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- Local every day in
Ryan McDermott
3:33 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Let us know your favorite restaurant and what you might like to see in Takoma Park.
Celia Arnaud
7:34 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
I've only had a chance to eat there a couple of times, but I like Roscoe's.
Steve Davies
1:53 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
Middle Eastern Cuisine/Olive Lounge and Capital City Cheesecake on Md. side, Soupergirl and Cedar Crossing in D.C.
Ryan McDermott
1:13 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
All fantastic eateries that I frequent. CCC has such a great, laid-back lunch environment and everything is fresh.
Anna
6:46 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
My business partners and I (two of us are residents of Takoma Park) have looked at more than an handful of spaces in the neighborhood to open a cafe since last year. Most, if not all of these vacant properties require serious upgrades to bring them up to code and/or to turn them into commercial restaurant spaces. We have the money, the will, and the experience to do the necessary renovations, but property owners are still rejecting our lease proposals. Someone suggested this might make a good story, but at this point we are just trying to reach out to other residents and business owners to get some perspective and support to keep our momentum (and commitment) to the neighborhood going. We are pretty discouraged right now.
Steve Davies
3:47 pm on Saturday, June 9, 2012
I assume you've spoken with Laura Barclay of the Old Takoma Business Assn.? Roz Grigsby with the city is another good person to touch base with. Before you sign anything, however, make sure there is sufficient foot traffic and available parking, and make sure your food is good!
Jay Levy
9:19 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Glad to see you're considering opening an eatery in TP. What's missing in out city, and, I daresay, in the whole of MC, is a vegetarian only place. I think this would go over bigtime since it would attract not only locals, but folks from everywhere. I've eaten in some veggie places in NYC that were superb, with recipes so inventive you'd never guess all the ingredients came out of the ground.
Ryan McDermott
1:09 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
Thanks for the comment Anna. I'd love to talk more about this. Are there any other Takoma Park business owners or potential buisness owners out there who feel the same way? Speak up!
Christine
1:32 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
I, too, like Roscoes and although have only had one meal there, I loved what I had at Takoma Bistro (and yes, I know it's a chain).
Anna's response is very upsetting. We really need more good food options in Takoma Park and should be encouraging anyone who wants to try that has the resources to do so. Have you talked with your councilmember about this? I'm wondering if the City Council knows how discouraging it is to try a new business in Takoma Park?
Ryan McDermott
1:45 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
I've only had one meal at Takoma Bistro as well, but it was delicious. It would be interesting to hear what councilmembers have to say. I'll be working on a follow up to this so look out in the coming week.
Anna
5:11 pm on Saturday, June 9, 2012
Thanks for the comments, and we hope to talk to Ryan more soon. We've been getting some feedback from OTBA. We already run a successful business in DC. We know how to run a business, why foot traffic and parking is important, and we know how to make good food. Our problem is property owners who expect us to put in 50K in repairs (necessary electrical, plumbing, and structural upgrades) without negotiating a reasonable rent or a long term lease.
Barbie Rosenblatt
6:40 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
I think it's time for the town council to forge more specific relationships with property owners. We need to forge ahead economically as a community.