Full Circle Pi and Janice Beaton's 'Mabou' have closed

[Crackmacs]

Full Circle Pi was a pizza and oyster bar located on 17th Ave SW. A guy named Josh owned it, with his wife (can't remember her name right now). It was pretty good. Location wasn't really the best.

Mabou was the place Janice Beaton opened it in the previous 'Farm' location. You might remember her from the news in October. She closed her previous restaurant without paying staff their owed wages, and vacation pay. Claimed bankruptcy, then opened Mabou, but claimed it wasn't under her name etc. Quite the media firestorm ensued. Anyway, it's got a note on the door saying closed, thank you for the patronage etc.

[PsYcNeT]

Brutal :/ Josh and I both went to high school and worked together for a time. Visited Full Circle a half dozen times and tried to get there when possible; was great food.

Rough ####.

[Hack&Lube]

Thanks Crackmacs. It's been a tough 2 years for local restaurants. I've lost money trying to start one up. I don't recommend it for anyone without deep pockets. It's only going to get worse as staff wages go up and the disposable income and expense accounts dry up from the local economy. A lot of people who have been laid off are trying to get into start-ups and the food industry (small restaurants, food trucks, etc.) and it's also creating more pressure in the space. Landlords still haven't adjusted to the new economic realities and leasing costs are still high per square footage from what I've seen.

We have a restaurant thread on CP that we try to update with news, reviews, etc:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=147275

[Russic]

Mabou lasted a lot longer than I anticipated. The restaurant business is hard enough without the lightning rod of being a known pr*ck.

I talked with a guy who was in the restaurant business for a decade who said when the building is full, there's a line out the door, and everybody loves you, it's intoxicatingly awesome. The other 99% of the time it's an absolute nightmare.

[Ozy_Flame]

Would be cool to see a restaurant scene where dining space is shared, and you can order from one of multiple gourmet restaurants within a block vicinity. At least then restaurants could reduce facility costs and share cleaning resources. I think this is the kind of economic climate where the sharing economy really could help overhead in some ways.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Would be cool to see a restaurant scene where dining space is shared, and you can order from one of multiple gourmet restaurants within a block vicinity. At least then restaurants could reduce facility costs and share cleaning resources. I think this is the kind of economic climate where the sharing economy really could help overhead in some ways.

Like a high end food court?

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Thanks Crackmacs. It's been a tough 2 years for local restaurants. I've lost money trying to start one up. I don't recommend it for anyone without deep pockets. It's only going to get worse as staff wages go up and the disposable income and expense accounts dry up from the local economy. A lot of people who have been laid off are trying to get into start-ups and the food industry (small restaurants, food trucks, etc.) and it's also creating more pressure in the space. Landlords still haven't adjusted to the new economic realities and leasing costs are still high per square footage from what I've seen.

We have a restaurant thread on CP that we try to update with news, reviews, etc:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=147275

What the hell is the beer vault? I'm intrigued.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Like a high end food court?

Are You Ready for the Foodie Court?

http://www.gq.com/story/david-chang-food-court

Now the food court is about to get even tastier—and a whole lot healthier and higher-end than a sugar bomb the size of a pizza.

That concept might sound weird to Americans, but elsewhere in the world, fancy food halls have long been culinary meccas. Mostly in Europe: Fauchon in Paris, Dallmayr in Munich, and the holiest of delicious temples, Peck in Milan. (Mario Carbone of Parm and Carbone introduced me to it, and seriously, it's the best place ever created.) In 2010, New York got its first taste of this when Mario Batali opened a U.S. branch of Eataly, the Italian Thunderdome. Five years later there are Eatalys all over the planet, and now everyone wants to open a single-cuisine department store/food court.

I'm starting to see versions of this in more and more of our big cities, from the thirty-plus-vendor Grand Central Market in downtown L.A. to Gotham West Market in New York City, with its amazingly diverse spread of tacos, ramen, and everything in between. Another prime N.Y.C. example is Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place, the bustling new food court in Lower Manhattan near my editor's office, where he worked on this column while eating an insanely good grilled cheese with butternut squash and sage brown butter from Little Muenster.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Like a high end food court?

Absolutely. Except gourmet restaurants are positions as walk up and take out. Each had their own kitchen as per normal, and designated section of the dining area to serve.

[Mass_nerder]

Bummer. I thought Full Circle was pretty good. Seems like that's a tough spot for restaurants though, as there was another pizza place there that opened and closed pretty quickly.

[worth]

Yeah, full circle was really quite good. That's a bummer. I once ordered, calamari, octopus pizza and then like 24 oysters. I almost threw up, it was way too much seafood, but $1 oysters, how can i refuse that?

[Northendzone]

still lots of good restaurants open on the restaurant row on 130th ave se between 52 st and deerfoot trail

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

still lots of good restaurants open on the restaurant row on 130th ave se between 52 st and deerfoot trail

Isn't that just a bunch of boring chains? Keg, Boston Pizza, Earls, etc.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Isn't that just a bunch of boring chains? Keg, Boston Pizza, Earls, etc.

Don't forget Humpty's, Ricky's, Woody's, Original Joes, Tony Romas, Chilis, and Taco Time.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by troutman

Don't forget Humpty's, Ricky's, Woody's, Original Joes, Tony Romas, Chilis, and Taco Time.

Don't forget Montana's.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Would be cool to see a restaurant scene where dining space is shared, and you can order from one of multiple gourmet restaurants within a block vicinity. At least then restaurants could reduce facility costs and share cleaning resources. I think this is the kind of economic climate where the sharing economy really could help overhead in some ways.

You're describing the MSP airport.

Which, not being facetious, is a brilliantly awesome setup for an airport. Each table has an electronic menu, you order from whatever restaurant you want, it shows up, you pay on the thing at your table. If you're solo, you can watch videos and crap on it or read the news.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Don't forget Montana's.

My kids love Montana's. Montana's! Montana's! Montana's! IMO it's mediocre but my wife always cashes in her ESSO extra points on gift certificates so we eat there more than we would if using our own money.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Would be cool to see a restaurant scene where dining space is shared, and you can order from one of multiple gourmet restaurants within a block vicinity. At least then restaurants could reduce facility costs and share cleaning resources. I think this is the kind of economic climate where the sharing economy really could help overhead in some ways.

Never understood why restaurants don't share space more, if you are paying for a space keep it open as close to 24 hours as you can to mitigate the cost, breakfast, lunch, dinner and after hours drinking and appy's in the same location just change out the staff and menus.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Isn't that just a bunch of boring chains? Keg, Boston Pizza, Earls, etc.

well yeah, but......anywyas, I have to admit I made the comment somewhat facetiously; however, now that I think about it, man are there are lot of restaurants on that street - even more if you count the pubs and what not.

i like Montana's

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

You're describing the MSP airport.

Which, not being facetious, is a brilliantly awesome setup for an airport. Each table has an electronic menu, you order from whatever restaurant you want, it shows up, you pay on the thing at your table. If you're solo, you can watch videos and crap on it or read the news.

I think you may have solved the bathroom issues at Rogers Place...