From the Forums: A Bastion of Silliness
October 21st, 2009 | by Clay Gump | Published in Businesses | 6 Comments
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Our post on the new possible location for the College Perk brought a few interesting observations.
“Please say it ain’t so” got things riled up with this post.
Ok the folks who ran the original place had issues with confronting the basic reality of doing business, like getting permits and paying taxes and rent with without getting all sorts of wacky. If they even manged to start up I doubt they have the ability to function over the long term. Due to their established track record of not being able to rationally function within the base line realm of the business world I’d say this is a losing proposition.
Shea Hickman’s response below the fold.
I’m always amused when people who have never operated a successful restaurant hold forth on the business savvy of those who have. Before the Perk became the target of a scam foreclosure company, it successfully operated for nearly five years, employed at one time or another over 200 people, and paid over 120 grand each year in taxes. By all measures it was a successful venture before it closed (first by a small fire, and then by the aforementioned scam foreclosure folks).
But here’s the main point – the Perk, while it was open, was a bastion of culture, community, and eclectic silliness in the College Park region (as well as a great economic engine). The city is a far poorer place without it – literally and figuratively – and if it can come back in any form, in any manner, even if you (gasp) have to travel a tiny bit to get there, that would be a very good thing.
No matter what side you fall on you can check out THIS website to get more info. Personally I would rather have one College Perk than 5 Starbucks.
October 21st, 2009 at 9:13 pm (#)
I still unwaveringly stand by my original post. No need to flaunt my cred (20 years in retail and food services as well as being self employed in a sole proprietorship) but I am in a position to offer business critique. Especially on the basics I mentioned.
However that being said I whole heartedly agree with Mr. Gump who states “Personally I would rather have one College Perk than 5 Starbucks.”
I’m also in agreement with the the eloquent Mr. Gump quote: “the Perk, while it was open, was a bastion of culture, community, and eclectic silliness in the College Park region (as well as a great economic engine). The city is a far poorer place without it – literally and figuratively – and if it can come back in any form, in any manner, even if you (gasp) have to travel a tiny bit to get there, that would be a very good thing.”
I will sign the online petition supporting the Perk’s rebirth. Who knows I might be surprised to find my critique was unfounded. Maybe the gift of a new start for the Perk will bring the clarity of best business practice for the owners. Not to mention a place close to home to hang out at since I am too old for the silly kiddie bars in town and Charbucks don’t cut it for me either.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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October 21st, 2009 at 10:18 pm (#)
Sorry, can’t take credit for the “eclectic silliness” quote. That was all from Mr. Hickman.
Good post though “say it aint so.” You brought up very valid points worth thinking about. Your critique is good. If we were talking about a chain restaurant nobody would care, but because its the Perk I think we all want it to succeed. It is like when only your good friends and family will tell you when your zipper is down. (Did you all just check your zipper? I did. :)
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October 21st, 2009 at 11:33 pm (#)
I must do a better job of editing my posts. Thank you Mr. Gump for catching my typo. I did mean in all respect to quote the eloquent Mr. Hickman regarding the absence of the Perk.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 1:50 am (#)
Seeing the responses of the like/dislike clicks it seems that The Perk has a passionate online following. This is a good thing.
However, I’d suggest to all of the people clicking on the “dislike” tab on any post that isn’t a glowing review of The Perk that they post their own observations/comments as well. Members of the College Park City Council do read this site and they do seem to take suggestions from it.
I know that The Perk had problems with a property dispute, I hadn’t heard that there was any sort of scam involved. If somebody could provide some more information, I’d love to read it.
I think most everyone that visits this site would love to see College Perk open again. But, using the same play on words, “Rethink College Perk” has to involve thoughts and ideas from all sides. Moving into the 94th space is a hugely ambitious idea given the:
“spectacular fine dining area, a banquet hall, and an indoor music stage for dinner theatre style concerts.” Also, “A Green Roof,
Enhanced Recycling,
Solar,
Herb Gardens,
Free Meeting Space for Civic Associations and Student Groups,
Blues Jams,
Wine Tastings and Wine Dinners,
A Showcase for Local Musicians,
and Lots More!”
Why wouldn’t people be skeptical of the success of this idea? It’s a huge undertaking, and College Park is a fickle place.
I want it to happen, I signed the petition, hell, right when I found out about the petition I sent it in to this site. I also feel it’s up for discussion, and that means opposing views as well.
Just to make it clear, good luck getting access to the 94th space, College Perk.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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October 31st, 2009 at 10:52 am (#)
My experiences at the Perk have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, as have many others. I applaud their interest in starting over but wonder about the sense in overloading their overhead with various good intentioned but super expensive ideas like solar panels(concentrate on low hanging fruit, not glam). Fine dining is best left to the professionals, not the hacks(sorry, hope this doesn’t hurt too much). Though the perk was one of my favorite haunts, someone needs to come in and make serious improvements to this plan for it to work well. I have a wide range of experiences in the industry involved but don’t have 100 hours a week of my time to make this a success. In spite of this, I wish the folks involved great success and would be a patron if I halfway liked the results.
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November 20th, 2009 at 3:46 am (#)
College Perk didn’t appear to be run well, I think it’s funny they want to start on a new enterprise of such a higher scale.
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