Reminsce Restaurant in Queens Quarter Closes

So many different things at work here...we watch our spending alot more than we used to, and dinners out have become a novelty rather than a several-times-a-week thing...and we look for more value, in either the meal, the atmosphere, whatever. At the same time, the rise in the prices in the restaurants has limited our patronage as well...they raise prices to cover increased expenses, we feel the price increase more than we might have 5 or 6 years ago, so we go out less, and are less likely to do a repeat visit if we have a lousy meal, or get poor service, or whatever...

native, a lot of people i know who used to go out to eat a few times a month can not do that due to the high cost of everything on island.

also they go where they know they will be safe. i had never been to this restaurant, but i hear the location was a nice one.

explain further which segments of the population go to support which restaurants

At some point, we have to realize that in order to survive as a community we have to support each other, even if it means sacrificing a bit.

We can't be having our restaurants and nightlife shut down and still expect to present a vibrant, fun image to the tourists we are trying to attract. If that means that we all cough up enough to eat out once a month, then we should do it. If you look at the average expenses of a typical family, well maybe the kids don't ALL need an iPhone 5 with the most expensive data plan.
We need to start looking at the big picture.

As far as your request for an explanation, all I will say is that all of us need to support all restaurants. If it appears that only one segment of the population supports a venue, the venue will cater the live entertainment to that segment.

native, a lot of people i know who used to go out to eat a few times a month can not do that due to the high cost of everything on island.

also they go where they know they will be safe. i had never been to this restaurant, but i hear the location was a nice one.

explain further which segments of the population go to support which restaurants

Also, this whole idea of "safety" needs to go away. Too many detrimental things are being done in the name of some concept of everything having to be "safe".

You get in your car and drive at 80 mph...you are more likely to die in your car on your way to the restaurant than in the restaurant itself.
Who is to decide what areas are "safe" and which ones aren't, and why doom businesses in certain areas by declaring them as "unsafe"?

Will we declare "The Blue Moon" to be "safe", but not "Coconuts", for example? How does anybody "know" where they will be safe?

We need to put FEAR to rest, support each other, and help our local establishments to survive, wherever they may be on the island.

sorry, i am not going to not pay a bill to go out to dinner-not gonna happen, unless you are buying???

safe, well lit, close to parking, not too many know robberies... that kinda thing.

Speee1dy hit a good point. it is getting to the point where people want to be out of town by dark. People being mugged in "high traffic" areas.
A couple of muggings the past few weeks.

sorry, i am not going to not pay a bill to go out to dinner-not gonna happen, unless you are buying???

safe, well lit, close to parking, not too many know robberies... that kinda thing.

Well, I'll continue to support my favorite places, and trying out new ones...and I have bills too.

I have been going out to dinner on St. Croix for decades...have eaten almost everywhere...never been robbed.
Enjoy sitting on your couch, in total fear of the people around you.

Speee1dy hit a good point. it is getting to the point where people want to be out of town by dark. People being mugged in "high traffic" areas.
A couple of muggings the past few weeks.

It is a "good" point if you live your life being terrified of every shadow. A"couple of muggings in the past few weeks" is not going to keep me from enjoying a nice evening out with some friends, listening to Steve Katz or any number of excellent local musicians play while I enjoy a nice dinner and some fine wine.

Enjoy sitting at home on your couch, wetting your pants every time a car backfires.

It is a "good" point if you live your life being terrified of every shadow. A"couple of muggings in the past few weeks" is not going to keep me from enjoying a nice evening out with some friends, listening to Steve Katz or any number of excellent local musicians play while I enjoy a nice dinner and some fine wine.

Enjoy sitting at home on your couch, wetting your pants every time a car backfires.

Native Son, we're with you! We go out often and always try all the new restaurants and continue to patronize our favorites.
We have never had any issues but stay aware of the surroundings, just like anywhere. It's a shame that so many good restaurants have shutter their doors in the past couple of years and many more of theim are presently for sale.

native son, sounds like you have a bit more money than i do. if i have extra i do go out and again there are certain places we go and certain ones we dont

wow, and no where in this post did i saw i was so afraid i would wet my pants if a car backfired or do i sit on my couch cowering behind the doors. i am not afraid of shadows though i do suffer from pts and if you sneak up on me i might accidentally slug you.

Native Son,
I use to go out more often at night with friends and family. I had problems twice over the past few decades and was able to take care of it myself. Times have changed, I'm older not as strong as i use to be, more guns, gangs and drugs than ever before. I don't sit at home in fear and do not wet myself thank you very much. Maybe you 're lucky or gifted not to be pounced on, but for some of us it's better to be safe than dead.:P

Dont get me wrong I am still going out. I get sick of cooking. a few new places to eat too but I'm in a little earlier and more aware. There are a handful of folks that wont go out because of it. Those of us that go out will go out...its the fence sitters we need to make feel safer.

wow, and no where in this post did i saw i was so afraid i would wet my pants if a car backfired or do i sit on my couch cowering behind the doors. i am not afraid of shadows though i do suffer from pts and if you sneak up on me i might accidentally slug you.

Admittedly a cheap shot... I apologize profusely.

Native Son,
I use to go out more often at night with friends and family. I had problems twice over the past few decades and was able to take care of it myself. Times have changed, I'm older not as strong as i use to be, more guns, gangs and drugs than ever before. I don't sit at home in fear and do not wet myself thank you very much. Maybe you 're lucky or gifted not to be pounced on, but for some of us it's better to be safe than dead.:P

Well, everybody dies of something...

"Seasons don't fear the Reaper, nor do the wind and the sun and the rain...
We can be like they are..."

--Blue Oyster Cult

I hear ya Native Son but at some level it does sound like "blame the customer" which is a tough argument to make. Businesses do well when the provide enough value to customers to get them to patronize their business. Reminisce was unable to do this and shut down. You can't blame everyone for not finding value in what they offered. Many of us probably didn't even know what this place was.

Wapa is definitely part of the problem. It is much easier to provide me value that makes me want to come out with a $15-20 entree then one that costs $25. But here you have to charge $25 to be able to pay your Wapa bill. This is a big problem. Of course people with hundreds less in their pockets every month is the other side of the problem, less money to spend on discretionary things like eating out will kill restaraunts.

Another issue, specifically in this case, is that businesses here don't advertise very well. I saw the sign for Reminisce but had no idea what it was or why I'd want to go there. Maybe I just skip too much advertising these days. There's a bakery across from Singh's that's supposed to be very good but they don't even bother to put a sign up. I've never been, would likely go though if I knew what they sold.

Just some other thoughts.

That bakery is always so busy, they don't even have time to be marginally pleasant...it's just serve the customer, move the line. Their bread and pastries are very good, and they make some great sandwiches too...just don't expect a smile, LOL.

El Sol. The best value on STX.

I think stiphy hit the nail on the head. I loved Reminisce, too, but if demand can't keep up with supply, then something's got to give. And you can't blame the customer for choosing another way to spend their money, whether it's their phone bill or a meal at a different restaurant. If something is spectacular enough, people will find a way to fit it into their lives -- and that's harder to do in a place like St. Croix than it is elsewhere, where the cost of living isn't so disproportionate to the wages available.

I just watched "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," which is an excellent documentary about an 85 year old sushi chef whose little nondescript restaurant in a Tokyo subway station has been attracting customers for decades. They make reservations months in advance and pay upwards of $300 for a meal there because it is THAT good. You don't even necessarily have to be the best, but you do have to offer something that is more appealing than whatever else people might consider spending their money on, whether it's the food or the drinks or the atmosphere or whatever. It seems like it's hard to find that niche on St. Croix. The chicken shack is an example of a place that has found their niche. People think I'm crazy when I tell them I'm taking them to a cheap chicken place with no view, but they always want to go back for more because it's just that good. (It's also very visible and easy to stumble upon -- you can smell it and see the crowds as you go by, and that makes you want to stop.)

I'm sure this was multifactorial -- maybe if the place had been on the beach, had had more advertising, had lower prices, etc., it might have done better. It's hard to find that perfect combination of attributes that attract a crowd.

Pardon my rambling. I just don't think it's fair to say a business closure is the fault of the people who live on St. Croix. People spend money they don't have and go to all sorts of terrible neighborhoods in other parts of the world just to eat a great meal, so I think there's more to it than lazy and stingy people on St. Croix.

rotorhead, I agree, El Sol is the best value and great food. Love the chicken shack for the $5.50 plate.

"Pardon my rambling. I just don't think it's fair to say a business closure is the fault of the people who live on St. Croix. People spend money they don't have and go to all sorts of terrible neighborhoods in other parts of the world just to eat a great meal, so I think there's more to it than lazy and stingy people on St. Croix."

whoaaaa....nobody said anything about "lazy and stingy people on St. Croix"!!!!

I think you are all missing my point here...

The point I am trying to make is that, as a community, we need to support each other. Like I said, if every adult family with a car went out to dinner at a different local restaurant just once a month, no restaurant would close...it's as simple as that.

Now you can make all kinds of arguments to the contrary, and get all technical, but that does not keep the local businesses from closing their doors. Nobody is saying don't pay your bills, or that WAPA isn't high, or that times aren't hard...in hard times, you circle the wagons and make sure everyone survives.

I agree with Native Son,
There was an ad on the radio from SCUBA. It said the very same thing, shop locally, not buying what might be cheaper on-line. If you buy from them, their employees' can then afford to buy from you and maybe all will be able to, or not, pay their WAPA bills.

This reminds me of the joke email that was going around about the guy waking up to his alarm (made in China), making his coffee (in a machine made in Korea) ETC< ETC< ETC< and then is made because he can't find a job here in America.