Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Vinzee's Magic Fountain On Court Street Now Only Open Four Days A Week

oo
IMG_5342
IMG_5343
IMG_5340
IMG_5341
I noticed just recently that Vinzee's Magic Fountain at 412 Court Street was closed on a Wednesday, when it should have been open.  A few days later, a sign in the window announced the eatery's new "Winter Schedule."  It appears that, until further notice, the joint will only be opened from Thursdays to Sundays.  Though the hamburger joint never seemed to be super popular, the change may frustrate some customers, especially those ordering take-out, since it is not reflected on its web site nor on its Facebook page.
Just two days ago, a reviewer on Yelp wrote:
"What Happened? Strange place closed Mon,Tues,&Wed? what restaurant closes those days?very confusing I guess there going out of Business?I wanted to go back and see my favorite cook but they where closed  I figured I'd give something else a try but i guess there going out of Business Very strange.. And Very sad."
Either Vinzee's can turn a profit by only operating four days a week, or their new schedule is a cost saving measure.  Since this place has had to compete with the recently opened (and much more popular) Five Guys and Moo Burger on Court Street in Cobble Hill, this does not seem like the soundest business decision.

9 comments:

M said...

I think their main competition is their lousy, bizarrely overpriced menu, and how incredibly uninviting the whole place seems. They never seemed like they were really even trying, and now I guess they don't even care about being open. Must not be beholden to the same high overhead as other businesses around here...

Anonymous said...

How long until Vinzee's pulls it's greatest trick and disappears???

Anonymous said...

I gave the place a try when it opened. Unfortunately, the burger was not very good, the bun was dry, and the fries were bland. I never went back. I tried Five Guys when it opened as well, and have been getting burgers there semi-regularly ever since. When Moo Burger opened (a very different ambiance) I tried that out, too. And I've been back several times. Five Guys and Moo Burger have good burgers, Vinzee's doesn't. If they're going out of vusiness, then the market it speaking.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it smells like a bad business plan that could have started like the following:

there are yuppies families here so let's sell them overpriced mediocre burgers... Well, got news for the owners, the yuppies surely don't have the Brooklyn accent, but they do have a brain, "cervello", capito?

Anonymous said...

You wrote the word "tit" in your first sentence. In other news, Vinzee's prices are delusional and the quality is mediocre at best. I had high expectations when they opened but was so thoroughly disappointed I went out of my way to spread the bad news.

Katia said...

That's too funny. I just corrected it. Thanks for pointing it out.

Anonymous said...

Went to Vinzee's. Nothing to brag about. Everything has a price. Hardly ever busy now with the cold months, place should be jumping. It isn't. There are no specials or combo plates or senior specials. This is what a business should display. Very disappointing. No business mo pay for employees. Naturally he had to cut the days of the week. No surprise.

Anonymous said...

The main reason that Vinzee's never caught on is probably the same reason that Calpurnia never did also. Because people knew who was behind both places - and didn't like them much from their inglorious past.

The woman who ran the laundromat and the candy store, the woman who treated everyone badly (she even threw me out of the laundromat once, for no good reason), well, she has had a bad reputation for a long time. She seems like someone who is out of touch and has a perpetually anti-social aspect to her.

The same thing when it comes to Calpurnia. The people who ran it were strange, often unfriendly, and territorial. Not to mention having thugs hanging out at the bar glaring at people. Well, now Calpurnia is no longer. And that’s fine. The new bar there looks like it’ll be much better.

The only reason Vinzee's does not shutter its doors is because the guy who started Vinzee's, well - his mother is that strange woman who ran the laundromat - and she owns the building. I think we've all seen dumpy places from "old school Carroll Gardens" that simply look like crap.

When will many Italian-Americans stop being prejudiced toward the changes in the neighborhood and stop romanticizing "old school Carroll Gardens" as if it was better. It wasn't. There were drugs and fights and all sorts of anger and hatred and racism on the streets back in the ‘70’s, not to mention the predominance of Mafia culture and shakedowns, rackets, etc. And the only reason Italian-Americans romanticize it is because they, like many overly proud nationalities, have a long history of being racist and xenophobic, particularly in New York City. They have transferred their hatred of African-Americans onto what they call "yuppies" and "hipsters" - basically they want mainly Italian-Americans around and they think less of anyone who isn't Italian-American. It's really just old fashioned, ugly ol' racism.

Italian-Americans need to wake up and be nicer, be more accepting, and act like adults. Then maybe they'll be able to run successful businesses that aren't there because of the mob connections and the fact that their grandmother or mother owns the building. Carroll Gardens began improving in many more important ways when it became more diverse and, for what it’s worth, gentrified. There are still plenty of Italian-American businesses and residents who contribute to the greater good and that is also part of the fabric of this wonderful community. We all live in a community and what makes New York City great, and has historically, is the fluidity and opportunity of so many of our different communities. Diversity is the key ingredient in Brooklyn and NYC.

Anonymous said...

My husband keeps trying to throw them a bone and order from there but when they tried to charge him over $7 for a chocolate shake, it was the last straw. It's not like this is Blue Marble, organic ice cream. It's soft serve. Get real.