 
Christos
Member
Username: Christos
Post Number: 134
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 2:41 pm: |    |
Every time I tried to eat there, it was closed. I was bummed- I tried to go there like 3 times. |
Mackinaw
Member
Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 5153
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 3:18 pm: | |
Article doesn't mention the reason for closing.
Nice reporting. |
Professorscott
Member
Username: Professorscott
Post Number: 1468
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 3:25 pm: | |
Come, Mackinaw, be fair. Ms. Guest got in touch with two people who had been associated with the operation in the past, and neither were associated with it any longer, so could not give any information. All she had to go by was the sign on the door.
Now, if this goes into the print version, hopefully the editor would like to see some more time spent digging. But in the online versions of newspapers, it's actually quite common to see an incident posted before very much background is available.
So if you were (say) planning to eat there tonight - and based on the posts in this thread, I can't imagine why you would - the news in the freep's web site would be sufficient to prevent you from wasting your time.
Perhaps in the near future someone will find a source who can answer the question you imply, but I think a lot of it is hinted at by our fellow DYers. |
401don
Member
Username: 401don
Post Number: 663
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 3:28 pm: | |
Notice under the photo in the article, it's described as being "in a prime location, east of the Ren Cen". As we've discussed there's a big difference between high profile and high traffic location. Or maybe they meant next to all those busy shops in the Wintergarden. |
Professorscott
Member
Username: Professorscott
Post Number: 1470
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 3:37 pm: | |
Here's another clue: the address was supposedly 521 Atwater. Go to Google maps, look up that address, go to the satellite view and choose zoom level 3.
Here's what I see: two parking garages and a vast sea of surface parking lots. I assume Asian Village was in one of the parking garages? There doesn't seem to be any other place for it to have been.
What an inviting urban space in which to bring a friend for dinner. Prime location indeed. |
Digitalvision
Member
Username: Digitalvision
Post Number: 1009
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 3:48 pm: | |
It's in the lower level of a parking garage facing the water, yes. And no, it's not high-traffic. There really aren't many places downtown that are. |
Professorscott
Member
Username: Professorscott
Post Number: 1471
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 3:53 pm: | |
So I will fault the author of the photo caption for the phrase "in a prime location". A parking garage on Atwater? It's not downtown and it's not in the east river district, it's in a parking wasteland between the two.
That's an astonishing place to try to make a restaurant concept work, unless I'm missing something very significant. |
Spiritofdetroit
Member
Username: Spiritofdetroit
Post Number: 1050
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 3:54 pm: | |
it is directly next to the rencen and across the street from the riverwalk. I think something could prosper there, but not an Asian town |
Digitalvision
Member
Username: Digitalvision
Post Number: 1010
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 3:59 pm: | |
I actually think it could, if they gave it enough time to actually be known in the marketplace and provided things that downtown locals AND the corporation could use (I.E. the original concept was a good one, but they wandered from it).
I would say that this kind of failure would be a disincentive for future development, but GM will probably overcome that with a subsidy. |
Sirrealone
Member
Username: Sirrealone
Post Number: 181
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 4:01 pm: | |
I worked at the RenCen when it was announced and walked by the area on the way to the parking deck they assigned me. I always thought it was unusual because there wasn't regular foot traffic there. Even for RenCen traffic, it was a little out of the way from where droves of people might pass.
I know Riverwalk has created more foot traffic in the area, but still, I still got the sense that it was a little off the beaten path. Something like this may have worked once some of the lofts were built or if there was any other retail / eateries that would draw traffic.
I bet a major assumption to the project would be that some of the housing that was planned for the area would have been done. Without something else as a draw, there was just not enough to bring people in. Especially when they made it upscale, which pared down an already limited audience. |
Apbest
Member
Username: Apbest
Post Number: 680
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 4:41 pm: | |
They should have scaled the project down and used all the empty ground floor retail space of the 1001 garage IMO |
Mackinaw
Member
Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 5155
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 5:29 pm: | |
Everyone keeps talking like they weren't making money and that's why they're closing. The best information (from the start of this thread) cites a breach of contract as the reason. So we need to stop dwelling on whether it's a good place to have a restaurant or not.
Professor, I'm with you, it wouldn't be my first choice for taking someone to get a flavor of Detroit, but it's not awful, either. You have mainstay restaurants like Andiamo's in the RenCen that have similar view, similar isolation from downtown, etc. Some people dig this sort of location because they can park literally right there and then leave. The riverwalk access is also a plus... a nice place to digest, enjoy an evening, etc. The ambiance (being in a parking garage and not having any urban feel nearby in the riverfront district) is a minus, but some people don't pay such close attention, nor care.
I think another eatery could succeed in the short term, but nothing will be wildly successful until residents arrive up and down the riverfront. |
Diehard
Member
Username: Diehard
Post Number: 559
Registered: 03-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 6:26 pm: | |
That's too bad, because that area east of the RenCen could be a real happening stretch if they filled in a few spots. I thought the food was excellent too. |
Lmichigan
Member
Username: Lmichigan
Post Number: 6139
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 6:48 pm: | |
Great posts, Mack. Folks seem to be jumping to conclusions based on close to nothing. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 7500
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 8:23 am: | |
Mr. Pangborn just wasted 4.5 Million dollars on a fake CHINATOWN! He should have develop his Asian Village at the brownfields. |
Curly98
Member
Username: Curly98
Post Number: 36
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 10:51 am: | |
OK, like I said before, I have more info.
Bad spending:
Paid for fire system already in per GM property guidelines
Pay to take out fire system without telling GM
Pay for new fire system, GM learns of this
Pay to take out new fire system
Pay to put original fire system back in
So just another example of them not having a clue. Just think about how much that would cost. |
Royce
Member
Username: Royce
Post Number: 2704
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 4:27 pm: | |
The problem I had with the place had nothing to do with its location. The problem I had with Asian Village was that I didn't know what to expect. Was it an upscale restaurant? Was it a sushi bar? Was it a nightclub? Like someone mentioned earlier, the concept of what it was kept changing. Also, not everyone likes sushi and not everyone can afford going to an upscale restaurant. These two facts probably discouraged a lot of people from checking out the place.
Now, I definitely think that a restaurant or two could work there, but it has to be decided what their themes are going to be: one Chinese, one Thai; one Japanese or one Vietnamese; or just one restaurant that serves various kinds of asian cuisine. For that matter, the Asian Village name can be dropped and just bring in a well-known national or local restaurant with no asian connection. Finally, if a restaurant or restaurants go there, then just be consistent with the operating hours. |
Viziondetroit
Member
Username: Viziondetroit
Post Number: 1882
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 4:49 pm: | |
YAY.....Benihana or PF Chang on the river front |
Matt
Member
Username: Matt
Post Number: 1313
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 6:37 pm: | |
CHEESECAKE FACTORY! |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 1546
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 6:57 pm: | |
Maybe they can put African Town there from Harmonie Park and move it to the old Asian Village.
Curly98 - sounded like a hooker joint to me to the way you put it. Whats up with the fire system crap. Was someone on crack doing this crap.
They all look for business men out of town (or pro sports players for money)
Professorscott - You are right. A total waste of money putting a parking lot with views of the river there. What the F was GM thinking. Where was the idiot who should have said "highest and best use should be xyz"
Bottom line is you need FOOT TRAFFIC and people who WANT to come down for a reason (ie safety and venue isues). Not hype up an event here an there. Otherwise all is done in complete waste of time and money. |
Terryh
Member
Username: Terryh
Post Number: 869
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 9:49 pm: | |
To have an Asian district you need Asian vendors, businesses and residents to give it that ethnic neighborhood character.
Windsor has a Southeast Asian district with restaurants, internet cafes and small Asian markets.
I hate to sound like a square, but I would rather not see a club on or near the riverfront. I would be concerned about obnoxious, drunk disrespectful rowdies harassing nice couples and families out for a late night stroll. |
Royce
Member
Username: Royce
Post Number: 2705
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - 1:08 am: | |
Lefty2, parking garages have to go somewhere on the riverfront or we'd have nothing but surface parking lots which we have a lot of, and they look awful.
When some residential towers get built in the area, you'll see the logic behind the Beaubien Place parking structure. The ground floor(Asian Village) will most likely become a successful restaurant or two. In the planning stages is a residential development planned just south of Asian Village. When it's built there will be that evening foot traffic that's needed to keep a restaurant down there going all year. |
Marlonjb2
Member
Username: Marlonjb2
Post Number: 1
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 11:28 am: | |
Good riddance. I work down there. They breached several contracts, but the only one I'm aware of was the valet service contract. We pulled out, they hired a new valet company. But the parking company holds a contract for the entire GM/RenCen complex.
I got tired of having guns pulled out on me.
I got tired of looking at the Friday / Saturday night fights.
I got tired of hearing those police sirens after these drunk and violent people came out of there after those club nights on Friday/Saturday.
It was making GM really look bad. I'd have pulled out of Asian Village too, if I were them. GM doesn't need anymore bad press, they have enough already.
I knew Asian Village was going to be a complete failure judging by how long it took for them to officially open. (Liquor license troubles / delays, along with other problems)
Oh yeah, and Hi. I'm Marlon. This is my first post. ;) |
Curly98
Member
Username: Curly98
Post Number: 39
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 11:37 am: | |
You are right and a little wrong. Parking issue, Asian village had no right even to hire another company for valet. They had already signed a contract with Metro for parking spots and valet service. Everything else you are right on with.
Just another example of bad management before they even opened, they were doomed. |
Marlonjb2
Member
Username: Marlonjb2
Post Number: 2
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 12:14 pm: | |
I surely wasn't wrong about the violence issue. I have pics and video to prove it, lol.
...
There's a few other issues like garbage... indecent exposure and soliciting, etc, but I'd rather not bore you guys with the details... you know enough already.
(Message edited by marlonjb2 on July 24, 2008) |
Mackinaw
Member
Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 5167
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 12:34 pm: | |
Welcome to the forum, Marlonjb2. Sounds like things were a little too exciting down there.
That lends some credence to the idea that it was "too much" of a club and various issues may have forced GM to point out the breach of contract instead of overlooking it. |
Sirrealone
Member
Username: Sirrealone
Post Number: 182
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 12:42 pm: | |
quote:I'd rather not bore you guys with the details
Oh, I think those details would be anything but boring! Come on, spill it! |
Haydenth
Member
Username: Haydenth
Post Number: 241
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 12:48 pm: | |
pics? |
Marlonjb2
Member
Username: Marlonjb2
Post Number: 5
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 1:24 pm: | |
Well for starters, here's one picture of a fight which happened last Saturday night... (Well Sunday morning, at about 1:45AM)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/marlonjbt/um_wow/850A0313.jpg
Video of the fight breakup:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v251/marlonjbt/um_wow/?action=view¤t=850A0314.flv
Here's one a few months ago
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v251/marlonjbt/?action=view¤t=2166974c.flv
.... and yes there is a reason why people are running.
(Message edited by marlonjb2 on July 24, 2008) |
Detroitrise
Member
Username: Detroitrise
Post Number: 2999
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 1:28 pm: | |
Fights happen. You duke it out and get it over with.
I can post some from the Taste of Chicago. Yet, I don't see people avoiding it or ending the event altogether.
People still attend Pistons games at the Palace, even after the big brawl.
(Message edited by DetroitRise on July 24, 2008) |
Digitalvision
Member
Username: Digitalvision
Post Number: 1016
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 1:39 pm: | |
Someone getting shot on GM property next to their world HQ = PR disaster. In fact, the video you posted getting out = PR problem.
Clubs are way more trouble than they're worth - almost all of the problems I see downtown at night are in front of or next to clubs. |
Rbdetsport
Member
Username: Rbdetsport
Post Number: 507
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 1:44 pm: | |
can you turn those into actual links they dont work for me. |
Viziondetroit
Member
Username: Viziondetroit
Post Number: 1886
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 1:45 pm: | |
Copy and paste them into your browser |
Marlonjb2
Member
Username: Marlonjb2
Post Number: 7
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 1:51 pm: | |
Now that you point out the PR Problem, maybe those shouldn't have been posted. |
Digitalvision
Member
Username: Digitalvision
Post Number: 1017
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 2:44 pm: | |
Hey, I work in the PR/Marketing field for a living. Kneejerk reaction, sorry, Marlonjb2 :-)
There are a lot of incidents like that downtown - talked to a cop who told me that Our Mayor lets certain places pass.
Frankly, at night when I lived downtown, it always be where clubs are at that the problems are.
And my friends who have issues living downtown - guess what, they live next to clubs. And what was it that kept me up at night and caused all kinds of problems and had regular gun violence? Yep, the club I lived across the street from.
So in short, the problem is pretty simple to fix to me. But we have a hip-hop mayor. Cracking down on the clubs would erode one of his core constituencies pretty fast.
Fights are one thing - weapons are another. MOST LIKELY in a fistfight, no one is gonna die, just have to explain a black eye to their boss/wife/kids/etc. |
Detroitrise
Member
Username: Detroitrise
Post Number: 3000
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 3:05 pm: | |
^Yes, weapons ARE another story.
However, I didn't recall seeing weapons used in the fights Marlonjb2 showed us. |
Detroitmaybe
Member
Username: Detroitmaybe
Post Number: 143
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 3:16 pm: | |
I think that D'yers called this in a previous post a few months back. I know that I went to AV a couple times...both for parties, I assumed it was a nightclub or event venue. It took awhile before I knew it was an actual restaurant! Plus it was so generic, absolutely no authenticity! No offense but, I think that the only "Asian" in the place was the guy at the sushi bar, and i'm not even convinced about that!
I hate to be so pessimistic but, that place seemed doomed from the start..and not because of the location. The ambiance just didn't do it for me!! |
Marlonjb2
Member
Username: Marlonjb2
Post Number: 9
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 3:29 pm: | |
Detroitrise, weapons were out in one of the videos I posted. I was far away from where those were located.
There's no way I would have been anywhere close to them.... |
Tiorted
Member
Username: Tiorted
Post Number: 144
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 2:44 pm: | |
there is way more to this story...
quote:That same day, Agents raided Park’s home and one company office, both in the Ann Arbor area. In documents filed July 28 in U.S. District Court in Detroit, agents said they recovered the computers of Park, who was one of the principal backers of Asian Village.
Agents wrote in court documents they also seized electronic storage devices, bank receipts, a telephone list, business records from Asian Village and a letter from Miller to SCAN.
Agents also raided Pangborn Technovations, a company belonging to Dominic Pangborn, a prominent Detroit businessman and designer, as well as the offices of Asian Village Detroit.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20080819/NEW S01/80819047 |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 421
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 5:37 pm: | |
This "little" FBI probe of the city is starting to show all the markings of a major sh*t storm that's about to erupt. |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 12107
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 5:44 pm: | |
quote:This "little" FBI probe of the city is starting to show all the markings of a major sh*t storm that's about to erupt.
The sooner it happens the sooner the city can improve. |
Mrsjdaniels
Member
Username: Mrsjdaniels
Post Number: 1244
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 9:17 am: | |
well, now we see what really happened. And SCAN, their other company, folded too, never completed the task of their assigned grant from city money to install security cameras in Downtown.
follow the money. |
Viziondetroit
Member
Username: Viziondetroit
Post Number: 2000
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 3:15 pm: | |
This is like one big ass domino configuration. Kwame was the first one to fall... well is falling slowly |
Ltorivia485
Member
Username: Ltorivia485
Post Number: 3061
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 4:12 pm: | |
This city has been corrupt for too long. It's time for the Kwame, Family and Friends ship to sink and new, honest leadership with solutions to emerge! |
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