Pratt Coffee Shop Metamorphosis Underway

This has always been the place you go when Mike's is too crowded, and you just want to eat, not wander all over Brooklyn. The people who run it are really nice, but the ambiance was non-existent, to the point of skeeve, and I'm sure they knew they were only getting spillover from Mike's, no one ever went there as a first choice. I hope it turns out well, it is tailor made to succeed, especially if it becomes a destination. There is room for two good basic diners in the neighborhood.

I dunno, DH. Part of what attracts people to a basic establishment like a diner is how the exterior looks. It may be a retro, often original, 1950's look, with old Coke signs, etc, or something more stainless steel and gleaming, or just casual comfy, but there has to be something there that attracts you. Too ratty or run down, and even the board of health won't come in to close you down. All restaurants have to have some kind of attractive "look", or they won't get those initial customers that will give it word of mouth advertising.

DH, nothing, really. However, the attractiveness of the outside will encourage people to see the inside, have a decent meal, or even a cup of joe, and make it "their" place. If nobody wants to come in, the restaurant won't last long enough for people to get that the shabby outside masks a hidden treasure within. That sort of reverse decor may work in some places, but not everywhere.