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"Restaurant Row" on Waxpool forced to close down?

Discussion in 'Area Restaurants, Dining and Food' started by Mr. Linux, Dec 16, 2009.

  1. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    100% agree. the other day i wanted a quiet cafe with wifi so i could get some work done. the only "option" in ashburn is Panera, and their coffee is lame, so i didn't want that.

    drove to Shoes in Leesburg- line out the door- YAY for them!!
    was on my way back to Ashburn to try some new place in Lansdowne when I saw Dolce Coffee and went there instead. it was PERFECT. it's where Greenbiar used to be. excellent coffee, wifi never dropped, perfect atmosphere for me to write reviews and do my thang!
     
  2. afgm

    afgm Ashburn Farm Resident

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    Shhhhh! Don't let the secret outta the bag.

     
  3. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    What we know as Leesburg is a full-fledge town, where most of the inner town is commercial and the outer is housing. Ashburn is series of connected communities, each with it's own strip mall or two.
    The commercial footprint for Leesburg is WAAAAAY bigger than all the Ashburn malls combined.

    Also, FWIW, "everything" doesn't have to be within a 1-2 minute drive, it is not like it is a far drive to Leesburg. And if we did have "everything", would you want all the traffic associated on YOUR community streets?

    And just for arguments sake, who says a coffee shop would do well here? I do not think one would. It is just EASIER for most of us to make coffee at home and get on the road for the morning rush. It is too much HASSLE for stay home moms (I know, a generalization) to gather up the kids (include bundling up during winter) just go out for a cup-o-joe or a latte. Heck, if another coffee shop is in such demand, why did the Starbucks close in the SW Plaza, is it not a coffe shop too?
     
  4. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    IF I may, my dear t8...

    Starbucks is not a coffee shop to me so I would never consider it as an option for what I would use a coffee shop for. maybe others see a coffee shop for the purposes below:
    - place to sit read and enjoy a really GOOD cuppa joe and a pastry
    - spot where live local acoustic duos occasionally jam
    - wifi hotspot where me and my laptop get stuff done
    - book club meeting spot
    - cozy place to take a client for a quick casual meeting
    - a casual place with homemade soups and a chalkboard scrawled menu
    - a place where said menu is decided by the owner, not corporate up in Seattle

    It may or may not succeed here.. but it's got as good of a chance as any of the others out there.

    FWIW I don't mind driving to Reston or Leesburg for whatever Ashburn doesn't offer. :)
     
  5. JLC

    JLC Member

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    All those options sound great, but the one thing they lack, which restaurants really need in order to survive, is turnover. Each of those scenarios has a customer making a rather small purchase in turn for the amount of time they're camping at a table.
     
  6. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    But it works for Panera. They encourage people to just go there and hang out, regardless of how much you do or don't spend.
     
  7. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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  8. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    Actually, a coffee cafe would be good for moms with kids if they planned it right. I used to hang out with moms and kids at the Caribou Coffee in Potomac Station before it closed. They had a little play area for kids that made it easy. Sometimes I would go with other moms and toddlers to the coffee place by the Ashburn Ice House. So it could work for that.

    And judging from the amount of business Starbucks gets, plenty of people still buy coffee out (even at the outrageous prices). Commuters, too, if the place is convenient to their route.

    Still, generally I make my own coffee because it's easier and cheaper.
     
  9. kevinq

    kevinq Member

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    Sakasa Tea & Coffee (http://www.esakasa.com/) may fit into this category and is in Ashburn.

    From their website:
    After visiting the George Washington University's Northern Virginia campus, it was realized that the neighborhood lacked a real coffeeshop. There was nothing but typical chains offering mediocre java served by uninterested baristas. To remedy this, Sakasa was born.

    • Time for a coffee break? Or maybe just a great place to hang out?
    • We use only 100% Organic, Fair Trade coffee and espresso beans.
    • We also freshly roasts all coffee beans locally.
    • Come by for some great music or poetry, or just snuggle up on one of our comfy couches or loveseats.
    • We've hosted poetry readings, music performances, local clubs and even the Ashburn Chess Club. We offer Wi-Fi and television.
     
  10. JLC

    JLC Member

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    I suppose if you're big enough and have plenty of empty tables. But if they started having people with trays of food walking around not finding a seat because of campers, they would be less encouraging. And business-wise, I think they'd rather have more "new" people coming in vs. staying but since they don't, they'll welcome what they can get.
     
  11. VT Brad 98

    VT Brad 98 New Member

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  12. T8ergirl

    T8ergirl New Member

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  13. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    wow.. had no idea GM was building here. Maybe I'll get to walk to class in the future ...
     
  14. mwb2218

    mwb2218 New Member

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    What= American Flatbread going by by?
     
  15. OSimpson

    OSimpson Certified Master Naturalist

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    We have been enjoying, supporting, and doing everything we can to help American Flatbread to sustain their business during the tough times for every small business owner. For business like American Flatbread, location is everything. Unfortunately, Southern Walk Plaza doesn't have much to bring in additional traffic. We should all pull it for AF, Broadlands resident family that owns this business. And, other small business owners too at SW Plaza. I would rather see American Flatbread stay then having some other big chain franchise. McDonalds and Taco Bell is already lowering the quality. I don't want see them standing up strong in our neighborhood everyday. They are bad food, bad for you food, junk food.



     
  16. PowerPlay

    PowerPlay Member

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    It's got the Nature Preserve marked as "future development". Really hope they don't take that out.
     
  17. OSimpson

    OSimpson Certified Master Naturalist

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    George Mason is going in right by the pond. It will be kind of incorporated to the campus I think. The pond is part of the "commercial" property I understand. But things can always change right.
     
  18. sharse

    sharse TeamDonzi rocks!!

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    We were at Am. Flatbread last night and it was packed!
     
  19. OSimpson

    OSimpson Certified Master Naturalist

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    Glad to hear.. They also have fun stuff tonight. Popular band.
    [​IMG]
    Hathaway Brown Live with Mercury in Summer

    (9 - 11pm) $5 cover/All ages

    They have been organizing many good events, and deals for families. We have been enjoying them a lot.
     
  20. amfltbrd

    amfltbrd New Member

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    Just wanted to shout out we are OPEN for business as usual and looking forward to continued support from our neighbors. We have alot of great things planned for the next month and beyond. Beer Dinner Feb 22nd for one. Thank you again, hope to see more of you join us for our weekly specials, and upcoming events like LIVE music tonight after dinner.
     

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