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New Chinese joint in Broadlands

Discussion in 'Area Restaurants, Dining and Food' started by manypims, Feb 14, 2010.

  1. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Amen.
     
  2. jjenkins

    jjenkins New Member

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    To each their own, but I'm willing to give the new place a try - as someone else mentioned it's not going to be identical to what Opera offers, so sometimes you feel like Opera sometimes you dont. :)
     
  3. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    I agree - let's give them a chance......
     
  4. Pirate

    Pirate Overland Park Denizen

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    AmenĀ²
     
  5. SchwarzFamily

    SchwarzFamily New Member

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    Please give Happy Chopsticks a shot. If you knew the proprietor personally, you'd want him to succeed. Today is his last day as the chef at Winwood Children's Center. He's an incredibly nice guy, adored by the kids, and quite a good cook. I'm a big fan of Cafe Opera myself (pork with bell peppers is phenomenal) - they've certainly earned their loyal following. It's fine to be loyal to Cafe Opera, but 'boycotting' a well-intentioned small business owner, before he even gets a start, is a bit harsh.

    Multiple asian restaurants peacefully co-exist in strip malls all over Ashburn. I'm confident that Mr. Johnny's restaurant will be differentiated enough to limit the customer runoff from Opera. Ultimately, the answer is to EAT MORE CHINESE. Take a meal you would've eaten at a chain restaurant and support the local independent restaurants - Chopsticks, Opera, or otherwise.
     
  6. HappyinVA

    HappyinVA Proud Broadlands resident

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    well put!
     
  7. typicalfamilyoffour

    typicalfamilyoffour New Member

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    It's not harsh. It's our choice and I am expressing our choice. This nice person is making a poor business decision that will hurt both Cafe Opera and his restaurant. That is his choice. I won't reward it.

    You make your choice, our family will make our own. Harshness ??
     
  8. Pirate

    Pirate Overland Park Denizen

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    Well said! :happyclap:
     
  9. Small Brancher

    Small Brancher Member

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    In ordinary economic times, perhaps two Chinese restaurants could make it in the same strip mall. But these are not ordinary times, and in the difficult restaurant environment of Ashburn, my fear is that both will go under and our options further reduced.
     
  10. sharse

    sharse TeamDonzi rocks!!

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    I certainly wouldn't want to be the guy opening an asian restaurant a few doors down from Cafe Opera. But I'm not quite sure how this will hurt Cafe Opera? Obviously a lot of people LOVE that place, and that's great. How will this hurt them? If their quality goes downhill and the new place is phenomenal, then I can see it hurting them. But assuming they stay on their game, I just don't understand the problem?
     
  11. typicalfamilyoffour

    typicalfamilyoffour New Member

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    SchwarzFamily thanks for the background. Knowing about the people involved is meaningful. I loved hearing the back story about the new owner. I just wish he wasn't two doors away from Cafe Opera.

    We are so lucky to have the choices that we do. It wasn't that long ago that Ruby Tuesday was the big draw in Ashburn with long lines. I'm glad there are people who are crazy enough to get into this business with its endless work and worry. I wish the owners luck but will still be supporting Cafe Opera.

    Once again thanks for the info.
     
  12. cobymom

    cobymom Sheila Ryan

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    We're definitely going to try the new place out, just like we've tried out Cafe Opera in the past. I'm looking forward to seeing their menu and finding out what they have to offer.
     
  13. hornerjo

    hornerjo Senior Member

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    I'm not even going to try it. Personally I'll be watching to see how fast they fail. Of all the restaurants they could have opened (hello - Mexican?) they did this. Just boggles my mind.
     
  14. tigercpa

    tigercpa New Member

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    Aren't you assuming what you are trying to prove?

    If he opens his place and it makes money, how is that a poor business decision?
     
  15. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Because in 'theory', he'll have a 50% smaller customer base than if he had chosen a location where a Chinese restaurant didn't already exist in the immediate area. So, instead of starting with a large possible customer pool, he'll have to fight much harder, to get less customers. In essence, he'll spend a lot more time, effort and money trying to win customers than he would have to somewhere else. So, even if he manages to produce a product that matches Cafe Opera's quality, he'll then have to compete on price, which will further erode his revenue. Since he's starting from 'scratch', he's essentially penalized right out of the gate, with probably lower revenues, higher costs and higher debt.
     
  16. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Tsk tsk tsk. Shatter a person's dreams before they even open, regardless of a poor business model.

    Glad we are such a welcoming neighborhood.
     
  17. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Actually T8erman, I think people are fed up with the management companies that run these 'plazas' and the fact that they don't seem to care what goes into these plazas anymore, keep raising rent on current businesses, etc. I would rather see businesses that don't overlap and have a better chance to succeed in the same plaza, instead of potentially destroying two businesses and ending up with two locations 'boarded up' for a few months or more. I would guess that boarded up businesses near your home could have a negative impact on home values as well...
     
  18. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    to ME, supporting small biz doesn't mean giving a shot to ANY and EVERY biz that opens JUST because... ESPECIALLY when that small biz

    1) opens a practically identical biz in a location that already struggles
    2) splits an already small, limited, hyper local customer base for the same product
    3) opens a biz that already EXISTS in other plazas as well, adding nothing new or original to our already duplicitous plazas
    4) opens a biz that WILL negatively impact another small biz that spent YEARS building their reputation as that great Asian place in the Broadlands

    Think about it. how many people think about "the Asian place over by Sunoco is great" but don't necessarily remember the name, so they go to the plaza and there's TWO? The name Cafe Opera doesn't even SOUND Asian so a new potential customer ends up at the other joint.

    When less customers are coming in, will Cafe Opera have to raise prices or lower food quality?

    There are SOOO many people in this area who could probably care less that Opera uses superior ingredients to most Asian restaurants in town- if fried rice is a buck or two cheaper next door, regardless of quality differences, those customers will go cheaper over better. (not saying that's what will happen- who knows- the other place might use superior ingredients too...)

    bottom line for ME is- this is going to create an even TOUGHER struggle for a small biz that has worked very hard for its Broadlands niche. we did NOT need another Asian restaurant here, and the suggestion of eating more chinese- pulleeze. you could eat Chinese food 5 days a week in Ashburn and never eat @ the same place twice already. i already eat as much of that cuisine as i ever will...

    it's a horrbile thing to do to a fellow small biz owner, and even a shred of market research would have turned up the obvious. anyone who truly believes BOTH of these places will thrive in that tiny little plaza with so little growth potential is delusional. so here we go again- a year from now there will be another empty storefront. the only question is- which one, or will it be both. :( sad for them BOTH if you ask me- NEITHER will be able to reach a full potential in this limited locaton.

    i believe in following dreams- struggling with trying to achieve my own makes me very senstive to supporting others. but doing it at the expense of someone else's dream??? healthy competition is one thing- THIS is another, and it sucks.
     
  19. hollren

    hollren New Member

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    I agree. My daughter goes to Winwood and Mr. Johnny is a wonderful person and a great cook. I love Cafe Opera, but willing to give Happy Chopsticks a try!
     
  20. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    Is it wrong to ask if Mr. Johnny is Chinese?
     

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