The Daily Times has an excellent article in today's paper about the Atlantic Hotel closing in berlin HERE.
This is a shame as my Wife and I spent many wonderful and memorable evenings dining at their restaurant and hanging out during their Fiddlers Conventions there year after year.
One of the claims from a former employee was that they had changed it too much in recent years and the cost to dine there was simply too much. I beg to differ. Granted, it was more expensive than Burger King but let me assure you, the food was always fantastic and I had never once heard of anyone having a bad meal there, unless things have changed?
One of the key problems, (in my opinion) we see all too often on the Eastern Shore is, you have to REMIND people that you're even there. If you're off the beat and path, you have to go out and get that business. You have to have a mailing list of everyone that patronized there and send them specials and or ways to encourage them to come back. Especially during tough economic times.
Berlin is one of the coolest little Towns on the Eastern Shore and Hollywood even thought so by shooting at least two movies in that Town. Nevertheless, they talk about reopening some day but they're not sure when. I told you Folks, put on that seat belt because times are only going to get tougher. This will be a big loss for Berlin and one can only hope the Owners pull it back together and bring that charm back to those who truly enjoy it.
20 comments:
think about the brides and grooms who have put deposits down at this place for weddings in 2009... my best friend is one of them, and it appears they are going to not only be out the deposit, but the location they had dreamed about... not good.
"The Daily Times has an excellent article in today's paper"
Never thought I would EVER read something like that on here. ;)
I am SHOCKED! I had no idea it was closing, and just ate there a month ago. We actually went to berlin to eat at Solstice, the little shop behnd it, this weekend and figured it was closed for the season. I am so sad about this!
Joe, You are exactly right on with your comments. In business you have to go the extra mile to stay ahead of your competition. Thanking your patrons just isn't enough, I went to a family bithday party recently in a local restaurant where a 15% tip was included on my bill due to the number of family members that were there. I paid my bill and handed the waitress $20.00 and thanked her for her service. She handed it back to me and said the tip was already attached. I told her that was in addition to the tip. My wife and I went to the bar to have a drink and the waitress maybe not old enough asked the owner if she could buy my wife and I a drink. In addition, she came over and thanked us again. I don't expect someone to buy me a drink but I do want to be appreciated for being there.
Great restaurant, this is a shame. They made it so nice after they cleared all the victorian crap out.
I'm not schocked in the least...I am sorry to see it go but I work for a company that supplies them with products and they've written us 2 bad checks now and we can't even get them to make good on them...so its no surprise they are closing...hopefully they will make the checks they wrote to us good before they leave...lol
The AH restaurant had a much better meal for the price than that grossly expensive steak place at the Riddle Farm.
Runaway Bride
The Atlantic Hotel is not "Off the path." It is right in the heart of Berlin. Maybe its not close enough for folks from Salisbury to frequent the establishment, but people still go there. Look at places like Boonies and The Redroost-they truly are of the trail, but people still keep going back despite their lack of advertising and PR. If you simply provide a good service at a reasonable price, people will come back, over and over.
I personally would like to think that there was possibly poor business practices coupled with the lack of downtown activity, but we'll never know unless the owner's/management come out with it. I can tell you this much though - every single space above those store fronts in Downtown Berlin is VACANT! Years back P&Z nixed the Residential/Commercial Mixed use in the Main Street area inorder to preserve EDU's. Then the developers and local sell outs (not going to say who, but if you know Berlin Politics then you know who I'm talking about) come in with all their plans for neighborhoods (All of which are currently failing) and use up all the available EDU's even after the WWTP upgrades. The planning commission is a push over for new development and ignore their downtown historic heritage. And the Council now has Developer/Land Owner Troy Purnell elected as a member-Now I wonder what his priorities are? It certainly isn't Main Street Rehab... Now, when folks mention mixed uses downtown, the local business owner's are so brainwashed that they are against it due to lack of parking and fear of crowding, thus losing more foot traffic and exposure. It's a true shame...let's just sprawl out, destroy our natural surroundings, leave behind heritage and make it even harder to fix...
Now Joe, if you think that the Bury has problems, try keeping up with Berlin politics-You'd never sleep!
The Tenderloin tips were great.
Thinl Mal-Mart helped???
I think the Bury and Berlin have alot in common when it comes to developers vs heritage!
Berlin has a rich history. Some historians say that the name Berlin (supposed to be pronounces BER'lin) evolved from an old stage coach stop known as Burleigh Inn. Some time later the Atlantic Hotel was actually a bordello and was permitted to become run down. I've seen the old brown and white photo's of the AH with prostitutes hanging out the windows. I can remember when I started as a young police officer there. My Chief was Billy Joe Mays. We had all just gotten Beretta 92F semi auto's and he was still carrying an old - very old - ancient six shooter in a holster that swung down near his knee. Everyone else wore Stetson hats and he wore a milkman style hat. He was old. He would sit and nap in a rocking chair on the front porch of the Atlantic Hotel and the tourists would take photos. On daylight shift we would walk foot patrol downtown marking tires with chalk and writing parking tickets (or else Billy Joe would be mad). At night we were footchasing crack dealers on Bay and Flower Sts. The tourist had no idea and neither did the town council. I remember hearing the tourists make comments that we were like Mayberry. Maybe we were, but what a great little town that was. And to think that one of the men I trained is now the Chief - they couldn't have chosen a better man. Genuine. Honest. Man of integrity. Wow. What a trip down memory lane that was. Thanks.
Joe:
The restaurant (Solstice) was great for this area, so why don't you buy the old train station and do a deal with them to get some good eats here in the 'Bury?
anonymous 7:21,
Do I look like I need to open up a restaurant and go back to work? No.
I've done my time running businesses and am retired.
As for the old Union Station, Been there, done that. I had a contract on that building once, NEVER AGAIN.
Joe,
I knew to believe you when you said that we should all put on our seat belts.Folks, it's only going to get worse.I heard on the news last night that our country's deficit is now over 1 trillion dollars.I am so sad that the Alantic has closed...I hope that in time the owners can recover and atleast keep it at it's original beauty as maybe a visitors center/historical site.
It is indeed the end of the world as we know it.Happy New year,huh?
Doesn't shock me at all. I tried hosting a wedding reception there, even had a meeting with the owner, but the guy never got back to us. Ended up taking my business somewhere else.
Not only they lost the opportunity to make some big money during their low season, but they also lost the business of my family and friends.
Small businesses are struggling everywhere, but if you don't know how to run a business, then you only have yourself to blame.
These ******** sold us gift certificates just before Christmas, and I'm sure they knew they were going out of business. This is fraud and it will be reported
I proposed to my wife in that dining room 14 years ago this year. With a room full of smiling onlookers, and me as a younger man, sweating so much the ring almost fell out of my hand. I set it up with the waitress ahead of time and had a covered tray filled with roses and babys breath with the ring box set in the middle. My wife thought it was the desert coming out, until I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me and lifted the lid off the tray. I took her back for out 5 year anniversary, and now wish I took her for our 10 year. Although I know it was expensive, the food was fantastic and presented well. Its sad to think my wife and I wont be going back. I had hoped to take our daughter when she got a little older and tell her how it happened. Well, at anyt rate, as they say "thanks for the memories".
Before you completely fly off the handle, I heard others had deposits on Wedding Receptions and so forth and got their money back. Ask and maybe you'll be surprised.
Two Sentz,
I've actually said that a few times about them. It's not often they beat me top a good story any more and when they do I recognize them for such.
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