uppers is located now, but the owner was using bottled sauce and buying packaged salad greens. (shudder) That place didn't make it either.

The worst thing aside from bad food is a lazy wait staff. I've seen plenty of them in this town. What a killer that is. I have cousins in Hawaii that have been professional waiters and waitresses for hotels in Waikiki. All except one are retired now. They have reared families and purchased homes on what they have made in the tourist trade, all because they know how to wait a table. It's amazing what you can do with a warm smile and top-knotch service.

Thanks again for the compliment.

November 18, 2009 at 4:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

I think the biggest cause of failure in the restaurant business is too many people believe that all it takes is an ability to cook to make a go of it. First and foremost a restaurant is a business and like any other business it needs to be run as one. And yet many people opening restaurants have little if any business training or background...and they are entering a business that operates on the tightest of margins. More restaurants fail each year than any other type of new business.

November 18, 2009 at 6:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

almedina (anonymous) says...

this town dose not deaserve real italian food go eat more tacos ????

November 18, 2009 at 11:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

almedina (anonymous) says...

why would they stay in the business ????
give me one good reason why i just don't thing it was worth it you don't give people second chance why wolud they stay ?

November 18, 2009 at 11:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

While we only dined there once,(after the food problems), wee found the food very good and reasonably priced. Our server was great.Wind with the dinner would have been nice but?

We meant to go back, just didn't do it quick enough. I am sorry that this family came to Emporia to open a business and we didn't support them like we probably should have.

And I don't particularly like tacos, unless they are church made.

November 19, 2009 at 5:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

It is very sad when people put forth the money and effort to bring something unique to a community and then people (for whatever reason) don't respond in large enough numbers to make it go. When that problem is made worse by nothing more than unfortunately bad luck it makes it worse. But it also once again points out something the number crunchers have been telling us for years.......the population is too small to support too much uniqueness. There may be enough people here who love real Italian food to make the business feasible.....but do they love it enough to eat it often enough to make it viable. That's why we never had a Red Lobster.....just never had enough people.

November 19, 2009 at 6:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Well, I am certainly no restaurant or business expert and I do not eat at a restaurant that often, but there are approx. 52 restaurants listed in the local yellow pages and probably more small, so called " order & go " eating places that are not listed ! I am guessing there are closer to 70 or more established or nearly established restaurants or eating or order & go eating places in Emporia and that seems like quite a few for all of them to be supported by what is considered by most a small town or City, especially when there are a lot of people who just do not " eat out " that often ! Quite frankly I never did understand how all of the restaurants and, or eating places have managed to survive ! Just a thought and opinion !

November 19, 2009 at 6:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

one of these days i will start using spell check. I meant to type "wine" with the dinner would have been nice.

November 19, 2009 at 6:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

Steve.......I was going to suggest laying off the Beano if you wanted more wind with your dinner... :-)

November 19, 2009 at 7:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Or you could sit outdoors on many Kansas days, Steve. BTW, spell check won't help if you've used a real word like "wind."

Like methusla, I too have often wondered how so many restaurants stay alive. Many take-out places do a very good business because people like to just drive up, pick up their dinner and go home to eat it. It's the convenience factor, especially if you've got kids who are hungry and you've been working all day, OR you want "wind" with your dinner. I used to make good use of a crock pot when my kids were still at home.

What's for dinner tonight? How about some swiss steak with the cube steaks I found on sale yesterday?

November 19, 2009 at 8:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )