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Any insights on why they decided to close?

Building and business have both been for sale for the better part of a year anyway. If the business is closing and not being taken over by new owners, they probably found a buyer for just the building.

Editing just to add: most likely buyer is the table talk pies development that is happening right next door to smokestack. I would expect this building to get knocked down and absorbed into that project

I’ve been there 3 times. 2 times they were out of brisket. Idk how that’s possible for a smokehouse. The 3rd time the pulled pork was ice cold. Not surprised about this in the slightest

Nooooii! Not the brisket ruben! That was one of my favorite entrees in the city!

☹️

Literally my exact thoughts, I could do without everything else but the Brisket Ruben was great

Reuben

Go to BT's in Sturbridge for an amazing brisket reuben

While it might be “sad” they really weren’t that great. I ate an event they catered (wedding) and was blown away by the quality but the restaurant always let me down. The pulled pork was meh, the brisket often out or fatty, the pork ribs cold, the list goes on.

The Dive Bar supposedly went because the lease went up after the WooSox came in. Is a lot of this other stuff unintended consequences of higher leases? Just guessing, but curious.

Dive owner wanted out of that place for a while. Focused on Armsby.

Such a shame. That's the original Sir Morgan's Cove

After going to the one in Worcester- I'm all set. That place is a dump. Food is horrible.

Bucks, Hangover, the Dive, Rock Bar, now Smokestacks.

Thought the WooSox would help the area- seems to be doing the opposite.

Ok maybe I’ll have to, The menu for the worcester location isn’t very big so I wasn’t sure what the original location’s menu would be

The Worcester one is absolutely terrible. The Sturbridge one is legit though.

Went there twice, and one time it was only for the chicken sandwich.

The original sir Morgan's cove is a different project a little further down green away from Kelley square. The table talk pies one is to the left of smokestack as your facing it. One of the reasons I'm guessing smokestack won't be a restaurant in the future is because the parking lot to the left of their building belonged to table talk and was being taken from their use as part of the new development next to the ball field.

Try BT's fried chicken and bbq on park. Brisket is great, and on thursday's they do burnt ends!

I'll blame just waking up for my spelling mistakes haha

Yeah That area definitely seems to not be growing, hopefully when all the construction and demolition finishes on the surrounding land we get more stuff

Cafe Neo, right across Kelley Square, also just announced that their landlord is looking to push them out to build apartments there instead.

I know better than to blame Polar Park exclusively (COVID and inflation definitely factor in) but yeah it's definitely not helping.

That chicken sandwich is a fucking steal though, I tell you what.

generic ass places like “rock bar” can gtfo. Bucks, Hangover, Smokestack were all 2.5/5 restaurants.

Doesn't matter the restaurant- the big complaint was the games routinely killed business because there was no parking for customers and no one wants to pay 20 bucks to go have a drink.

The games bring 4000+ cars to the area. Where they all supposed to park? The lot owners and city capitalized on it, raised fees but then left no parking for anyone wanting to go to area to eat or drink.

They aren't gonna solve the problem by putting in more businesses when there is no available parking.

Wait 4,000 cars per game is that accurate? I never have a problem finding street parking. Bad restaurants close.

Seats about 9508 people, then include employees and workers etc....that's a low estimate. City said in article it was closer to 5000

The garage across from the stadium was open this year. Dunno if it was enough to alleviate the parking issue, but it's worth noting.

But more to your point - it doesn't matter if these restaurants weren't winning fuckin James Beard awards or whatever, three (going on four) businesses in one neighborhood all closing down within a two month period is a pattern that can't reasonably be ignored.

Focused on being a sanctimonious self absorbed utterly generic dudebro fuckwad too.

Many of the games are/were paper sellouts but actual in person attendance is often much lower. As in like 2500 people. They sold a bunch of season Tix that don't get used.

I think most, if not all, already have new tenants/businesses coming in, so it may just be restaurant turnover.

Place was ass let’s just call it what it is

The way to solve the problem is making it convenient for people to get to the area without taking a car.

Preach

This!

Have you or anyone tries the new bbq spot in barre? Kinda curious

Negative, grasshopper.

Actually places run out of Brisket all the time.

Also 6:30 game times are stupid. Have you tried to go after work? If you care about getting there for 1st pitch there's no way you are eating in the neighborhood. That half hour/ 45 minutes would make all the difference.

And now Maddie’s has announced that they are closing