Has Pizza Fresca in Fulton closed?
The pizza shop has had erratic hours for several months, but Jeremy wrote me about several days when they were closed last week. Then he wrote back to say it looks cleaned out inside and sent a photo with a printed “closed” sign.
I feel a compassion for anyone trying to run a restaurant. It seems hard in Maple Lawn, where the office buildings haven't sprouted as quickly as hoped.
The developers of Maple Lawn talked a big game about old-fashioned town planning and creating walkable development. But sales pitches about "urban life" seem to turn into cookie-cutter shopping centers. The new strip across from the Harris Teeter couldn’t look more vanilla, and the new plans along Rte 216 dump drawings of city-looking retail blocks for drive-through fast-food. Literally, drive-through fast food.
When Greenberg and Rose gives you Taco Bell, you'll miss even Pizza Fresca.
where can we see/find the plans for the development along 216? i am a resident of maple lawn and am really distressed to hear that they may be abandoning the plans they sold us on when we moved here.
ReplyDeleteI heard about the plans from a friend who saw the Howard County approvals. Send me an email at the blog address in the right column (howchowblog@ . . . . .)
ReplyDeleteTheir website is still active (http://www.afreshidea.net/), but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. The last time I tried to go to Pizza Fresca, maybe 2 months ago, there was a sign in the door that they were closed for the week. Unfortunately I have not made it back since then.
ReplyDeleteRead all about it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.co.ho.md.us/DPZ/DPZDocs/sdp10067tsr.pdf
If you search the Department of Planning and Zoning minutes, you can usually learn quite a bit about what the developers are up to. While no one likes to see fast food take over a neighborhood's feel, the truth is, most mixed use developments do have a fast food restaurant or two. One can only hope that the other attributes of the development balance it out.
I attempted to go there about a month ago and they were closed even though they should have been open based on the posted hours. No explanation was posted so I just assumed they were out of business and never thought to go back. I feel no compassion for a business owner who doesn't open for business, much like I wouldn't feel compassion for someone who losses their job because they don't show up for work.
ReplyDeletei feel bad for those guys-some cats had told me they liked the pizza but from last I was up in that area,yeah-the home building seem to be picking up and yeah they are beautiful, but most of the clientele that i have seen up there has been at night which makes me wonder who or what foot traffic occurs during the daytime?? There are alot of highend boutiques and upscale restaurants there now especially Venegas Grill which looks like it belongs in Vegas or in Manhattan..I just don't see where the draw comes from, or how these businesses sustain themselves especially with a lack of daytime biz during the week...its built for foot traffic but there has to be a point to all of it..I mean I guess unless its meant more for bar crawlers then shoppers..oh well hopefully the tide changes soon, its been at low tide for too long..
ReplyDeleteBuild a product that people want & they will come. See Looney's - terrible food & uneven drinks - but an atmosphere that keeps people coming back. See Facci - same general area - with a product that some people (not me) love.
ReplyDeleteYes I feel for any business person who fails. Been there, done that too - just have to keep your eye on it.
Pizza Fresca was so so. And so so doesn't keep people coming back.
I agree, Pizza Fresca's pizza was not well liked by us. My kids are Lucero's fans.
ReplyDelete