Back Creek Bistro Closing

[Merlin]

From their website:

*** NOTICE ***
Dear Friends,
I have decided to close the Bistro. The final open day will be Saturday, October 24, 2015.
After 5+ glorious years of having the best restaurant guests and friends in Southern Maryland, it is time for me to end this thrill ride.
I very much appreciate your patronage over the years and I especially value your friendship.
We at the Bistro would love to have a final opportunity to serve you and to thank you for making the Bistro a special place. I hope you can stop by this week for dinner, a drink, and a little music.
Your host,
Fitz

 

[Hank]

Dang....Off the beaten path and no advertising is my guess, because they have great food & atmosphere.

 

[Merlin]

Dang....Off the beaten path and no advertising is my guess, because they have great food & atmosphere.

Yeah. Another of my favorites closing. Bistro Belle Maison at The Blue Heron Inn is closing in Nov too.

 

[kom526]

Dang....Off the beaten path and no advertising is my guess, because they have great food & atmosphere.

Couldn't agree more. That's the Bistro and Cafe Des Artistes closing down in SoMD. I guess if you want a date night restaurant, maybe you could get a corner booth at Olive Garden.

 

[vraiblonde]

This is such a weird area for restaurants. Higher end military - it's not like Pax is a basic training camp - and government, who've been all over and are presumably a bit more sophisticated than average, educated, making good money....yet unremarkable restaurants like Applebee's have a line out the door waiting to get in and Back Creek Bistro is empty.

I don't understand this.

I've been around the country a good bit and seriously have never seen anything like it. In most places the local restaurants are the big draw, packed on Fri/Sat, and the chains are low man on the totem pole. SoMD really is unique in its dislike of anything out of the ordinary and unfamiliar. And you can't even blame the "born-heres" because they're actually better about supporting non-chain restaurants than the come-heres.

So this is a real request:

Examine your restaurant habits and please tell me why you prefer chain restaurants over locally owned ones. That question has baffled me forever. I'm not going to judge you, I promise. I'm really interested in this phenomenon.

 

[kwillia]

This is such a weird area for restaurants. Higher end military - it's not like Pax is a basic training camp - and government, who've been all over and are presumably a bit more sophisticated than average, educated, making good money....yet unremarkable restaurants like Applebee's have a line out the door waiting to get in and Back Creek Bistro is empty.

I don't understand this.

I've been around the country a good bit and seriously have never seen anything like it. In most places the local restaurants are the big draw, packed on Fri/Sat, and the chains are low man on the totem pole. SoMD really is unique in its dislike of anything out of the ordinary and unfamiliar. And you can't even blame the "born-heres" because they're actually better about supporting non-chain restaurants than the come-heres.

So this is a real request:

Examine your restaurant habits and please tell me why you prefer chain restaurants over locally owned ones. That question has baffled me forever. I'm not going to judge you, I promise. I'm really interested in this phenomenon.

First thing that comes to mind for me... convenience and wait time are more important to me than uniqueness and atmosphere. The chains typically have more room more cooks and can therefore offer quicker seating and service.

 

[officeguy]

Examine your restaurant habits and please tell me why you prefer chain restaurants over locally owned ones. That question has baffled me forever. I'm not going to judge you, I promise. I'm really interested in this phenomenon.

- consistency, I know what I get
- better service
- not closed on the day I want to eat there.

I have tried to eat a crab-cake or rockfish at most of the waterfront seafood places in St Marys and Charles. Along the way, I have eaten some really rancid food served by slow and unmotivated servers.

Never made it to Back Creek, but for the most part, chain restaurants rule in this area because the independents suck.

 

[vraiblonde]

I just got off the phone with Im_Me and she says that it's because local restaurants tend not to advertise and people don't realize they're there. Is that it? The owners need to step up their marketing game?

 

[GWguy]

This is such a weird area for restaurants. Higher end military - it's not like Pax is a basic training camp - and government, who've been all over and are presumably a bit more sophisticated than average, educated, making good money....yet unremarkable restaurants like Applebee's have a line out the door waiting to get in and Back Creek Bistro is empty.

I don't understand this.

I've been around the country a good bit and seriously have never seen anything like it. In most places the local restaurants are the big draw, packed on Fri/Sat, and the chains are low man on the totem pole. SoMD really is unique in its dislike of anything out of the ordinary and unfamiliar. And you can't even blame the "born-heres" because they're actually better about supporting non-chain restaurants than the come-heres.

So this is a real request:

Examine your restaurant habits and please tell me why you prefer chain restaurants over locally owned ones. That question has baffled me forever. I'm not going to judge you, I promise. I'm really interested in this phenomenon.

The only chain I frequent on a regular basis is Panera for b'fast. Need my bagel fix. I much prefer to visit local-owner restaurants for dinner.

I've said it before; people around here prefer mediocrity. When I travel, I never use chain stores. Just too much good food and great places to eat.

 

[Hank]

I just got off the phone with Im_Me and she says that it's because local restaurants tend not to advertise and people don't realize they're there. Is that it? The owners need to step up their marketing game?

You could have saved a phone call and read post #2....

 

[GWguy]

First thing that comes to mind for me... convenience and wait time are more important to me than uniqueness and atmosphere. The chains typically have more room more cooks and can therefore offer quicker seating and service.

See, I'd rather have a slower, relaxed meal with unique offerings as opposed to get in, get out.

 

[kwillia]

Oh and I'd like to add that whenever I'm visiting my sis in Frederick we very rarely eat at a chain. In fact, my first night there we always go to a family owned Mexican Restaurant that has been in business for decades. The owner knows this so its no rare for him to bring our drinks and put our order in before a waiter has a chance to hit our table. The recipes are "family originals", food always delish never tasting like something I can get at another Mexican place, service spot on and plenty of seating so rarely a wait. I don't feel that way about places around here.

 

[Midnightrider]

This is such a weird area for restaurants. Higher end military - it's not like Pax is a basic training camp - and government, who've been all over and are presumably a bit more sophisticated than average, educated, making good money....yet unremarkable restaurants like Applebee's have a line out the door waiting to get in and Back Creek Bistro is empty.

I don't understand this.

I've been around the country a good bit and seriously have never seen anything like it. In most places the local restaurants are the big draw, packed on Fri/Sat, and the chains are low man on the totem pole. SoMD really is unique in its dislike of anything out of the ordinary and unfamiliar. And you can't even blame the "born-heres" because they're actually better about supporting non-chain restaurants than the come-heres.

So this is a real request:

Examine your restaurant habits and please tell me why you prefer chain restaurants over locally owned ones. That question has baffled me forever. I'm not going to judge you, I promise. I'm really interested in this phenomenon.

We just don't have that many really good local places. I have said for about ten years that somd is a great place if you are looking for a mediocre meal. CD café is one of the few places that has been consistently good for any length of time. I know most people rave about back creek but my experience was hit or miss there. We kept it on the occasionally list, but didn't go this year.

Still, jerry's place is usually busy on Friday and Saturday nights, so a really good restaurant does dra them in.
We go out of our way for good mom and pop joints when we hear about them, but we are pretty critical too.
I think many don't want to spend a bunch on a blah meal when they can get a standardized meal at a chain.

BTW, Warner robins, ga is the same way. Their chains are busy as hell and we only found one decent 'area' restaurant in the week we were there

 

[kwillia]

You could have saved a phone call and read post #2....

I don't think that any amount of advertising by Bistro would have convinced folks from our area to head over there for dinner when there are really a good number of choices in our area that are also not chains. Let's say me and hubby pack up and drive there for dinner... then what? A long drive home or to where else we would head for the rest of the evenings entertainment.

 

[kwillia]

We just don't have that many really good local places. I have said for about ten years that somd is a great place if you are looking for a mediocre meal. CD café is one of the few places that has been consistently good for any length of time. I know most people rave about back creek but my experience was hit or miss there. We kept it on the occasionally list, but didn't go this year.

Still, jerry's place is usually busy on Friday and Saturday nights, so a really good restaurant does dra them in.
We go out of our way for good mom and pop joints when we hear about them, but we are pretty critical too.
I think many don't want to spend a bunch on a blah meal when they can get a standardized meal at a chain.

BTW, Warner robins, ga is the same way. Their chains are busy as hell and we only found one decent 'area' restaurant in the week we were there

I often meet a good friend of mine on the island that LOVES CD Café... we very rarely chose to meet there because the seating is so limited that our time would be up before we had a chance to catch up with each other and we'd have to get it in a go box.

 

[vraiblonde]

I often meet a good friend of mine on the island that LOVES CD Café... we very rarely chose to meet there because the seating is so limited that our time would be up before we had a chance to catch up with each other and we'd have to get it in a go box.

That's why I don't go to CD Cafe - the food is outstanding, but the dining area is so tiny and tables are all jammed together, it's just not comfortable. Yet they'd be taking a huge chance by going into a larger building because perhaps that little room is all they can fill in this area. Jerry's is the same way: excellent food but teeny little dining room and you feel like you have to hurry up and eat and give up your table to the people waiting.

I'm examining my own dining habits and I'm a creature of habit like everyone else. We eat out maybe twice a week, and choose our favorites to the exclusion of trying something new. I need to stop that, especially since we're leaving in spring.

 

[kwillia]

Oh yeah, one other thing comes to mind... our area is full of folks that want non-chain restaurants to be like Burger King and do it there way. I can't remember which non-chain it was, but it was in Leonardtown along the strip by Salsas and someone was on here posting that their "house burger" which the menu c stated was made with their own ranch based recipe tasted of too much ranch and they were pissed when they said something to the manager/owner and were told that they weren't going to change the recipe. Seriously, dude! Order something else next time and get over yourself!

 

[kom526]

-

I have tried to eat a crab-cake or rockfish at most of the waterfront seafood places in St Marys and Charles. Along the way, I have eaten some really rancid food served by slow and unmotivated servers.

So you've been to the Lighthouse too, I see.

 

[Hank]

So you've been to the Lighthouse too, I see.

 

[Monello]

BTW, Warner robins, ga is the same way. Their chains are busy as hell and we only found one decent 'area' restaurant in the week we were there

Years ago on travel down there we ate at a place not far from base. The lunch was served family style. Everyone eating out of big bowls of food. Very country style food. Fried chicken, ham, etc.

I needed a nap that afternoon.