Posted on 11/12/2010 9:16:07 AM PST by tlb
The manager of Don Otto’s - a recently shuttered food market in the South End - is blaming neighborhood patrons for its untimely demise, cooking up an angry message to fair-weather fans of the Tremont Street eatery.
“Don Otto’s Market wants to say we had few customers that understood customer loyalty and its importance to our business,” a message on its Web site reads, later adding: “If you came in only for baguettes, the occasional piece of cheese, the occasional dinner . . . you can not tell yourself you were a supporter of our market.”
The scalding remonstrance was written by Erin McLaughlin, 28, who ran the shop and is engaged to the owner, Michael Otto, 31.
Among their customers were U.S. Rep. Barney Frank and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has stopped by for their locally made lasagna. But in this economy, $28-per-pound steak and $8 cartons of eggs was not a recipe for success.
“In some parts of the world people are accustomed to spending a higher percentage of their income on food, but in America we suffer from sticker shock because of Wal-Mart and other discount vendors,” reads Don Otto’s online farewell. “The reality is we pay for what we eat. Some are informed enough to know what that statement means. For those that don’t, I am not going to elaborate.”
“In my opinion, it’s that people just didn’t have the money,” said Don Otto, 72, whose son named the store for him.
Also disagreeing with McLaughlin’s reasoning was the artisan cheese-buyer at nearby Formaggio on Shawmut Avenue, which makes a fine profit on selling pricey gourmet offerings to a rarified clientele.
“I think it comes down to quality and trust,” said Formaggio’s David Robinson. “That’s where Don Otto’s seems to have missed out.”
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonherald.com ...
Gourmet and Barney Frank is not going to bail them out? (sniff)
You’d think he’d love their cheese enough to help them keep their establishment open in a tough time!
I”m not following your logic here. Are you saying the manager should have punched customers who didn’t want to pay $8 for a dozen eggs?
It doesn’t say how long this place was open, but it sounds as if she just wasn’t cut out to be a businesswoman.
Why, I'd never have imagined that wouldn't be a success! She must be a Democrat. "It's your duty to keep our business going, whether we sell anything you want, whether we charge a price you're willing to pay. You OWE us just for deigning to offer our goods to losers like you!"
She sounds like a typical flaming liberal. Always blaming someone else for their own ineptitude and mistakes. Childish.
Same can be said for liberal politicians in general.
Wow! I’m in agriculture and I could only dream about profit margins like that!
Liberals hate customers who come in infrequently and spend sporadically.
Liberals love Barney Frank, who lives in another city and has probably shopped at this store two or three times.
Liberals hate businesses run by greedy people.
Liberals who owned failed supermarkets hate customers who didn't see the value in $28 steaks.
I’m not following your logic here. Are you saying you don’t recognize sarcasm when you read it?
They must have had trouble ‘getting their message out’ to us knuckle draggers as to how wonderful their products were and why we should feel honoured to shop there.
” “It’s your duty to keep our business going, whether we sell anything you want, whether we charge a price you’re willing to pay. You OWE us just for deigning to offer our goods to losers like you!” “
And besides that - it’s all the fault of the EEEEEVIL Walmart!!
(”... in America we suffer from sticker shock because of Wal-Mart and other discount vendors,” “)
It's nice to know that Barney Frank was able to afford the good stuff while he was wrecking our financial system.
““If you came in only for baguettes, the occasional piece of cheese, the occasional dinner . . . you can not tell yourself you were a supporter of our market.””
Typical liberal mentality. She feels entitled to “support”.
You damn occasional baguette buying bastards!
“She sounds like a typical flaming liberal”
In a very liberal neighborhood - not a pleasant place for a service call.
Wow ...
Apparently WayneS, I don't recognize sarcasm that is written without any hint of being sarcastic.
She sounds like a typical bitter, nasty, selfish, ill-tempered, disagreeable, hate-spewing North-Eastern U.S. lib-dem to me.
I’m sure she got along just swimmingly with Barney Frank.
If the steak is of one of several japanese types it might be justified but I cannot imagine what would be special about (presumably chicken) eggs to justify $8.
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