Tastee Diner has reopened this morning in downtown Bethesda. The landmark diner temporarily closed December 15, 2020, after the Montgomery County Council banned indoor dining, as it has no outdoor patio space. Now that the ban was lifted to 25% capacity for indoor dining, the diner has reopened.
They have missed a huge opportunity during this time to feed the thousands of construction workers next door not to mention offering breakfast, lunch, etc to-go. I was told by the owner that it really wasn't worth their time and effort. So, zero revenue is better than some? I don't get that. They would be wise to sell to Woodmont who wants that site.
ReplyDeleteThat last photo is great-- literally, a "little corner of old Bethesda" right next to "new Bethesda."
ReplyDeleteTo 6:44 What you may not get or know is what their expenses are when they’re open, or how much loss they would have if customers don’t come regularly. I doubt that there are literally “thousands” of construction workers next door, and, of those, only a fraction would be likely to get takeout from this particular restaurant. I’m sure that if the owner thought it would make financial sense to be open now, he would. I’m not clear why you think it would be “wise” to sell the business that a few sentences earlier you thought should stay open. If they own the building or can handle the taxes and mortgage, while saving on payroll, benefits, inventory and other expenses, why not stall that for a year and reopen when it’s profitable to do so?
ReplyDelete5:52 - I am not sure you know how business works. Tastee Diner is helping themselves by staying completely shut during this recent closure or not serving any food or coffee or curbside at all during this process? No, I don't think so. It doesn't cost that much money in order to make some money. You can have very few employees on site and one cook taking orders to go and do so easily. People move on when a place is shuttered completely.
ReplyDeleteIt does nothing but hurt them. You have no idea how many construction workers are on that Marriott site. You say you doubt they would go to the diner besides. How do you know that? That's a dumb thing to say given that those workers are patronizing Starbucks on the corner as well as 7-Eleven and other establishments in that neighborhood in big numbers. And yes, Woodmont Grill would buy that location in a minute. The owner is a great guy and the diner is an institution. But he's over 73 years old now and his kids have no interest in the business. With the horrific leadership of Elrich and his team, yes, he would be wise to try and sell. They won't last long-term not with endless shutdowns not to mention skyscrapers on every corner in town.