OT-Packard Pub
So this new joint opened up in AA this weekend called Packard Pub and I decided to head over for some beers and food yesterday. I gotta say, for all the hype and excitement many people had about this place opening up, I was very unimpressed. Besides the fact that most of the waitresses are good looking this place doesn't seem to have much going for it. The food was sub par, the beer wasn't cheap at all, and from half the seats you can't even see a tv. I guess you can attribute some of this to it being a new place and everyone is trying to get their bearings straight, but I really hope they figure their stuff out quickly.
March 28th, 2010 at 11:36 AM ^
For all the hypotheticals on why a business on that corner should be able to find success, I am convinced that that building is cursed. Businesses there have been failing and rebooting since I was in school ten years ago.
March 28th, 2010 at 11:41 AM ^
Me too. It is cursed. I lived down the street when it was Atlanta Bread Company. And despite decent patronage everytime I went in, you just knew it wasn't going to make it. And didn't. Nothing can. No clue why.
March 28th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
that locale a couple blocks from Yost next to/near that 'Spirit'/memorabilia store that i never see people go in that has stayed in business for more than a decade?
March 28th, 2010 at 11:51 AM ^
That memorabilia store is now a Subway.
March 28th, 2010 at 12:31 PM ^
All my memories are belong to Jared apparently
March 28th, 2010 at 12:56 PM ^
What'chu talking about Willis?
March 28th, 2010 at 11:52 AM ^
used to be located there for quite a while, but they shut that one down a while ago...
I loved that location, but the one up on North U gets it done.
March 28th, 2010 at 12:32 PM ^
i just literally NEVER saw anyone go in there or even cast a glance at it. i think some people began to think it was just a guy's house who kept memorabilia in the window.
speaking of, tell me that barber shop is still open
State Street Barber Shop and Coach & Sons are both still open...
Nothing like a place where you can get your haircut and skates sharpened at the same time.
and drink a beer and read a playboy (assuming there aren't kids present)
love me some coach and four!
March 28th, 2010 at 12:14 PM ^
This is an interesting way to mark one's time at the university. I was there when it was an Espresso Royale, and then my senior year it converted to Atlanta Bread Company. (I don't think there was anything in between.)
I think the problem is that there just isn't much parking there. That, and that the State/Packard intersection is just weird and maybe discourages pedestrian traffic.
March 28th, 2010 at 12:33 PM ^
"Holy shit I almost hit that girl annnnnnnd now her boyfriend poured his beer on my car."
I'm pretty sure the Artisan Bistro was there in between those two
How about the Pinball Pete's that was there?
Focus or Double Focus well before that I think.
March 28th, 2010 at 10:51 PM ^
Pinball Pete's gave way to Espresso Royale during my time in that neighborhood, which was 1993-1995.
March 28th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
One of my sisters lived above that space eons ago when it was occupied by the "Southside Grill," which was who-knows-what in the list of failed business at that spot.
Yes, a curse makes as much sense as anything.
Well, Artisan Bistro (the last thing before Packard Pub) failed because it had terrible business hours. I'm not sure you can succeed when you're only open 4 hours a day, during a random time when no students are around (seriously... 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM?)
March 28th, 2010 at 11:44 AM ^
Every new bar takes a while to work the kinks out. For the sake of actually having something viable in that location, I really hope it succeeds.
March 28th, 2010 at 11:49 AM ^
Besides the fact that most of the waitresses are good looking
SOLD!
March 28th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
does create another good option for folks who don't want to walk all the way up to South U.
But like batman and antidaily said, it seems like things just don't work out in that location.
Hope it works out... they've got to get something that makes them a draw other than the location and the apparently hot waitresses.
March 28th, 2010 at 12:12 PM ^
I'm bummed now. I was thinking of checking it out today for the second basketball game. I still might but after this review of the tv locations I might just go somewhere else.
...but has any business there ever been a bar? It was Espresso Royale when I was there and I saw it was a sandwhich shop, but I don't eve remember a bar anywhere around that corner.
I used to live around the corner and I think a bar would do well. Although, since it is on the fringe of campus (and not toward main street), I think it would do better as a neighborhood pub rather than sleek main street sports bar or frat-type bar.
If it could pick out a certain weeknight and have great specials and become the place to be that night... maybe it could get something going. I think it will be hard for one bar by itself to do well on the weekends in that spot, unless it has a pretty good neighborhood base and notoriety from its once-a-week fame.
i know that was the big underage booze access place located around there back in the day.
I think they're gone now, but Blue Front is still open. (Or is it the other way around?)
Blue Front is still there, as is Campus Corner.
There have been a lot of businesses with staying power in that area (north side of Packard), not sure why that doesn't apply to this south side.
Bells is still around. There's Pizza Bob's (awesome chipati), Spot's.
What was the name of the place that went out of business in between Campus Corner and one of the barber shops? Served colliders? God those were awesome...you could get ANYTHING in those. Vanilla ice cream w/ Capt. Crunch, Nerds, and Heath Bar....seriously.
Those things were AWESOME. Tios, even Pizza House does something similar...but they paled compared to that place...
Rod's diner is still there. I LOVE COLLIDERS. I usually get brownies, pretzels, peanut butter cups, and cookie dough.. mmmmm
Sake Bombs got busted a few years ago if I remember correctly and they were shut down. It's a video game store or something now. It was the last time I was in AA anyways.
Is that burger joint still sitting on the corner of hill and state? The one where the chick is riding the burger? Used to be Tubby's.
Quickie Burger?
Quickie Burger? It's still there - and in fact, it serves alcohol now, too.
Decent place and I remember there being an issue with the logo when it first opened. I thought that corner might end up as cursed at the Pub corner.
Actually knocked off Blimpy for the Daily's best burger award last year, if memory serves me right.
As for Packard Pub, I knew their prices had to be outrageous when the grand opening "specials" included $4 microbrew pints and $2.50 domestic pints.
Pitchers of Coors/Miller/Bud = $10, pitchers of Magic Hat/Bell's = $18
Burgers = $9
To me I'd rather get a burger for $5 at Quickie, and walk slightly farther to Charley's for those options of pitchers for $4.75 and $13
they would stuff the ballots with drunk people who walked in between 10-4 AM.
We all know the true winner of the burger battle in Ann Arbor is Blimpy
is the frozen patties (I think, they have that look of a pre processed and frozen patty). IMO fresh meat should be a requirement for the award. Hell, even Wendy's doesn't use frozen patties.
They are frozen, but it's high quality meat - they get it from Knight's Steakhouse
And you can't see a tv, that's a pretty big fail.
I went there on Friday night and had my worst bar experience ever- no exaggeration. You can't stand anywhere without being mauled once a minute or so. The setup is just poorly designed. It was way too bright, the music was way too loud- they seemed to be trying to encourage dancing, but there was no real place for it, so people kind of awkwardly and briefly break into something too halfhearted to call dancing. Also the drinks are expensive and I doubt girls will wanna go to a bar that on top of all the issues mentioned above, is centered around sports and has their waitresses in referee costumes.
Hopefully it gets better.
Referee costumes.