Restaurant Killers?

You frequently hear that certain locations where multiple restaurants have tried and failed are simply bad locations that no restaurant would thrive in. I don't believe it. Check this out, a location on the "Golden Mile" in Frederick Md. had a ton of restaurants try and die, guess which nationally known chain made it, Famous Dave's, for God's sake. I don't like Dave's Q but it just shows to go you, that enough national advertizing, or better yet, great food and service, will prevail. Do you believe there are locations that are Restaurant killers, I don't!

Always wondered about that Tom, had a favorite place with great location ---lots of parking----great food---and it died.  Someone said it was the 3rd restaurant that tried and died----just shows to go ya !!!
 
It is now a medical office----the ghost of Plank House walks the corridors.
Scares the patients wearing those skimpy, bare backed aprons over nothing at all.

There is a restaurant location in Marina del Rey that has been the home to several restaurants.  Not one of them has survived any length of time.
 
It's not "inside" of the Marina but still.  It's jinxed.
 
I heard at one time one of the establishments was owned by Sean Penn.  Fail!

the ancient mariner


Always wondered about that Tom, had a favorite place with great location ---lots of parking----great food---and it died.  Someone said it was the 3rd restaurant that tried and died----just shows to go ya !!!

It is now a medical office----the ghost of Plank House walks the corridors.
Scares the patients wearing those skimpy, bare backed aprons over nothing at all.

There are reasons restaurants die, Ancient One, and I know you already know this, as you are the Ancient One, other than crummy food etc. The place can have great location parking, food, etc. but the owner is on drugs, alcohol abuse, staff abuse, tax problems due to failure to pay sales tax, a litany of human frailities, that can kill a seemingly successful place. I believe a really well run place with great food, and staff will be sought out by the masses, even if it's down a rabbit hole in say, Gahanna, Ohio!

Now that you mention a whole bunch of reasons I go back to the best restaurant for miles around my old home town.  Must remain anonymous
because this is inside info---just between you (CTF) and me (TAM). 
 
The two old founders and partners retired and left this standing room for seats place to their 2 eldest sons.  One drank, the other gambled the place away.  

There is a place around here, very near a VA hospital. It has changed hands so many times I've lost track. 3 times this year alone. Not a good location, pretty much lunch time only patrons. I don't understand why people keep trying there.

Funny this should come up just now. On the main corner of the nearby town of  Mountainside NJ, there is a restaurant location that has been thru at least 5 incarnations in the past 10 years. Although it's a busy corner, it's tough to get to the restaurant since there's little street parking, and thier parking lot in back requires a turn at a busy intersection and then an immediate left turn thru fast traffic. Plus you have to know there's a lot there since it's not visible from the street.
 
Anyway, about 6 months ago it became an upscale Irish Pub named Dillon's. And it has been packed ever since. And now, with this glowing review just yesterday  in the NJ Star-Ledger, my wife and I are actually talking about braving those two turns to give the place a try:
 
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2010/12/dillons_publick_house_review_e.html
 
   

Sometimes location isn't the problem. It is the building itself. Case in point: In Newburgh, NY a reasonably attractive new ( 1995) building, lots of parking, easy access off a busy street. But the interior layout is  a nightmare - whoever did the design was an idiot ( in fact, I've thought it may have been originally designed as a retail store but changed at the last minute into a restaurant). The space is divided into at least three dining rooms and a sort of bar, and ,of course, a kitchen tucked off in a distant corner that seems to have been an afterthought. The place is unmanageable, inefficient, and requires too many employees. Its been through several incarnations but has remained mostly vacant for the last 15 years despite decent (not worth a detour) food and  adequate, if slow, service.
 
Cheers, John