The results from last week's poll are final and "Pub" (my personal choice) wins with almost a quarter of the votes. Maybe someone can help out the single reader that voted for "Nail Salon" and direct her/him to one of the approximately 200 fingernail facilities we have in Metuchen.
Poll results from last week.
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This 6 lane in Mendham does very well with leagues and birthday party rentals. No bar.
http://www.pastimeclub.com/BOWLING%20ALLEY/bowling_alley.htm
Maybe if kids were exposed to responsible alcohol use earlier in life they wouldnt act like complete morons when they get to college and binge drink until they either get themselves killed or date raped.
No bowling lane will come to town without a liquor license. The idea was that the Oakite dude would buy the one from NJ's. The analogy of drinking at a family party does not apply here at all. At a family party I am there to supervise my kids. The person earlier said we need hanging out places which means no parents. I agree with the premise but don't think our hanging out places need to be serving alcohol. It's just unnecessary. If Schooler can find a bowling alley that doesn't want to also have a bar, than full steam ahead. When asked at the Development Commission if he expected to serve alcohol, he said yes. Wrong answer.
Isn't a proposal just that - a proposal? It's not a contract written in stone.
Since there is no liquor license available in town that really isn't much of a concern. Edison Lanes had a bar. I don't think they served the kids who bowled there. Do you drink at family gatherings at which children are present? Probably. Most people do.
Did we ask Renaissance properties if they had tenants for all their space? No. Do they have a grocery store tenant lined up? No.
The proposal by the Oakite owner was made up. When pressed for the tenant he admitted that he didn't have one interested. Also at the Development commission meeting, several residents expressed a concern that having a bowling alley, which usually means a bar too, would not be wise to have next to an establishment designed to serve the youth of our community. Seems like a fair concern.
The Oakite property owner initially proposed a bowling alley along with his indoor soccer field but apparently the town doesn't want hanging about places, even though that is exactly what we need.
hanging about places
small 5 lane bowling alley
pub
raconteur
place with live jazz/classical music
NAIL SALON
A good burger, tap beer, a place to meet and have a reasonably priced dinner with friends, the atmosphere, etc...... who doesn't like a pub?
Nice place to hang out with friends and have a beer. Not looking for a sports bar.
what is the attraction of a pub to each of you?
I take that back, it is the address of the building. Just put in 400 main, don't add street.
that's not the address of the building, just the address of that tenant.
400 main street
no records found.
Easy to look up here:
http://www.njactb.org/
Who owns the Sawadee building? (referenced above)
No DWI's - cabs are right around the corner.
I've never been there. Thai food does not appeal to me.
Don't most pubs serve some food?
Anyone remember the Flame & Ale? Was out on route one where the silver fox used to be - now it's an asian place. They had a wide variety of "regular" food - steaks, chicken, seafood - kind of like the variety that a diner might have, but better quality. Mmmm, sole francaise. Great soups. And they had a bar too. Loved that place. Been gone probably ten years now.
Just what the town needs, more DWI's.
$4000 a day-based on restaurants with similar rent/size in other parts of the area where ownership is taking home slightly less than six figures after everything is said and done.
the place is pretty big. nearly 6000sq/ft
the per square foot rent is reasonable but the size is too much. a stand alone pub wont' be enough--you'd have to serve food.
that requires cooks, dishwashers, busboys, bartenders, waitresses, maybe hostess, possible a manager or two depending on how good the owner is.
gotta wonder why its for sale... it does look pretty empty nightly.
So you would need to gross $35,000 a week to run a pub out of the Sawadee space? That does seem high, until you consider that would include the salaries of the wait staff and bartenders, kitchen help, cost of food and drink, rent, and utilities. Not to mention all those cable bills. And if you wanted to have something left over for the owners. But most businesses don't generate a "healthy salary" for their owners in the first couple years of business. Still, considering the lack of something in between the Metuchen Inn and NJ's, I would think there would be a demand for it. It is depressing to go out and have three beers and know that you could have bought a case for that, stayed home and watched House.
The cabs are right around the corner - perfect location for a pub.
You need to ring up 4 grand a day or a week???? What is the rent for a store downtown?
not all of us who get off the train go home outside of metuchen.
i'd be happy to frequent such a place for a pint or two several times a week instead of doing it at Penn Station.
Certainly did it enough times when cornerstone was a viable option.
i know others would as well.
who said it was. But no business, no money ,no rent, = empty store. Landlords want it both ways. What about their investment in the Borough?
A pub would be popular with the commuters? So they drive in, park, get on a train, come home and go to a pub before driving home?
I guess that would increase our towns DWI fine revenue.
Last time I checked being a "landlord" was not a charitable endeavor. Owning a building has costs, and the landlord is entitled to make a profit, just as the tenants are. If the Sawadee lease ends and they move out without there being a new tenant, the landlord will have vacant space. Clearly they wouldn't want that. If they think they can get someone to take the space in this economy for the same rent, more power to them, but somehow I doubt it. Everything is negotiable.
Also, the number of liquor licenses in town is limited by state statute. Metuchen is over its statutory limit and existing licenses over the limit are grandfathered. We are already in danger of losing the one for the Cryan's property.
Landlords will not help out businessess. Rent agreements usually include rent plus , taxes and other incidentals. Landlords pay nothing ,just collect. Where is their share in the pain. $4000.00 a day, that is crazy. Usually the more square footage, the less rent, for example larger stores pay less rent than smaller stores by comparison. A pub or sports bar would be a great asset to Metuchen. Not sure if that fits into the master plan.
Sawadee is indeed for sale. Price is very fair considering it includes all licenses.
It is an ideal place for a pub, and a group of residents thinks (and yearns for one) so enough to inquire about it. There is enough space to have a traditional pub, along with a party room/lounge area.. think big screens along with the various sports packages (nfl, mlb, nba, epl)
Rent is very high, although fair when considering the large square footage the restaurant has.
Well maintained, excellent equipment. Kitchen is fairly new and furniture included wouldn't have to change.
However, due to the size of the space and its current rent (guess who owns it!) and if you'd want to generate a healthy salary for you, you'd need to generate around $4000-$5000 per day. That's an awful lot of scratch for such a small town, despite the 2000 +/- commuters who would certainly be a target audience. Not undoable, but certainly daunting.
Sad to say, this particular set of folks will have say pass at this time.
http://cnj.craigslist.org/bfs/1036739644.html
Here's one that's been available for some time. Based on the description, I think this is Sawadee that is for sale.
Isn't it hard to get a liquor license? It would be great to have a pub that brews a beer or two.
I am all for the pub too, with a movie theater as my second choice. This town needs a place where you can go for a good burger and a beer. I for one miss the former "CornerStone". That was the closest thing to a pub Metuchen had. An Irish pub, McDonnoughs, opened up on Broad St. in Keyport about 4 years ago and that place is always hopping. I can not help but think that a place like that in Metuchen would do well.
Maybe Metuchen Matters should do a map of all the available salons in the area just to make sure they can ALL BE FOUND!