Chef Anthony Scolaro, who also operates the successful One Eleven Bistro (2736 Medina Rd., 330-952-1122) in Medina, had hoped that the food-savvy neighborhood around him would support his ambitious chef-driven small-plates concept. Despite positive reviews, the restaurant never managed to gain traction, he says.
“All of our reviews were great, we got good publicity, we weren’t doing something that people didn’t like, we just could never grow the business,” reports Scolaro.
The chef will now return his focus to his popular Medina spot.
“This is the first time I’ve had to go through something like this, so it’s been a pretty shitty week,” he admits. “We took a shot.”
This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2019.
Always sorry to hear of such a situation., hope all goes well moving forward!
Best wishes. The menu didnt do it for me since Im such a fussy and unadventurous eater. But theres someone like me in every dinner party so often a restaurant gets voted down as a dinner place choice. Put a couple of safe standards for the boring person in every group and youll do a lot better. I think youre an awesome guy in any case.
I’ve been thinking long and hard about why this restaurant and others in the neighborhood falter and others thrive. Restauranteurs can’t just set out to do a restaurant IN the neighborhood based on what they want to do, or what they may think the neighborhood needs. Restauranteurs have to set out to do a restaurant FOR the neighborhood. Every detail involved in crafting a menu, beverage program, price point, staffing, service, decor/ambiance, hours of operation need to come from a genuine desire to make the neighborhood a better place.
Trio absolutely delivered creative high quality food. However, it didn’t really check all the boxes. It was also a bit of an awkward start. The cocktail list once included Sex on the Beach, the entree price point was a bit high, there seemed to be no effort to hire from within the neighborhood, and the space was a bit stark and generic. You don’t have to be open all the time, but you can’t rely on a single menu for prime dinner hours alone. The happy hour was meager at best, and brunch was added too late.
Many people also like to talk about location and timing as being important factors in restaurant success. I would beg to differ that it all comes down to being a good fit for the neighborhood.
The neighborhood doesn’t mean exclusively catering to the population within a half mile. Visitors are an integral part of the equation, particularly with proximity to downtown and all major interstates. The hospitality of destination dining is still dependent on being a stand-out in multiple categories.
Occasionally a restaurant comes along that doesn’t have anything to do with the neighborhood other than putting it on the map. In a way this is still doing something FOR the neighborhood. However, once that neighborhood matures and has already been well-covered, you better be sure to keep up with something unique and genuine.