It looks like the Blind (Salty) Fig has shut down and will reopen as the Blind Rabbit. It may be a good business decision based on the Blind Rabbit reviews I have heard compared to the Blind (Salty) Fig.
(http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x355/Lucasjj/IMG_20140803_161355.jpg) (http://s1177.photobucket.com/user/Lucasjj/media/IMG_20140803_161355.jpg.html)
Awesome! Blind Rabbit is a really really cool place!
Will they be serving rabbit?
As long as I can still get the pork belly and fried oyster sandwich, we're cool.
Quote from: funwithteeth on August 05, 2014, 07:08:09 AM
As long as I can still get the pork belly and fried oyster sandwich, we're cool.
I'm pretty sure they have the fried oyster sandwich at the Blind Rabbit at the beach so you should be good to go- assuming they are going to have the same menu.
How are the burgers at Blind Rabbit in comparison with some of the other fast casual spots like M Shack and Smashburger?
Rabbit is in my top 6 burgers in town- up there with Black Sheep, Moxie, Funkadelic Food Truck (awesome burger, most people don't know about), Pinegrove and Colonel Mustards. Ranking them is futile, so I just prefer to put them in groups.
The Rabbit's burgers are bigger than M Shack, for comparison.
Never been to Smashburger.
In addition to rebranding the Blind Fig as the Blind Rabbit... they will also be bringing the food truck out again, under the Blind Rabbit namesake.
Quote from: thelakelander on August 05, 2014, 10:14:14 AM
How are the burgers at Blind Rabbit in comparison with some of the other fast casual spots like M Shack and Smashburger?
Totally different. These are "pub" burgers. Thicker with a lot of crazy topping combos. Like a Poe's Tavern. Not cheap either. $10 - $14 a burger.
But cheaper than the Fig was. which is more proving my point, Jax ain't got enough $$$ to sustain too many better dining restaurants without chain support...
Overpriced, definitely. They make a decent burger, but not $15 decent.
Quote from: funwithteeth on August 05, 2014, 10:55:35 AM
Overpriced, definitely. They make a decent burger, but not $15 decent.
Anyone know why 5 Guys in Riverside closed? was it price? They had one of the best burgers in town for flavor...
Quote from: funwithteeth on August 05, 2014, 10:55:35 AM
Overpriced, definitely. They make a decent burger, but not $15 decent.
I'm glad someone said it. I love to support the mom & pop shops, but this place is vastly overrated. The Loop makes a far superior burger for far less.
You're really paying for the "cool/hipster" atmosphere though.
Speaking as someone who works in branding/marketing, they probably should settle on one name for a while and really invest time into growing their brand. Salty Fig had a lot of good equity, it's a shame they renamed it after spending years building it up as a food truck. Oh well.
I do wish them luck in the new venture. I love the space. Honestly, the space alone makes it one of my favorite restaurants in Jax.
Quote from: BoldCityRealist on August 05, 2014, 11:13:36 AM
Speaking as someone who works in branding/marketing, they probably should settle on one name for a while and really invest time into growing their brand. Salty Fig had a lot of good equity, it's a shame they renamed it after spending years building it up as a food truck. Oh well.
I do wish them luck in the new venture. I love the space. Honestly, the space alone makes it one of my favorite restaurants in Jax.
Salty Fig->Blind Fig->Blind Rabbit...
I'm sure the owners have a decent reason, but yeah it would be good to stick with one name for a while.
I still refer to the place as the Salty Fig but I figure from here on out I'll just start calling it the Salty Rabbit in order to get a jump on 2015's moniker permutation.
Blind Fig? Blind Rabbit? I vote for Blind Ralphie... :)
(http://bowlegged.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/blind.jpg)
I'd like for them to stick to a name, too—the Blind Rabbit is the third one in less than two years!—but at least they upgraded this time. The Blind Fig was an awful name!
Everything is now consolidated under Blind Rabbit's concept, name, menu(including both restaurants and the soon to be re-launced food truck) and management changed to reflect this. So essentially, they are doing exactly what you are all saying they should do :)
I think it will be a really positive development.
Been to the Riverside location 3 times now and I'm just not impressed with the food. Cool space, good service and tasty cocktails but the food just isn't all that.
Why the renovations at the Riverside location? Are they going to make it look like the one at the beach?
Quote from: Sentient on August 05, 2014, 10:59:57 AM
Quote from: funwithteeth on August 05, 2014, 10:55:35 AM
Overpriced, definitely. They make a decent burger, but not $15 decent.
Anyone know why 5 Guys in Riverside closed? was it price? They had one of the best burgers in town for flavor...
IMHO, Five Guys had a marginally better than normal grease-burger that you had to wait 30-35 minutes to get. This was a problem for a lunch place, most people only get 30 minutes. That by itself probably had more to do with their closing than anything. In their defense maybe their local franchisee was just slacking, I've never to been to the ones in other cities. But the one here, I did give it the benefit of the doubt two or three times and each time was disappointed. It took forever and wasn't much better than anywhere else. They were also space-constrained, they didn't have many tables so you wound up standing around. They realized this at the end and did install little flat strips along the windows that you could eat at towards the end. But overall it just wasn't that good.
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on August 05, 2014, 05:07:41 PM
Quote from: Sentient on August 05, 2014, 10:59:57 AM
Quote from: funwithteeth on August 05, 2014, 10:55:35 AM
Overpriced, definitely. They make a decent burger, but not $15 decent.
Anyone know why 5 Guys in Riverside closed? was it price? They had one of the best burgers in town for flavor...
IMHO, Five Guys had a marginally better than normal grease-burger that you had to wait 30-35 minutes to get. This was a problem for a lunch place, most people only get 30 minutes. That by itself probably had more to do with their closing than anything. In their defense maybe their local franchisee was just slacking, I've never to been to the ones in other cities. But the one here, I did give it the benefit of the doubt two or three times and each time was disappointed. It took forever and wasn't much better than anywhere else. They were also space-constrained, they didn't have many tables so you wound up standing around. They realized this at the end and did install little flat strips along the windows that you could eat at towards the end. But overall it just wasn't that good.
+1 I agree definitely not a lunch friendly place, but that is more than likely why they open around exactly lunch and close a lot later than your average place would. I am not even sure what category they would be in... Quick serve? not sure...
5 guys closed in riverside, the owner lived across the street from us here in Avondale, for the public reasons that they never saw the traffic they do at their other locations. So if the labor costs are the same as other locations and production is below the others, it made sense to close it. As for other speculative reasons, who knows. Al's has been there since they built the building, and they do well, and they have stores across Jax too. Who knows the real reason?
Five Guys never took 30 minutes to get an order up -- the Firehouse that replaced them takes just as long if not longer. I think the larger problem was that they had zero menu diversity in a neighborhood with a fair number of health-conscious people and vegetarians. Unless everyone in your group wants a big greasy burger, there is no reason to go to lunch there with co-workers. Their "veggie" burger was just lettuce and tomatoes on a bun. Charging $3+ for fries was also not a good idea.
M-Shack will have a legit veggie burger, fish sandwich, a kale salad, and a chicken breast sandwich. I hope that will get better results than the 5 Guys menu.
I think most 5 Guys are hurting perhaps except for SJTC. The one on San Jose in Mandarin does not do well. In addition have seen the one in Bartram nearly empty a couple of times near lunchtime. Personally think it is a combo of overpriced for the product and really just unhealthy.
Quote from: Transatlantic on August 10, 2014, 04:47:38 PM
Five Guys never took 30 minutes to get an order up -- the Firehouse that replaced them takes just as long if not longer. I think the larger problem was that they had zero menu diversity in a neighborhood with a fair number of health-conscious people and vegetarians. Unless everyone in your group wants a big greasy burger, there is no reason to go to lunch there with co-workers. Their "veggie" burger was just lettuce and tomatoes on a bun. Charging $3+ for fries was also not a good idea.
M-Shack will have a legit veggie burger, fish sandwich, a kale salad, and a chicken breast sandwich. I hope that will get better results than the 5 Guys menu.
Hey what do I know, I just waited a half-hour for a burger on more than one occasion. So am I lying? All due respect, I experienced what I experienced.
The Rabbit opened today, for those interested.
Quote from: fieldafm on August 18, 2014, 09:40:32 PM
The Rabbit opened today, for those interested.
I went by for lunch and they didn't appear open so I kept riding.
The menu looks good. I've never made it to the Rabbit at the beach, and went to the Fig on a not-so-regular basis, but I'm looking forward to a solid burger without going to M-Shack.
Size matters though.
FTR, Lola's has a great burger, but I think they weigh in at about 7.35 lbs each, so it's a little more than I ever want for lunch or dinner.
QuoteI went by for lunch and they didn't appear open so I kept riding.
They were only open for dinner yesterday.
Both myself and the better half are dining Rabbit style tonight. Really stoked for this change (and for fried chicken salad and a southern cuban sandwich).
will you be eating rabbit too?
Quote from: tufsu1 on August 19, 2014, 10:19:47 AM
will you be eating rabbit too?
Only the one that can't see..
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on August 19, 2014, 07:48:32 AM
Quote from: fieldafm on August 18, 2014, 09:40:32 PM
The Rabbit opened today, for those interested.
I went by for lunch and they didn't appear open so I kept riding.
The menu looks good. I've never made it to the Rabbit at the beach, and went to the Fig on a not-so-regular basis, but I'm looking forward to a solid burger without going to M-Shack.
Size matters though.
FTR, Lola's has a great burger, but I think they weigh in at about 7.35 lbs each, so it's a little more than I ever want for lunch or dinner.
Damn! That is a BIG burger! :)
Quote from: Charles Hunter on August 19, 2014, 06:23:43 PM
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on August 19, 2014, 07:48:32 AM
FTR, Lola's has a great burger, but I think they weigh in at about 7.35 lbs each, so it's a little more than I ever want for lunch or dinner.
Damn! That is a BIG burger! :)
No doubt. My bathroom scales don't lie.