Why I'm Supporting Mellow Mushroom in Avondale

[Steve]

The entire pizza section is a kids menu. As well as an adults. Most pizza places don't have a huge kids menu.

[Steve]

And as far as the pin wall, in talking to them it was basically a design flaw. First of all, it goes to the floor so kids were trying to climb it. And second, it pushes back into a narrow server area, so the placement wasn't the best

[Steve]

Well no, the entire pizza menu isn't kid-friendly, but again, find me a large kids menu at any pizza place.

[funwithteeth]

Apache, you know you can get something as simple as a regular pepperoni pizza there, right? It's under the Build Your Own section (or whatever they call it).

[Overstreet]

well just observationally, when I was there a few days ago, it was simply crawling with children.  Including whole tables of teens and pre teens having pizza while their parents sat at nearby tables.

I get that, and I'm sure people go in with their kids. But, wouldn't you agree it was really pushed as "Family Friendly"? It came on all at once and many many people started referring to it as such. It surely had to have been PR Firm generated, my opinion.
I mean the bar seems to be the big focus to me. The "Pie Bar" sign is more prevalent than the MM sign in my opinion. It's front and center. I had someone ask me if I knew what the Pie Bar was and they didn't even realize it was Mellow Mushroom. They didn't go in of course, just driving by.
They have a kids menu with 4 items, and one of those items is a pretzel, not much of a meal. It's not like they have any games or anything that kids use, it's no different than Brick or Biscottis or Mojos as far as kids go. They have that cool pin wall thing but kids aren't supposed to touch it. Kids dig firetrucks but that's used as a table, and the kids get shooed away from it when the inevitably go to climb on it, because someone is eating there.
My anecdotal evidence is that anytime I go or am invited to meet up there it's to meet at the bar and maybe have an app.
Not that I really care, it's a good, cool looking bar, and it's busy and fun.
As I've stated before, I just find the Family friendly motto just as disingenuous as the WLA propaganda. Yeah, kids like pizza but this is an adult pizza joint and bar with an adult menu and flavor profile. Nothing wrong with that, call it what it is.

So does this mean that "Family friendly" is one that is all for entertaining the kids like a Chuckie Cheese  and the majority of neighborhood pizza parlors across the country aren't kid friendly?

[fieldafm]

Is Moon River kid friendly? Maybe, maybe more so, they give your kids a hunk of dough to play with and throw all over.

Mellow does that. I believe that the Jacksonville franchisee made that a nationwide push for other Mellow franchises. They also have the standard coloring pages/crayons that say an Applebees (which touts itself as kid friendly) does.

I'd also add that Red Elephant doesn't have a fire truck that kids play in, nor a massive pin wall that kids can also play with.

If using the percentage of alcohol sales as a litmus test, then I would submit that a place like Applebees would fail miserably as a 'family-friendly' restaurant despite the considerable advertising suggesting that it is.

[Tacachale]

Not to pile on, but I'm not sure I quite understand this complaint. Maybe the Avondale MM is different (haven't been yet) but my family takes their variously-aged kids to the Beaches and Southside locations all the time. I wouldn't describe them as any less "family friendly" than any other similar restaurant, though they do have better drinks for when aunt and uncle tag along. Perhaps it's "extended family friendly".

[Know Growth]

  I'm looking forward to getting stoned when marijuana is finally legal, then head to the Fire Truck.
Gosh...used to get my hair cut just steps away.Just can't seem to Do The Fire Truck. As if some Central Florida TouristTheme feature. Best experienced in Altered State;Avondale Tourist! Merchandising!!
Sheesh.Twenty years in and around the Shoppes has been,,,,,well,,,,,,,,a "Trip".

MM Alcohol setting might be key hinge in shifting MM off of "Fast Food" establishment profile-the presence of "Fast Food" facilities tends to denigrate area under "Best Place" review.So yes,let's Bow in enthusiastic ineptitude.

Keep Walking!

The premise that a vacant lot ('corner',gas station no less!) could be,should be transformed was a given.
The photo accompanying the original post is Myopic.Understandably,although in this case,not excusably.
THEN WHAT?
What would the outcome have been without the meddling of the pesky NIMBY,RAP and the Firewall We Love Avondale? Few here can recount the complete suite of rezone Request scenario(*).What Might Had Been Had The Applicant Enjoyed Free Reign.
And my personal favorite: What if the rezone, business package was limited solely to the corner parcel,rather than adjacent Towne?
What if the $$$$ paid for a hair salon,other speculative forces,aspirations had been lessened, so that a certain 'lessened' "Scale" could have been accommodated? Gosh, why a big chunk of the corner property might in fact have escaped consignment to parking Slot.

(* for instance) On the other hand,roof top live music,well in the wee morning hours,scientifically attenuated noise disruption reduction,would have been cool.Who knew?! "Scale" and 'Parking' drove the outcome.

Could we muster yet another MM scale development at the Shoppes,or was MM  the race for what was left?
Tragedy Of The Commons? 
The great thing is,other than about a three block circle,for the vast majority of RAP land owners who comprise the RAP area majority land use designation (**),none of what goes on at the Shoppes really matters as far as direct negative impacts.

Above all,I thank The Know Growth God I never did buy that house on Pine Street.





(**) Residential

[Know Growth]

well perhaps there is something available back in North Miami, the old hometown?

North Miami was a good education.Lucky Me!

[MEGATRON]

Well, this is an interesting complaint.  Not kid friendly, despite the place packed with families at supper time.