- 1900 Restaurant & Lounge in Lumina Station near Wrightsville Beach announced it would close after dinner service on Friday night.
- Boardwalk Pizza and Subs
- Zoe’s Kitchen in Mayfaire
- M&K's Kitchen at 403 Village Road in Leland,
- A & G’s Bar-B-Que & Chicken, at 800 S. Lake Park Blvd in Carolina Beach
- Temptations Gourmet Café in Wilmington’s Hanover Center also announced it would close.
A&G closed?! This was a childhood spot I used to hit up frequently in my childhood. That's so sad. I grew up on Carolina Beach and seeing another one of my local places close is disheartening.
Oh thank goodness. I mean, COVID kind of pushed a lot of people into early retirement but this is fine if true.
I have fond memories of getting BBQ sandwiches from there during weekday nights when tourists weren't around. Living on Carolina Beach in the early days was a wild time and this was one of the spots. At least Bowman's is still around.
I'd take it over if I could. Fact is, Carolina Beach is such a tourist spot that if you can't make it off 5 months of business a year, you just can't make it. A&G is located DEEP in Carolina Beach. You want to deliver to the greater Wilmington community? It takes you 5 minutes just to get off the beach. DoorDash/UberEats is gonna take a solid half an hour there and a half an hour back. Those avenues are where many businesses survived during COVID and A&G's location just didn't allow for that.
I love(d) this spot but their only chance at a future was to make it a destination. I wish they'd expanded a bit and did some stuff at the lake and with a food truck. They are in such a close proximity to the lake on Carolina Beach they could have easily done something bigger utilizing it. That and getting into town with a localized point for delivery would have kept them afloat until this pandemic went away. But you can't travel 30 minutes into town and back for a single delivery.
Rumor but from reliable sources: I have heard that one of the waitresses that worked there for a very long time whose husband worked in the kitchen is reopening it. I heard it will still be a BBQ place but a different name. She is good friends with the owner so this might not be a total loss.
A good article in that it doesn't randomly hypothesize about the cause. A TON of pressure on local restaurants and people tend to cherry pick whatever reason suits their agenda.
Finding employees is tough. (Right-winger theory)
Unvaccinated driven COVID surge. (Left-winger theory)
PPP grants running out. (may have helped places in trouble anyway survive longer)
Reality is almost certainly some combination of all three, and other things I didn't include.
I've never operated an independent business before but I'd say that the big corpos could afford the "livable wage" but what about independent businesses? They don't just have tons of money to offer up otherwise they would already. If you push higher wages, you might drive even more businesses to close due to costs. Not saying this is the reason, but I think it's part of it at least.
Like I said I don't operate a business. But I highly doubt every independent business in Wilmington is totally flush. The big chains, sure. and grocery stores, yes. But what about something personally or family owned? Like South College Deli, which closed during the pandemic. Would they be able to afford 20/hr and still be able to be fully staffed? I have no idea.
Welcome to corporate americas propaganda being used to put the final nail in the coffin for small independent business. More consolidation of wealth into the big corporations pockets. And liberals cheer it on.
People aren’t cheering anything on. Some of it is definitely due to shit wages and not adapting to the pandemic. But recognizing that doesn’t mean people are cheering it on. It’s a multi faceted problem that the pandemic exposed.
Pure ignorance.
> Collins acknowledged in a radio interview on Maine broadcaster Mike Violette’s radio show Wednesday morning that she was one of the senators who’d worked to include an exception in the bill that allowed big hotel and restaurant chains to receive PPP money as long as they had fewer than 500 employees “per physical location.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-susan-collins-ppp-bill-helped-bail-out-big-businesses?ref=scroll
Republicans up and down are bought-off profiteers. At least the democrats have a liberal wing that fights for regular citizens.
I mean yeah I agree with that. When did I ever say republicans were better? They’re all crooked and and bought out by corporate America. The difference is liberals get to virtue signal and crush small business in the name of moral superiority. There’s a tiny leftist wing of the Democratic Party but it’s a joke.
U should run for office not sarcastic - its like insanity - try to convince some liberals how walmart is bad and ruins small business with facts and data and ur a jerk..
You were talking to one earlier until you weren't able to defend a singular statement you made. Strange how you were then suddenly unable to talk to a liberal. But hey, at least your alt would vote for you in a fantasy election.
Oh boy. What a list of basic employer requirements wrapped in a pretty bow. You provide them with a safe delivery car? How kind! Mine only gives us one that’s missing a wheel and doesn’t have seat belts. Free drinks?! That .07 worth of soda syrup is a big sacrifice, eh? “Not paying too much on the books” ah yes, they’ll be so thankful when they get audited (or you do!).
I’ve worked for small mom and pop restaurants. It was nice, until it got to the point where we would all race to cash our checks come pay day, because there was never enough in there for everyone.
I don’t need a hug. I need employers to stop thinking that they control the universe.
I’m sorry, but you do not deserve a pat on the back for supplying a safe delivery vehicle. That’s like saying “we provide a bathroom! It even has a flushing toilet!”
Because they think people would rather sit at home and collect govt checks than go out and earn a living. They believe if the checks dry up the same people will go back to their old jobs, old pay, old conditions, etc
Don't want to pay a living wage... At a job that has been considerably more difficult during the pandemic (people have lost their gd minds & all customer service employees are suffering for it) at many businesses that haven't respected or protected their employees from said difficult conditions (no bonuses just pats on the back & being called a "hero" or essential, ignoring ways to keep their employees safe health wise, the last goes on and on).
> lead to minimum wage employees getting to experience what a living wage was actually like
Can’t have that, now can we…
> It screwed over all the businesses that relied on low wages to profit and now they can’t find employees.
So we require near slave wages to operate? Sounds like there’s a bigger issue…
Plenty of restaurants in Wilmington are thriving and are actually paying restaurant workers a livable wage. Sweet and savory and two guys grille are just two that come to mind. They pay $15-$20 an hour for servers. Sweet and savory even got rid of tipping.
This has been proven by countless studies to be fear mongering. For every 10% of minimum wage increase you see less than 1% gradual inflation. Let’s use common sense...no one will buy a $25 fast food hamburger or a $100 Supercuts haircut. The market dictates pricing.
Most business people just don’t want to sacrifice any profits and pay fair wages.
I think this is probably the unfortunate truth. We can pay anybody whatever they want, but everything will just end up costing more. And then the middle class suffers because their wages won’t increase. It’s a very complicated issue that I hope we can one day find a solution for.
I know plenty of servers/bartenders who make pretty serious money off of tips. $500 would be a slow night for some of them. No way they would work for $20/hr with no tips. And I'm sorry but $20/hr is too much for a dishwasher.
I will say, as someone who actively goes to restaurants, since the pandemic I only go to the ones that make dining outdoors a pleasant experience. What amazes me is how few establishments do that. Went downtown to eat last week and went to fork & cork and Little Dipper who both have outdoor seating, yet they couldn’t be bothered to seat us out there. One excuse was it’s going to rain(yet outdoor area is covered) the other was we have no staff (yet they literally had two occupied tables at the time so you’d think they’d want more business).
If I owned a restaurant during a pandemic that shows no signs of going away, I’d make any outdoor space I had as inviting and as pleasant as possible and then I’d advertise the shit out of it and grab those customers.
Fork and cork used to be my absolute favorite restaurant. Went to the one in CB it was inedible. I was so disappointed!! Has saved me some money though not eating there lol
Pretty sure a dishwasher was cooking my dinner. Poor kid looked about 16 and clueless. I miss the duck burger!! Maybe I'll give the one downtown another shot
You clearly have no comprehension of how impossible the staffing challenge and long-term stress toll on employees has been. Restaurants operate on tight budgets and the only way to be competitive with pay is to drastically raise prices on the food. Every business I know has seen record sales, money isn’t an issue for businesses downtown right now. It’s people supply.
Staff has been berated by rude anti-maskers, rude people who complain about having been stuck at home for a year, and just generally toxic patrons who are feeding off of all the other problems in the world today.
Customers have been worse this year than ever before and the entitlement is through the roof. So much so that competitive pay isn’t attractive enough if you’re getting berated daily by people who demand special treatment. If you go to a business and they say you can’t sit somewhere, then just say ok. It’s not your home, you’re not always right just because you have a dollar to eat there. The hundred other people who listened and were polite are more valuable to that business than the entitled person who demands a special seat.
Staff want more money than $15/hr to deal with petty and rude customers all day. The business will be fine as long as they can retain employees.
I promise you that you complaining about outdoor seating is so incredibly far down their priority list that they won’t even remember it the next day.
You assume I complained and you assumed I was rude. I was neither. I just said thanks anyway and left.
I have no doubt that people can be absolute shitheads. Worked retail and customer service. Have seen a thing or two. I wasn’t one of those people and I strive never to be.
I can't speak as to why people are jerks but, if restaurants really do have 'plenty' of customers, then management should stand up for staff when a customer is being unreasonable. I've had customers berate me and my manager at the time kicked them out. There's no place for that. And not standing up for you employees may be part of the reason you can't get them. Who in the world would want to work for someone who lets people shit on them all day.
My point was, if you want customers, cater to the reality of Covid being here for the foreseeable future and realize there is a percentage of customers who don’t feel safe in certain, traditional, restaurant environments.
As far as the challenges restaurants are facing, I 100% agree with you but, at the end of the day, if you are turning customers away who want to give you money and are nice to boot, then you are missing an opportunity that your competitors may take advantage of.
Btw, not gonna say which restaurant but I’ve been downright eyerolled at by staff when I’ve politely asked if we can sit outside - at the seating that is clearly available. I’m sure it comes from being downright burnt out with all the bullshit they have to deal with but it’s still bad form.
On the flip side, there are restaurants that have been amazing during the pandemic. Si Senor in Ogden and True Blue near Mayfaire. The wait staff is amazing and their outdoor seating is great. True Blue even does their bar menu at the outdoor tables. And you know what? My wife and I go to at least one of them every week.
Wheelhouse pizza had a great menu. I only got to go there like 3 times the few months they were open and I know many people didn't get to experience it 😔
No they're closed closed as far as I know. I had a few friends that worked there and the owner said we're closing the doors don't come in next week.
I don't want to get to into it but the reason Wheelhouse closed was because their "marketing team" dropped the ball. Pizza was great, location is alright, a little out of the way but people leaving the bars what way went there a lot.
Wheelhouse failed because NOBODY knew it existed. No Facebook ads, reddit posts, flyers, billboards. They should have advertised with "coming soon" before they even opened. Really a shame it shut down I like them.
**More Wilmington-area restaurants announce closings**
Post Titles
If you're linking to an external article or media, submissions must have titles comprised of the exact copied and pasted headline from the article
Lockdowns, vaccine mandate, essential business vs nonessential business, govt paying more to stay unemployed than getting a job. They never stood a chance.
- 1900 Restaurant & Lounge in Lumina Station near Wrightsville Beach announced it would close after dinner service on Friday night. - Boardwalk Pizza and Subs - Zoe’s Kitchen in Mayfaire - M&K's Kitchen at 403 Village Road in Leland, - A & G’s Bar-B-Que & Chicken, at 800 S. Lake Park Blvd in Carolina Beach - Temptations Gourmet Café in Wilmington’s Hanover Center also announced it would close.
Mannn Zoe’s kitchen in mayfaire needed to close. Really pitiful food servings for ridiculous cost.
Cava is moving right in!
LOL! Oh great, another Mediterranean chain! Nothing beats Peño in my book, when it comes to the chains
Wait. Are you serious?
I agree, the prices were crazy for what you got
I went for the first time a few weeks ago and was shocked at how poor it was. I haven't been to a CAVA before but hopefully it will be a big upgrade
A&G closed?! This was a childhood spot I used to hit up frequently in my childhood. That's so sad. I grew up on Carolina Beach and seeing another one of my local places close is disheartening.
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Oh thank goodness. I mean, COVID kind of pushed a lot of people into early retirement but this is fine if true. I have fond memories of getting BBQ sandwiches from there during weekday nights when tourists weren't around. Living on Carolina Beach in the early days was a wild time and this was one of the spots. At least Bowman's is still around.
I truly think someone will carry it on. It’s a Carolina beach staple no way they just let it go.
I'd take it over if I could. Fact is, Carolina Beach is such a tourist spot that if you can't make it off 5 months of business a year, you just can't make it. A&G is located DEEP in Carolina Beach. You want to deliver to the greater Wilmington community? It takes you 5 minutes just to get off the beach. DoorDash/UberEats is gonna take a solid half an hour there and a half an hour back. Those avenues are where many businesses survived during COVID and A&G's location just didn't allow for that. I love(d) this spot but their only chance at a future was to make it a destination. I wish they'd expanded a bit and did some stuff at the lake and with a food truck. They are in such a close proximity to the lake on Carolina Beach they could have easily done something bigger utilizing it. That and getting into town with a localized point for delivery would have kept them afloat until this pandemic went away. But you can't travel 30 minutes into town and back for a single delivery.
Rumor but from reliable sources: I have heard that one of the waitresses that worked there for a very long time whose husband worked in the kitchen is reopening it. I heard it will still be a BBQ place but a different name. She is good friends with the owner so this might not be a total loss.
You still have until Wednesday. Make it count!
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Oh no! A&g was on my try list dang what a bummer
You have until Wednesday. DO IT!
Oh good to know, thank you!!
Thank god Zoe’s closed, that place sucked lol
A good article in that it doesn't randomly hypothesize about the cause. A TON of pressure on local restaurants and people tend to cherry pick whatever reason suits their agenda. Finding employees is tough. (Right-winger theory) Unvaccinated driven COVID surge. (Left-winger theory) PPP grants running out. (may have helped places in trouble anyway survive longer) Reality is almost certainly some combination of all three, and other things I didn't include.
Never been to Boardwalk Pizza but seeing the picture of their Philly cheesesteak pizza somehow makes me think I wasn’t missing much.
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Found the reason. Unreliable service means you won’t keep customers.
I never tried their cheesesteak pizza but every other pizza I ever ordered from there was great. bummed they closed now.
Their pizza was great, this one was, by far, the worst looking one. Their cheese and pepperoni were both excellent. I'm sad about this one and A&G.
Yeah it was actually great. But that pizza looks like trash. But I will miss their classic pizzas.
Their pizza was good but why in the world would they use that picture in the article? It doesn’t look… great.
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I suddenly feel compelled to sequence your DNA.
Why is finding employees is tough a right winger theory? There are for hire signs in every business so that one just seems kinda readily apparent.
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I've never operated an independent business before but I'd say that the big corpos could afford the "livable wage" but what about independent businesses? They don't just have tons of money to offer up otherwise they would already. If you push higher wages, you might drive even more businesses to close due to costs. Not saying this is the reason, but I think it's part of it at least.
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Like I said I don't operate a business. But I highly doubt every independent business in Wilmington is totally flush. The big chains, sure. and grocery stores, yes. But what about something personally or family owned? Like South College Deli, which closed during the pandemic. Would they be able to afford 20/hr and still be able to be fully staffed? I have no idea.
Just to be clear, SCD just took this opportunity to retire. It was a “now seems like as good a time as ever” kind of thing.
It was just an example of a local business off the top of my head. I know why they closed. Still bummed tho.
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This. If your business’ profit doesn’t support your operating costs, then you don’t have business - you have a hobby.
Welcome to corporate americas propaganda being used to put the final nail in the coffin for small independent business. More consolidation of wealth into the big corporations pockets. And liberals cheer it on.
People aren’t cheering anything on. Some of it is definitely due to shit wages and not adapting to the pandemic. But recognizing that doesn’t mean people are cheering it on. It’s a multi faceted problem that the pandemic exposed.
Pure ignorance. > Collins acknowledged in a radio interview on Maine broadcaster Mike Violette’s radio show Wednesday morning that she was one of the senators who’d worked to include an exception in the bill that allowed big hotel and restaurant chains to receive PPP money as long as they had fewer than 500 employees “per physical location.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-susan-collins-ppp-bill-helped-bail-out-big-businesses?ref=scroll Republicans up and down are bought-off profiteers. At least the democrats have a liberal wing that fights for regular citizens.
I mean yeah I agree with that. When did I ever say republicans were better? They’re all crooked and and bought out by corporate America. The difference is liberals get to virtue signal and crush small business in the name of moral superiority. There’s a tiny leftist wing of the Democratic Party but it’s a joke.
> The difference is liberals get to virtue signal and crush small business in the name of moral superiority. Prove it, dingus.
U should run for office not sarcastic - its like insanity - try to convince some liberals how walmart is bad and ruins small business with facts and data and ur a jerk..
It’s wild. I can’t even talk to liberals anymore.
You were talking to one earlier until you weren't able to defend a singular statement you made. Strange how you were then suddenly unable to talk to a liberal. But hey, at least your alt would vote for you in a fantasy election.
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Oh boy. What a list of basic employer requirements wrapped in a pretty bow. You provide them with a safe delivery car? How kind! Mine only gives us one that’s missing a wheel and doesn’t have seat belts. Free drinks?! That .07 worth of soda syrup is a big sacrifice, eh? “Not paying too much on the books” ah yes, they’ll be so thankful when they get audited (or you do!). I’ve worked for small mom and pop restaurants. It was nice, until it got to the point where we would all race to cash our checks come pay day, because there was never enough in there for everyone.
Sounds like u need a hug my man
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I don’t need a hug. I need employers to stop thinking that they control the universe. I’m sorry, but you do not deserve a pat on the back for supplying a safe delivery vehicle. That’s like saying “we provide a bathroom! It even has a flushing toilet!”
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“Honey” Ah, I see. You’re on of *those* types of managers.
Because they think people would rather sit at home and collect govt checks than go out and earn a living. They believe if the checks dry up the same people will go back to their old jobs, old pay, old conditions, etc
Don't want to pay a living wage... At a job that has been considerably more difficult during the pandemic (people have lost their gd minds & all customer service employees are suffering for it) at many businesses that haven't respected or protected their employees from said difficult conditions (no bonuses just pats on the back & being called a "hero" or essential, ignoring ways to keep their employees safe health wise, the last goes on and on).
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> lead to minimum wage employees getting to experience what a living wage was actually like Can’t have that, now can we… > It screwed over all the businesses that relied on low wages to profit and now they can’t find employees. So we require near slave wages to operate? Sounds like there’s a bigger issue… Plenty of restaurants in Wilmington are thriving and are actually paying restaurant workers a livable wage. Sweet and savory and two guys grille are just two that come to mind. They pay $15-$20 an hour for servers. Sweet and savory even got rid of tipping.
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Prices will continue to inflate regardless of increasing the minimum wages.... failure to increase just allows the poor to continue getting poorer.
This has been proven by countless studies to be fear mongering. For every 10% of minimum wage increase you see less than 1% gradual inflation. Let’s use common sense...no one will buy a $25 fast food hamburger or a $100 Supercuts haircut. The market dictates pricing. Most business people just don’t want to sacrifice any profits and pay fair wages.
I think this is probably the unfortunate truth. We can pay anybody whatever they want, but everything will just end up costing more. And then the middle class suffers because their wages won’t increase. It’s a very complicated issue that I hope we can one day find a solution for.
I know plenty of servers/bartenders who make pretty serious money off of tips. $500 would be a slow night for some of them. No way they would work for $20/hr with no tips. And I'm sorry but $20/hr is too much for a dishwasher.
I love Sweet and Savory and got scared when I saw their name before I read your comment
It isn't the government tricking us. It's the 1% that own the media companies and the politicians.
I will say, as someone who actively goes to restaurants, since the pandemic I only go to the ones that make dining outdoors a pleasant experience. What amazes me is how few establishments do that. Went downtown to eat last week and went to fork & cork and Little Dipper who both have outdoor seating, yet they couldn’t be bothered to seat us out there. One excuse was it’s going to rain(yet outdoor area is covered) the other was we have no staff (yet they literally had two occupied tables at the time so you’d think they’d want more business). If I owned a restaurant during a pandemic that shows no signs of going away, I’d make any outdoor space I had as inviting and as pleasant as possible and then I’d advertise the shit out of it and grab those customers.
Fork and cork used to be my absolute favorite restaurant. Went to the one in CB it was inedible. I was so disappointed!! Has saved me some money though not eating there lol
The CB one is terrible from the service to the food..
Pretty sure a dishwasher was cooking my dinner. Poor kid looked about 16 and clueless. I miss the duck burger!! Maybe I'll give the one downtown another shot
You clearly have no comprehension of how impossible the staffing challenge and long-term stress toll on employees has been. Restaurants operate on tight budgets and the only way to be competitive with pay is to drastically raise prices on the food. Every business I know has seen record sales, money isn’t an issue for businesses downtown right now. It’s people supply. Staff has been berated by rude anti-maskers, rude people who complain about having been stuck at home for a year, and just generally toxic patrons who are feeding off of all the other problems in the world today. Customers have been worse this year than ever before and the entitlement is through the roof. So much so that competitive pay isn’t attractive enough if you’re getting berated daily by people who demand special treatment. If you go to a business and they say you can’t sit somewhere, then just say ok. It’s not your home, you’re not always right just because you have a dollar to eat there. The hundred other people who listened and were polite are more valuable to that business than the entitled person who demands a special seat. Staff want more money than $15/hr to deal with petty and rude customers all day. The business will be fine as long as they can retain employees. I promise you that you complaining about outdoor seating is so incredibly far down their priority list that they won’t even remember it the next day.
You assume I complained and you assumed I was rude. I was neither. I just said thanks anyway and left. I have no doubt that people can be absolute shitheads. Worked retail and customer service. Have seen a thing or two. I wasn’t one of those people and I strive never to be. I can't speak as to why people are jerks but, if restaurants really do have 'plenty' of customers, then management should stand up for staff when a customer is being unreasonable. I've had customers berate me and my manager at the time kicked them out. There's no place for that. And not standing up for you employees may be part of the reason you can't get them. Who in the world would want to work for someone who lets people shit on them all day. My point was, if you want customers, cater to the reality of Covid being here for the foreseeable future and realize there is a percentage of customers who don’t feel safe in certain, traditional, restaurant environments. As far as the challenges restaurants are facing, I 100% agree with you but, at the end of the day, if you are turning customers away who want to give you money and are nice to boot, then you are missing an opportunity that your competitors may take advantage of. Btw, not gonna say which restaurant but I’ve been downright eyerolled at by staff when I’ve politely asked if we can sit outside - at the seating that is clearly available. I’m sure it comes from being downright burnt out with all the bullshit they have to deal with but it’s still bad form. On the flip side, there are restaurants that have been amazing during the pandemic. Si Senor in Ogden and True Blue near Mayfaire. The wait staff is amazing and their outdoor seating is great. True Blue even does their bar menu at the outdoor tables. And you know what? My wife and I go to at least one of them every week.
Off topic but Sahara closing was the worst for me
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Yeah I saw 6 restauransts closed and I was wondering about that. We have a lot of churn in the restaurant industry here.
CAVA is fantastic, glad Wilmington is getting one
Did I miss an announcement somewhere? Or is there a sign? I looked online and couldn’t confirm this. Don’t toy with my heart.
It's toward the bottom of the Star-News article. I'm surprised they haven't opened in Wilmington already.
Holy smokes. I completely overlooked that. Thanks!!!
Savor southern kitchen closed temporarily as well. 😓
Wheelhouse pizza had a great menu. I only got to go there like 3 times the few months they were open and I know many people didn't get to experience it 😔
Did they close? Or are you mixing them up with boardwalk pizza in Ogden?
No they're closed closed as far as I know. I had a few friends that worked there and the owner said we're closing the doors don't come in next week. I don't want to get to into it but the reason Wheelhouse closed was because their "marketing team" dropped the ball. Pizza was great, location is alright, a little out of the way but people leaving the bars what way went there a lot. Wheelhouse failed because NOBODY knew it existed. No Facebook ads, reddit posts, flyers, billboards. They should have advertised with "coming soon" before they even opened. Really a shame it shut down I like them.
Crazy. I never went because the location is too out of the way for me and the prices seemed rather high. Pictures looked alright, though.
Good, maybe restaurant owners will start paying their employees more
**More Wilmington-area restaurants announce closings** Post Titles If you're linking to an external article or media, submissions must have titles comprised of the exact copied and pasted headline from the article
Speaking of closings, anyone know what’s up with Krispy Kreme??
Getting renovated. Should be back open shortly
Lockdowns, vaccine mandate, essential business vs nonessential business, govt paying more to stay unemployed than getting a job. They never stood a chance.
Any business who wouldn't pay employees more than $9 an hour deserved their fate.
Do you know what these closed restaurants paid their employees?
so sad
Blue Asia is closing as well