Café Cimmento Closing

[jay]

I dined on the north side tonight at the MVR.  The place was packed.  The line was out the front door for at least one hour.

[Youngstownshrimp]

Cafe Cimmento as George alluded to, became insolvent and many of us knew of George's plight months ago.  John and Amanda are great people and I wish them luck, George expanded to rapidly, had family issues and could not save Cimmento.
I'll miss the joint, I laid down the grove with a jazz trio for many years.  Not to mention the sweet revenge of serving the public Youngstownshrimp cooked up nicely by John a great chef ....if he had the chance.

[jay]

... how many times have you tipped the server that waited on you?

I always tip the server when I dine out.

[Rick Rowlands]

I'll be dining there again tonight, for the last time. 

Maybe another restauarant will open in the same location and this will only be a temporary inconvenience?

[northside lurker]

I ordered takeout (lunch) from there almost weekly.  I didn't care for many of their dishes, but I'm not going to call their food bad, because what one likes is so subjective.  What I ordered regularly, was very good.  And while I rarely experienced sit-down service, I can't complain about the service I did receive.

[ForumManager]

Agree about the service... but don't agree that charging more will result in paying the servers more and they will be better quality employees.  Most servers rely on tips... if you treat your customers well, usually they will tip well. I was there twice and both times felt like I was an  "annoyance."  It was so bad that I almost tipped 2 cents both times. I should have. When I saw the owner on the news, he seemed to convey annoyance as well... but for different reasons... perhaps a poor attitude carried down through the ranks.

[Towntalk]

Quality of food PLUS service PLUS atmosphere is everything in the food business ... you learn that by watching the Food Network on TV.

As to Jay's comment ... how many times have you tipped the server that waited on you? That is where a good portion of their wages come from my friend.

[jay]

I've dined there at least twice each month.
West Federal Street is the downtown dining hotspot.

I feel there are too many downtown eateries.
Café Cimmento now joins Anthony's on the River, Saigon Star, Magic Mocha, the Hub, Cedars, Rosetta Stone, and the Youngstown Club.

[Billy Mumphrey]

When I dined there, I found the food so-so but the prices a bit high. Also, at times the servers seemed to be annoyed that the had to wait on you. Never felt really welcomed there.

[Rick Rowlands]

...which means that menu prices would have to be higher, hastening their demise.  Restaurants are very low profit margin as it is, as the news regarding CC should make plainly obvious.

[jay]

I hope other business owners realize the important of training their workers to the best of their ability.

Add to this that if you want the better workers, you have to pay them more than an average restaurant would pay.

[Rick Rowlands]

No the food was not good, and as a result many people did not go back.  The same old ten items on the menu and nothing changed.  While MVR has to turn people away at lunch time, cimmentos always had tables available.  Why?  MVR's food is great and there is plenty to choose from.

Now we have to find another dinner meeting location...

[ytowner]

Pretty good food, but my experience with the service there left a lot to be desired. Having great service is essential for these downtown businesses. It has cost other ones in the past and it will continue to cost them in the future. I hope other business owners realize the important of training their workers to the best of their ability. It, in addition to the food, will keep people coming back.

[Towntalk]

VIA WKBN-TV 27

It seems that new eating and drinking establishments have been clamoring to open in downtown Youngstown the past few years, but one business will be closing for the last time this weekend.
For more than seven years, Cafe Cimmento has been a popular spot for people to get a bite to eat before and after a show or event at the Covelli Centre a couple blocks away. At one point, the restaurant added more dining space hoping to take advantage of the crowds going to the arena.
But owner George Mager said Thursday he has grown tired of the business. His son, who serves as the cafe's chef, is taking another job in a different line of work, and competition from other newer restaurants and bars on the west end of the downtown is cutting into his bottom line.
But Mager said his biggest mistake was when he expanded from a small mom-and-pop establishment and added an extra dining room.
"I did well when I just had 50, 60 seats. We made money. But after the expansion, the extra costs, double rent, a few more employees, the BSA loan. It was just too much," Mager said.
And while expenses grew, so did the competition. More than half a dozen new bars and restaurants have opened or remodeled on the west end of the downtown and more are expected, taking advantage of the economic development nearby from VXI, the Voinovich Government Center and the Youngstown Business Incubator.
"Since I been here, in the last year and half, two years, seven new places opened up over there, which cut the pie for lunch. Lunch was our base every day and the pie got cut up," Mager said.
He said his last day in business will be Saturday. While he had hoped the addition of new apartments in the downtown area, along with spinoff business from the Covelli Centre, would have provided more of a boost for the restaurant, he said it's just never been consistent enough.
"There's so much happening at that end. And for business owners, they notice that and there's where they see the money. That's where they think they'll be able to create the money," said Lyndsey Hughes, director of marketing for downtown Youngstown.