The Morning Call has been running an article now for over a week wondering what millennials want in downtown Allentown. Another article mentions that another restaurant is closing, and that J.B. Reilly has built a dozen new buildings, but must keep trying different pieces to find ones that fit. The articles don't ask how come he can afford to keep looking for pieces that fit, or how come the newspaper keeps promoting every new attempt to find the right piece. For these questions you are limited to this blog.
Reilly can keep building and trying because it's not his money, it's ours. The paper keeps promoting the phenomenal as revitalization, because they also are not as they appear. They are just tenants in their former building, now owned by Reilly. The paper is printed in Jersey City and I conclude might even be for sale itself.
The closing restaurant is Grain, and the article tells us that millennials want open spaces, not tight narrow ones. I remember when the space was the successful Federal Grill, and then it was considered cozy. The truth is pretty simple.. There are too many restaurants and not enough millennials. One would think that by now there would be... After all Reilly built hundreds Strata apartments, and The Morning Call tells us that they're all filled with waiting lists. Go figure?
Meanwhile the paper continues to ignore my letters and others which criticize any policy of the sacred cows which they protect, be it the NIZ or The Wildlands Conservancy.
ADDENDUM: Mr. O'Hare and I spar tonight on WDIY 88.1 FM at 6:00PM. He has sociopathically taken to attacking me as a racist because he didn't like some comments by others on my blog, I don't obsess about Trump, and I oppose double parking. I understand that he is chummy with the Northampton Judiciary, but I didn't realize that they made him judge and jury. Yesterday he wrote about Better Angels, he clearly isn't one. Although he's preaching to the choir on a NPR station, I interrupt this bully with some truths.
Mr. Molovinsky vs The Lehigh Valley's Answer To Julius Streicher & Roland Freisler All Rolled Into One
ReplyDeleteFirst time I've ever heard that a restaurant failed because it was too narrow.
ReplyDeletetoday on o'hare's blog he has declared me a cheerleader for donald trump and a eager host for hate comments....i'm neither. i have credited trump for some good appointments. i prefer not to dialogue in the comment section, and censor as little as possible.
ReplyDeleteRegarding attracting millennials, I'm hearing that Reilly is decorating the Strata apartments to look like their parents' basements, and the new restaurants will look like their parents' refrigerators.
ReplyDeleteThe truth of the matter is that over-saturation in fine dinning is killing itself. Also, except for event nights and special projects, foot traffic is minimal. Millenials will not pay the very high price of a meal on a constant basis and should not be counted in any marketing plan. Where are all the young kids with their outlandish spending habits for food, drink and housing? In the burbs, where it is cheaper.
ReplyDeleteThe menu at Grain was terrible, the costs were too high. That's all there is to it. It amazes me that I can't find just one restaurant, just a simple Irish Pub with a simple menu of meat and potatoes and good, cold beer. I'd rather travel to NYC where these places are a dime a dozen and believe it or not, cheaper prices than downtown Allentown. Good luck with finding the right pieces and the Millenials.
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