Blanc Burgers & Bottles

[ChefColby]

TK, you're very right. About the personality of the restaurants. Yes they work best where they are. But the Olathe comment is not right....I would fail in a strip mall in Olathe serving the kind of food I do. People want Chili's in Olathe not foie gras...BUT Chili's failed in Westport! Because people in midtown want more honest food. The thing about the plaza is it can make both kinds of consumers happy.

Your final comment may be true, but I know a lot of restaurant owners and they all want money hand over fist.....That's why we are entrepreneurs..... 

[jdubwaldo]

A strip mall in Leawood, maybe for you.  The city would mourn. 

[ChefColby]

naaaa.....I'm stayn put.

[KC Sporting Life]

There's a really good resource relating to this very topic out there for restaurant owners, and entrepreneurs alike.  Danny Meyer owns about 10 restaurants in New York City, he opened his first, Union Square Cafe, in 1985 when he was 26 years old.  He's from St. Louis.  In 25 years, he's not closed a single business he started.  They're all different (no second locations or chains), they're all placed in perfect locations for what they are, and most importantly, they're all successful. 

He talks a lot about the misnomer of "location, location, location", and suggests an approach focusing on "context".  Keeping this in mind, the context of Westside Local in it's current location, is perfect.  A move or added second location, even to the Plaza, would probably hurt them.  The same would go for a lot of the local, funky, neighborhood-centric joints.  However, it's tough to put Blanc in that same category.  They didn't build that business around being a Westport institution.  They built a really good product that can, and has, appealed to a mass market.  In that context, the move to the Plaza was probably a really smart one. 

I personally like Danny Meyer's approach, where he caters each of his restaraunts to their surroundings, and makes them unique.  He's made quite a career out of that.  But I also think it's a lot more difficult to take that approach, than it is to come up with one really, really good idea, and just blow it up, get investors, open several of them, and capitalize on the popularity of that singular concept.  Blanc has that opportunity, they should definitely take advantage of it.

If anyone is interested, Danny's book is called "Setting the Table", and it's a great read if you're an entrepreneur, even if you're not in the restaurant biz.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Be that as it may, but it is ALL about location. I understand everyone's point here with the restaurants "selling out" but you fail to realize that a business is not a rock band. IMO some people that start rock bands want to be self loathing and hate business. Playing music is their way the express themselves in this money grubbing world.

You are disillusioned if you think small businesses and restaurants think this way.....We all want to be successful. Not fight the system. I guarantee Westside Local and myself would love to see the same success Blanc has seen. That's all I'm saying. We might not have made the same decisions, but putting a location in a high profile/high traffic area is not a bad business move.   

Boys start rock bands to get girls, pure and simple #1 reason.
People start a business to make a living.  They don't know if it will succeed or not but the hope is there.  And at times it is more successful than they ever hoped it would be.  And with that success what they planned to do at the beginning changes.  And I would think an overwhelming success with your operation would give you second thoughts about your future.

[bbqboy]

Boys start rock bands to get girls, pure and simple #1 reason.
People start a business to make a living.  They don't know if it will succeed or not but the hope is there.  And at times it is more successful than they ever hoped it would be.   And with that success what they planned to do at the beginning changes.  And I would think an overwhelming success with your operation would give you second thoughts about your future.

in a good way! 

[rxlexi]

tried the "new" Blanc, sat at the bar for a late lunch last week and had the Au Poivre burger and spinach salad and an Old Rasputin.  Food was great as always (though the burgers can be somewhat inconsistent, this one was fantastic - juicy, peppery and just the right size).  Salad was very good - I think the au poivre and spinach salad is my favorite combo at Blanc, in fact.

  I really like the new space!  They've done a great job given the inherent limitations of the basement location.  Would like to see some cool flourescent light bars or other type of atmospheric lighting out in the little tunnel b/w the parking garage and street, however. 

  Big fan of the huge new bar (I think Blanc is a great "eat at the bar" restaurant), and can't wait for the patio.  It certainly feels different than the old location, however, more of a "Restaurant" than a somewhat hip "local beer and burger place", but the volume of customers had clearly outgrown the old Westport location, which was frequently crowded with people standing around the bar and front door area waiting for tables.  I say good for them, Blanc is fast becoming a local favorite.

[KC Sporting Life]

http://ow.ly/1qi43

Blanc plans to open new concept B:2 in Summit Fair.

[LenexatoKCMO]

http://ow.ly/1qi43

Blanc plans to open new concept B:2 in Summit Fair.

And you guys thought the Plaza move was a sell out . . .    Next they will be announcing their new outlet in the Oak Park Mall food court. 

[DaveKCMO]

or perhaps an actual outlet in the legends that sells the hamburgers no one wants.

[nilsson1941]

http://ow.ly/1qi43

Blanc plans to open new concept B:2 in Summit Fair.

They should open that up in Westport...

[Joe Smith]

I read that Blanc got the McDonald's burger statue moved to their spot.

I guess he didn't fit in well in front of a noodle joint.

Good news though. I like it.

[Jess]

The signage is up at Summit Fair, although the inside isn't set up yet.  Was next door to it at Sakura last night. 

[trailerkid]

Thomas Keller ate @ Blanc in Leawood over the weekend.

[butter_breath]

Wasn't he there pimping a new housewife book or something like that in Leawood? Adhoc something?

[ChefColby]

Yea it was the Adhoc book...

[butter_breath]

Good for him and Blanc, shows he has good taste.

[jdubwaldo]

I heart Thomas Keller.....

Mister Waldo and I went to blanc at 7 on Friday night, there was soccer moms and rugrats galore, the pace was jam packed.  1 hour wait, so we went to Jack Gage instead.  I couldn't get a bison burger out of my mind, so we went back on Saturday at 4 PM.  This was awesome, there were probably 10 people in the entire place.  We caught a movie at Cinemark and went back around 7 for an adult shake.  It was even more packed than Friday so we went to a spot near our house for drinks instead.

Lessons learned
1. blanc will NEVER be dead to me.
2. I will only even think about going there at a really random time to avoid the mayhem.

[LenexatoKCMO]

2. I will only even think about going there at a really random time to avoid the mayhem.

Yeah we tried to go over the weekend and we were told at least an hour.  O'Douds it was.  I wouldn't wait an hour for a hamburger if it was made by Chef Jesus himself.  I guess we will have to go back on a monday night of somesuch. 

[PumpkinStalker]

http://www.kctv5.com/video/23068181/index.html

Apparently they're offering some discounts to celebrate they're win among 60 some other contestants.