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July 15, 2009
F. Martinella Closes After Less Than Nine Months
When you sign a lease for $125 a foot at the tippy-top of the market, your margin for error is pretty slim. The founders of F. Martinella's, which opened last October after much speculation, have just found that out the hard way. A reader happened to be walking by the high-end deli at the corner of Court and State last night around 10:30 p.m. and reported back to us that the entire store was being disassembled and all the fixtures and appliances loaded onto a flatbed truck outside. When we rode by a few minutes ago, the windows were papered over and the sign in the window read "Store Closed." Update: BHB and Flappy Days also have coverage.
F. Martinella Finally Open [Brownstoner] GMAP
F. Martinella's Ready to Roll [Brownstoner]
F. Martinella Mystery Solved? [Brownstoner]
No Boar's Head for 117 Court Street After All [Brownstoner]
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Comments
One word: Karma
Posted by: Prodigal_Son at July 15, 2009 9:36 AM
No surprise. I don't like seeing stores close, but this one really had nothing new / different / better to offer than one could get at Trader Joe's, Sahadi's, Garden of Eden and many other stores in the area. I went in there a couple of times and, while the staff was nice enough, they seemed clueless about the bread selection and other things when I asked. I was hoping for more from them.
Posted by: Biff Champion at July 15, 2009 9:39 AM
I really don't think much can survive on that block besides fast food.
Posted by: mrkknox at July 15, 2009 9:39 AM
Though I don't live around there, I'm taken aback. I walked (hobbled!) by this place just this Sunday morning and afternoon and the place was packed. I guess that was an fluke?
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at July 15, 2009 9:41 AM
Biff, if you see some of those former employees who were nice, tell them to apply for jobs at the BH pharmacies.
Posted by: more4less at July 15, 2009 9:43 AM
It's like Grace Under Fire on 7th Avenue back in 2003.
Posted by: Polemicist at July 15, 2009 9:51 AM
While high rent and lack of differentiated product offering from any number of delis around were likely contributing factors, I think that poorly trained staff and weak customer service were the primary culprits leading to poor sales. I do hope that something other than fast food can work on this stretch. Checkers opening was really disheartening.
Posted by: stray bongo at July 15, 2009 10:02 AM
Too bad. It was one of the few places in the neighborhood where you could get a salad with ingredients to order, mixed by the counter person (and I always found the people at the salad area to be incredibly nice and helpful). Oh well -- are there any other places with those kind of salad bars in the 'hood? I hate the "make it yourself" salad bars for no good reason except the ingredients always look so worn and unappealing after dozens of customers have raked through them.
Posted by: CGfan at July 15, 2009 10:16 AM
CGfan, I believe Lassen & Hennigs on Montague between Henry and Hicks makes the salads to order. I haven't had one, however, and can't attest to the quality / freshness of the ingredients.
M4L, good point. I would rather deal with someone who doesn't know what they sell but is friendly than someone who seems to have contempt for all customers and won't give them the time of day.
Posted by: Biff Champion at July 15, 2009 10:22 AM
CG Fan...you can get that a few blocks south on Smith at Chop Chop
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 15, 2009 10:22 AM
i missed my predicted close date by 3 months! from the start this place was suffering from a host of issues ...#1 too many employees - there were always at least 10-15 people on the clock even when it was dead ... #2 prices were too high, comparable sandwiches at La Bagel Delight or any other area deli were way cheaper ... #3 was this a lunch joint or a place to buy meats or high-end condiments? that was never really clear. Hopefully the owner will find a tenant with a sound business plan and settle on a reasonable rent.
Posted by: martis at July 15, 2009 10:23 AM
DIBS, good call re: Chop Chop. It's a slight hike if CG was looking for something within a few doors of the place above, but I believe salads to order (and paninis) are their specialty.
Posted by: Biff Champion at July 15, 2009 10:27 AM
Wasnt this place a 'beta' shop for Boars Head or something - to try out new products and concepts?
Very weird to close so quickly - very possible something else will open here (either run by same mgmt or as sublease) because unless the LL was an idiot (also possible) he got some guarantee on the lease from the parent organization, therefore Boars Head maybe wants to try something different, they have a decent sub-tenant in mind or again maybe the LL was just dumb and gave them an easy out.
Posted by: fsrg at July 15, 2009 10:27 AM
also looks like at least 3 out of 4 or 5 apts in the buiding have now gone vacant in the last month. maybe their is something afoot with the entire building? either that or the idiots that signed on for $5000 per month rents discovered that there were better deals out there?
Posted by: martis at July 15, 2009 10:27 AM
Thanks, DIBS and Biff - I'll check those out.
Posted by: CGfan at July 15, 2009 10:32 AM
This place was owned by Boar's Head yet prices for deli meats and sandwiches were no cheaper, and often more expensive than at every other deli that sells Boar's Head products in the neighborhood. If you don't use your competitive advantage, you're going to fail.
Posted by: Beau Guest at July 15, 2009 10:33 AM
I never understood the focus of the store. And I admit I never stepped foot in there but really I don't get cold cuts at all. The salad bar sdid ound nice.
Posted by: Ljubitca at July 15, 2009 10:35 AM
I'll miss this place as it became my spot to grab a sandwich after work, before seeing a movie. It was so convenient to the theater, and the other evening options on that block for a quick bite are... less than healthy. I hope a similar type of place takes over the space.
Posted by: jkg11218 at July 15, 2009 10:41 AM
The salad bar was actually pretty weak, but they made pretty good sandwiches, though somewhat slowly. Sad to see it go. Maybe Lenny's should give it a try. That's a deli that seems to know how to do volume.
Posted by: zgori at July 15, 2009 10:44 AM
I never believed (and talked to a broker in the area who did not either) that "Danny's" building ever rented any of the apartments to anyone as they were listed -- it appeared that he had family, friends living there. None of the units were sold -- all were for rent but occupied...
Posted by: BH76 at July 15, 2009 10:48 AM
For those of you looking for salads made for you nearby, try Court Order a few blocks down or Monty Q's on Livingston (a bit expensive).
It looks like a new healthy option is opening up just across Atlantic, which should also help.
Posted by: Mikey at July 15, 2009 10:59 AM
That's too bad. My wife and I stopped in a couple of weeks ago for lunch, and thought the sandwiches were very good and reasonably priced (and the staff were friendly to us). They did seem to have a lot of employees, and while there were a number of customers, it was nothing like Checkers, which seemed to have a line almost out the door. I suspect that mrkknox is right -- nothing but fast food will survive there.
Posted by: ProfRobert at July 15, 2009 11:12 AM
Yes, Nature's Grill is about to open between Trader Joe's and the piano studio on Court Street. I have tried the Nature's Grill down in Bay Ridge, and they are delish!
Posted by: bowl of dicks at July 15, 2009 11:13 AM
The Hale & Hearty on Court & Remsen also has made-to-order salads.
I'm not surprised F. Martinella closed so quickly. I went with coworkers to pick up sandwiches maybe 3 times; each time the place was more disorganized that our last visit. They tried at least two different set ups -- one with the registers at the back by the soda machine, another with the register up front -- but neither seemed to work.
Last time I was there, they had one kid slicing all the meat while two or three sandwich makers called out their orders. Needless to say, the kid couldn't keep up and the scrum of people waiting for sandwiches grew and grew. After that expericnes, we'd decided we wouldn't be going back.
Posted by: Guilford2725 at July 15, 2009 11:13 AM
I wanted this place to work so bad. Went in there a few times and every time was very stressful. Watching people not know how to make a sandwich. ANd the fact they had 15 people behind the counter not knowing what to do. The best was the 2 mangers walking around watching them struggle and never stepped in to help. Id rather make the trek down to Los Paisanos Meat Market on Smith Street. They atleast know what to do and use the best stuff.
Its a joke how poorly run that place was. It was confusing you never knew where to pay or what counter it was a mess from Day 1....Its a great location hopefully something good comes.
Posted by: THAL at July 15, 2009 11:32 AM
It wasn't cool, it wasn't different, it wasn't cheap, it was just blah. I went in there one early morning for an egg and cheese sandwich. How can a place like this not make egg sandwiches? Nope. just regular lunch stuff, at 9:00 AM? Why bother opening? They didn't know what they were doing. they need to look at PAX or one of those types of places. Salads, soups, sandwiches and hot entrees for lunch, eggs, bagels, oatmeal, French toast, that type of thing for breakfast. Quick in and out.
Posted by: Minard Lafever at July 15, 2009 12:07 PM
Crazy. When I walked by earlier it just said "Store Closed, July 14"
Posted by: spnder at July 15, 2009 12:11 PM
Huge disappointment :( Had good experiences generally, good speed on the coffee line which was priced well vs starbucks et al. Was happy to pay a (slight) premium for the selection, clean interior, fresh ingredients which unfortunately is not common in that immediate radius.
Going south and east...Chop Chop is high quality, Brooklyn Fare has great options.
Posted by: boerumite at July 15, 2009 12:24 PM
I tried this place a few times when it opened, but, like other posters, I found the transaction costs of getting a simple sandwich much too high. It was like having a sandwich made in slow motion: one person took your order; then another person made the sandwich; and, finally, you paid a third person, but they wouldn't let you pay while you were waiting - you had to wait for the sandwich maker to physically hand your sandwich to the cashier.
Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 15, 2009 12:32 PM
I'd argue that if I'm coming home out of Borough Hall stop, Chop Chop and place on Montague are entirely too far out of the way for the lazy/rushed.
That said, this place was a bit of a joke. They couldn't do a breakfast sandwich right. A high-end deli that had what looked like preformed scrambled egg patties pulled from the frozen food section? For those prices? Feh.
Posted by: RaginCajun at July 15, 2009 12:33 PM
Good example of too much corporate mucky muck not being able to get something simple off the ground.
Posted by: mopar at July 15, 2009 12:36 PM
How are cold cuts healthy?!
Posted by: Ljubitca at July 15, 2009 12:42 PM
yeah...this place was a train wreck. I really wanted this place to work, i am surprised it lasted this long. Everytime I went there i had to repeat my order multiple times, and an employee making my sandwich even asked me once what muenster cheese was. Funny.
Posted by: onetrees at July 15, 2009 11:48 PM
Never attracted me; looked like a boring deli from some college town -- safe food without creativity or adventure. I'd love a full Italian deli/hot pasta/salad bar place with a more earthy, rustic or ethnic decor. Boar's Head's deli was too bland-generic-American-city.
Posted by: FiredUpReadyToGo at July 16, 2009 8:42 AM
very sad, a real loss for the area.
Posted by: bklynite at July 16, 2009 4:38 PM
Actually, their prices on cheese was better than Key... up to $2/lb cheaper on black-wax cheddar (I used to buy 1-2 pounds of cheese and meat per week there). I'll miss this place for the great selection of sliced meats/cheeses (they had stuff no one else had). What I won't miss is the slow as molasses employees, and (I don't know how to be politically correct when I say this) they were basically idiots. Sometimes, nice & stupid is better than a smart asshole, so I could handle it. At least they weren't like the Duane Reade "wha happen?" employees.
Posted by: broadwayron at July 27, 2009 10:44 AM
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