43 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

Hi all! As you may or may not have heard, next month Frankie's is opening up a new location in downtown Victoria. We are currently hiring for all positions. If you or anyone you know would like to join the team at our Victoria location, resumes are being accepted in person at 38-910 Government St, Victoria or via email at frankie@frankiesmoderndiner.com. Please like and share to help us spread the word!

 

 

[Rob Randall]

Former location of:

Cheesecake Cafe
Copper John's
Ric's Steakhouse

[VicHockeyFan]

Frank is the former Moxie's owner, Town & Country and Yates, so he knows what he's doing (or getting into).

[VicHockeyFan]

So I had a bit of a tour today.

 

They hope to be open around the end of this month.

 

It's got a really nice, big kitchen.  That's Frank's biggest worry he says, getting quality, reliable kitchen staff.

 

There will be about a 25-person lounge at the entry, and on the left there is a glass cooler.  They will show off their cooler goods to everyone.

 

The plan is 7am opening daily.

[RoadRunner]

The sign has been installed...

 

[VicHockeyFan]

Soft opening for friends and family today.  Open this week for others.

 

Lounge near entry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The largest two booths in the place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Semi-isolated room at back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outdoor lounge near the back. 

 

[Nparker]

It looks nice; aught to be popular with tourists. I'll stop by sometime in November.

[VicHockeyFan]

It looks nice; aught to be popular with tourists. I'll stop by sometime in November.

 

It's bigger than I remember, and the outdoor seating is cool, and the entry lounge is very nice.  The whole space is very attractive, right down to the bathrooms.  Well, the men's bathroom anyway, did not check the other. 

 

Ya, I had a chat with the owner this morning, he's always in a positive mood, but he seems very excited by what he's seeing downtown.

 

As any place does with this type of set-up, it'll have challenges with walk-by traffic, it's the whole fear of "commitment" when you walk up the stairs.  What if it's not what you imagined, very few people like the thought of turning and leaving, so they fear entry to begin with.  That's not a problem with locals, of course.  See:  The Mint etc.

 

The Rooftop Surf Club at Sticky Wicket has problems luring in walk-bys.  I can talk to visitors at the main floor Sticky Bar there and 9/10 do not know there is a rooftop space.

[Rob Randall]

Is the decor recycled from the previous owner or is it all new? Looks like a lot of money went into it.

[VicHockeyFan]

Is the decor recycled from the previous owner or is it all new? Looks like a lot of money went into it.

 

Might be a bit of both, nothing looks old though.  I'll pop in one day this week and get a looksee at the menu.

[aastra]

The establishment looks good. But this building is desperate for a complete remodelling/recladding of the exterior. I'm officially sick of it:

 

[Rob Randall]

^Are the beige crown mouldings original? 

[Nparker]

^Are the beige crown mouldings original? 

No. I believe they were added sometime in the 1990s around the same time as the interior mall space was revamped. Does anyone remember when "Foody Goody" was located here?

[Jill]

I do.

[Nparker]

I do.

You have my sympathies. 

[Jill]

Jesus, I never actually went.

 

Who could forget the stupid commercial?

[JanionGuy]

how could anybody think MODERN DINER was a good byline for such location.

 

Brick oven maybe...  (all the brick, get it?)

 

i wish them all the best.

Edited by JanionGuy, 06 June 2016 - 09:12 PM.

[VicHockeyFan]

Is the decor recycled from the previous owner or is it all new? Looks like a lot of money went into it.

 

Much of it is recycled from Ric's and some came from Nanaimo.

 

 

Happy hour is 3-6pm with $4 beers on tap, M-F.

 

Can't really go wrong with that $5.75 breakfast.

[zoomer]

Attention to detail.. until a restaurant proves to me that their food is consistently good, I really worry when they can't get right the basic details!!  Your one shot to tell people about your food, and you can't even get the menu punctuation/formatting right!! Did anyone even proofread this?!  

 

"Early Riser("  No space after the 'r'.  Worse yet "Frankie÷s Frittata".   WTF?!!

 

Also, how about selling the food instead of this bland menu listing?! Why bother opening a restaurant if you're not passionate about the food? It's clearly only about the $ then, so I'll skip this place thanks.

 

Finally isn't it about time that restaurants move to a new menu format?  Whether that's a menu with with foodie/Instagram style photos, a discreet tv screen displaying menu items in loving detail, or the server can bring by an iPad with pictures or short 5 second video clips of the daily specials, and put this up on their social media sites? 

[Matt R.]

"Hey, has any seen the menu iPad? It's gone missing again."

Matt.