LJWorld.com

Centrist (Anonymous) says…

Am a little surprised, but not really .. their food really wasn't very good.

The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

I'm surprised he didn't blame it on the homeless that eat at McDonalds.

RonBurgandy (Anonymous) says…

I never was much of a fan of Mass Street Deli, I ate there a couple of times but wasn't overly impressed.

Unix_Admin (Anonymous) says…

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

KSChick1 (Anonymous) says…

I loved their burger with bleu cheese in it…yummy

reubens weren't so good though

last two times I was there, somebody dropped a big tray of glassware, silverware, etc and god, the racket that caused!

merrill (Anonymous) says…

So much for the $2.00 everyday low price for a Fat Tire. The new place across the street from the Salvation Army is also on the market so rumor has it.

Not enough retail dollars around to keep everything afloat.

nekansan (Anonymous) says…

There is never enough retail dollars to keep sub par food and service afloat. Too bad because if the food was better it could do real well. Every time I ate there I was disappinted and there are plenty of places to eat on Mass that are not disappointing. Hopefully the new restraunt will be better.

smitty (Anonymous) says…

Any bets on how long Buffalo Bob stays in business?

rhd99 (Anonymous) says…

Have there been any serious safety or health code violations at Mass. Street Deli? Someone said to me that the food they had there was terrible.

lawrenceguy (Anonymous) says…

I'm sure the demise of Mass Street deli was hastened by all those roundabouts the city loves so much. They are ruining everything!

GardenMomma (Anonymous) says…

Sure will miss the Deli Subs.

midwestmom (Anonymous) says…

Note only “some” of the employees will be transferring to his other enterprise. How many are going to be unemployed, without any notice? Bet he's not “sharing” the profits on the building sale with the people who are now unemployed, by at least giving them 2 weeks severance.

blue73harley (Anonymous) says…

This is clearly the fault of the deli at Evil Empire of Walmart ;-)

budwhysir (Anonymous) says…

Making way for that great downtown grocery store. What a dedicated downtown supporter.

Informed (Anonymous) says…

Hey, merrill, I think this has more to do with the incredibly mediocre food that was served than it does “Not enough retail dollars around to keep everything afloat.” And then of course if someone offers to buy your building and the price is right, well, free enterprise being what it is, you go for it. Especially if your profit margin is dwindling because people expect better food for their money.

dmcclain (Anonymous) says…

I also agree that the food was not very good. Hard to stay in business anywhere if customers have many other choices that are better.

Nice pun, irnmadn88! Wonder how many others remember that!

rhd99 (Anonymous) says…

Roundabouts don't help, that's for sure, but I disagree they are the cause for the deli's demise.

HighScore (Anonymous) says…

Greyheim,

I thought it was a Phat Tire Ale, not a Red Hook.

Regardless, one of the cheesier moments in local advertising history.

Informed (Anonymous) says…

I remember it, dmcclain. Just didn't know how to work it in, especially since I think there is (or used to be) a bar called The Outhouse in Lawrence.

Mkh (Anonymous) says…

This should have happened a long time ago. Ceratainly one of the worst establishments on Mass St. The food was wretched and service inadequate.

I thought the Health Dept. was going to shut it down a several years back after my friend had roaches running across his table.

Hopefully whoever buys the place will put some real work and care into a new resturant.

Informed (Anonymous) says…

Oh, c'mon JW. irnmadn88's comment was pretty funny.

Kam_Fong_as_Chin_Ho (Anonymous) says…

Note only “some” of the employees will be transferring to his other enterprise. How many are going to be unemployed, without any notice? Bet he's not “sharing” the profits on the building sale with the people who are now unemployed.
==========
It's called “life”. Welcome to the real world. Why on earth should he share real estate profits with the waiters and waitresses?? If they're that bad off, they can collect unemployment until they land another job.

omnedon (Anonymous) says…

MWM…It's interesting that you think that the newly unemployed workers are “entitled” to share the profits on the building sale. Last I new, Kansas was an employment at will state that doesn't require employers, or employees for that matter, to give notice of job separation. And unless he also shared the profits of the businesses daily sales, I don't see where it follows that the employee, not the business owner deserves the profits from the sale. That being said, I do think that a decent employer would give it's employees a heads up that this was coming and give them opportunities to move to Buffalo Bob's, or seek employment elsewhere.

FormerCentralKansan (Anonymous) says…

Can someone here confirm the story about Bob and the “Porta-Potty”?

bangaranggerg (Anonymous) says…

LJW come on, a story at noon about it being the last day in business for a legacy dining spot. Shouldn't a reporter have had something on this sooner? This just in… ?

stopthenoise (Anonymous) says…

I know, the library is going in there!

scootterxlch (Anonymous) says…

i heard it was the outhouse at the lake

Andini (Anonymous) says…

At least he still owns The Chokehouse.

grimpeur (Anonymous) says…

34 years in biz, eh? I had no idea, having first moved here in 1986. Despite the nabobs here, I'd say ol' Bob hit the sweet spot of many diners' tastebuds a damn sight longer than most restauranteurs, so you gotta give him props there. Others that succeeded in providing what the eaters wanted, at least in their heydays: old Red Lion (if you didn't mind faux abuse), Tin Pan (lines out the door on weekends for a plate full of fresh food cheap), and Paradise. I hear Tin Pan went downhill 'bout 91 or so (I was elsewhere 91-97, and it was Jesters when I returned, I think), and we know the sad story of Paradise.

How, if you think the food sucks, did he do it for 34 years? (Hint: another place with (less than) so-so food has had a bit of success, too. I won't mention any names, but it's initials are m-c-d-o-n-a-l-d-s).

Other fond food reminiscences? C'mon, who want to traipse down memory lane with me?

spacystaci8 (Anonymous) says…

I love the smokehouse. It's good stuff. Try the family deal, you can feed a family of 4 for $25 and its actually good. I wasn't crazy about the bbq chicken, but the sliced meats, ribs and sausage were sooooo good.

blue73harley (Anonymous) says…

I remember a way long time ago when Bob had some interest in a restaurant on 23rd St. that was replacing Sambos. I remember getting a chuckle when someone (construction worker?) labeled a piece of plywood on the building under construction “Schummbos”.

I miss Bum Steer BBQ.

walkdog262 (Anonymous) says…

I hate to see a local place go, but the food at this place was mediocre at best. I ate there at least twice and walked out dissatisfied. I am happy to support local businesses, but not when the food sucks.
In fact, when Paradise Cafe closed I was mad that the Mass St. Deli was able to remain open with its crappy food but Paradise, which was the best place in town, had to close. I guess they both were doomed for one reason or another.

fabian_zimbabwe (Anonymous) says…

Ah, Paradise Cafe…now THAT was sad news when they closed. I remember the “Breakfast Briefcase” (just salivating thinking about it).

ruette (Anonymous) says…

Any oldtimers remember the Campus Hideaway? When it was Italian?
Much later I liked Pywackets, and there was also a really good place called La Ciece (or something like that), corner of 8th and NH?
Never cared for any Schumm place.
Still miss the Paradise…

Ragingbear (Anonymous) says…

Oh. I know exactly how Buffalo Bob's used to stay in business. It was a common trick when I was homeless for people to gather what changed they could find, and go get a gigantic platter or two of fries. Which really aren't all that great either.

Andini (Anonymous) says…

I used to love Beccero's (sp) when it first opened.

I also liked The Cornucopia too.

johnadavies (Anonymous) says…

“and go get a gigantic platter or two of fries. Which really aren't all that great either.”

My kids hate the BBQ and I hate the fries; Buffalo Bob is doomed! Next is Clarabell the Clown and pretty soon it will just be Howdy Doody up there by himself! Boy, I should've slept more last night!

Harry_Manback (Anonymous) says…

The employees there were really rude and inattentive. After a particularily bad experience, my boyfriend called to speak with the manager (politely) about the rude service, and he kind of just laughed at him. We quit going there for about a year cause of that, then we decided to go back and give them a second chance about two months ago, but the service was as bad as usual.

I liked the food, but the wait and the service weren't worth it. Maybe it wouldn't have had to shut down if it just improved its customer service and hired more experienced servers. I really think they would've done better if they had food to go, kind of like the set-up at Panera or Wheatfields.

familyman (Anonymous) says…

How about a Fat Tire Amber ale, now!!!!

Jillster (Anonymous) says…

It's quite a stroll down memory lane to think about favorite restaurants that have come and gone in Lawrence…I really miss the Cornucopia, Tin Pan Alley, and Paradise (at which I ate since the beginning, when it was a hole-in-the-wall place called “Paradise and Lunch” and only served lunch). I also loved the Blue Bird Diner, which had a great hot beef sandwich. And does anyone remember Ziegfield's sandwiches? Their slogan was “You'll love our buns!” They did a good sandwich, too…but they closed after a relatively short while.

When I was a freshman at KU over 20 years ago, it was the “in” thing to eat at Mass St. Deli or Buffalo Bobs. I really liked the atmosphere of Mass St. Deli, even though the food quality really did seem to decline over the years.

Ah, well — nothing lasts forever, good or bad.

vavs0929 (Anonymous) says…

I used to work there.. they had a roach problem. Which they had to treat often.. so Im betting it wont be irradicated when the new restaurant moves in.

But it was fun working there and my butt looked awesome from having to walk up those stairs to the 3rd floor with big trays of food. The chicken BLT was rad!

and Buffalo Bobs is WAY busier than Mass St Deli ever was. So I doubt it will close anytime soon.

Pywacket (Anonymous) says…

Never was impressed with any of Schumm's establishments. And once I learned a little about him and his politics, I never went back to any of his places.

When I was new to Lawrence, we used to think Cornucopia was a treat. But the last 2-3 times I went there, the food had gone downhill and we saw cockroaches running everywhere. Very appetizing. I know from my own experience working in restaurants when I was younger, that it is possible to keep roaches away if you are meticulous about cleanliness and about keeping food tightly covered, properly stored, etc. Cornu was a dump by the time it closed.

Tin Pan Alley was another one that started out great then went bad before they finally closed.

Restauranteurs ought to be honest with themselves—when they no longer care, they should just close instead of dragging it out and letting the place go to seed first.

Ah…this could be a metaphor for relationships—leave the moment you know it's over instead of ruining the good memories by going through the motions long after you've stopped believing.

brookcreeker (Anonymous) says…

It's about time that place closed. The only customers Schumm could ever get were out-of-towners who didn't know any better and poor college students who could afford neither good food nor good service. I've always wondered how Schumm kept either of his downtown restaurants - I've rarely seen any customers in them.

Teapot9 (Anonymous) says…

That place was average at best, and according to friends that worked there, infestation wasnt a surprise when lifting up tomatoes and large pieces of lettuce.

altarego (Anonymous) says…

“Schumm declined to identify the buyer of his building at 941 Mass., but said that it would be a restaurant.”

OOhhhh. Intrigue in the food service world. I hope this means we finally get our Hooters.

76_IH_Scout_Dad (Anonymous) says…

Bob's is good. Who ever said to get the family meal hit the nail on the head. About every few weeks in the LJW there will be a $5 off coupon for that meal. Feed my family of four for real cheap. We also end up taking half the food home with us. I don't see Bob's being open a whole lot longer. Others may disagree, but to me, Bob's never seems all that busy.

The Deli was just a couple to many dollars expensive for the quality of food. Service just about everywhere stinks these days. We found a great server at a local restaurant, and we now eat at this place about every 3rd trip out to eat.

The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

I know for sure at least one of the commcercials was, “Have a REd Hook Ale, NOWWW!” There could have been a Fat Tire one as well.

hawkperchedatriverfront (Anonymous) says…

Watch for more buildings to be sold! Mortgage payments due and better to sell , pay off the loan and put some bucks in the bank at 5%.

Downtown is dying and this trying to save it for the last 25 years is a joke. City Commissoners, give it up. Let the market do it's job. When the lenders tighten up their money, then the real story will begin to be told.

J/W story here about lending in Lawrence. Hello?

adky (Anonymous) says…

Did he fall or was he pushed?

hawkperchedatriverfront (Anonymous) says…

Well, whether he fell or was pushed, did he save enough cash from the wet wallet?

RonBurgandy (Anonymous) says…

TOB - There must have been two versions b/c I know he did one with Fat Tire. My friends and I do that all the time now.

nomorebobsplease (Anonymous) says…

Grimpeur or anyone else remember Casa De Taco?

promitida (Anonymous) says…

Their food was ok, but more often than not the service was terrible. It was always at least 45 minutes to get my food whenever I ate there, and their chairs were pathetically dilapidated.

JayCat_67 (Anonymous) says…

It's been about a year since I've had Buffalo Bobs. It wasn't bad, but it sure seems like it was better when I first moved here (20+ years ago). Maybe my memory is just being selective, but it seems like you used to get a lot more meat for your money. Nowadays, it seems like you still get a big pile, but it's a thin layer of meat strategically placed over a big ol' heap of fries. Still tastes good, and I like the atmosphere. But, well, you know… Aw crap, I'm just rambling now.

drewdun (Anonymous) says…

What is it with Lawrence and the lack of a good greasy spoon burger joint? (not that Mass St. Deli was one) There are literally dozens in Wichita (Burger Station, Dog & Shake, Burger Stand, Jack's-by-the-Tracks, etc). How about a small, family-owned cheap restaurant for us college bums?

The lack of good, cheap, local restaurants is one of the biggest complaints I hear (and have) about Lawrence.

Thats_messed_up (Anonymous) says…

Mass St Deli closed for two very important reasons: 1.The place was insensitive to the plight of the Baker Wetlands and 2. Customers found out that the owner is straight.

The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

Ron - The Red Hook was in the early - mid 90s. We used to do it all the time as well. Man, sure sounded funny at the time.

TheEleventhStephanie (Anonymous) says…

mmmmmmmmmmmmm, dog n shake……

geekin_topekan (Anonymous) says…

How about Casa Grande at 9th and indiana?Threefer Thursdays.Yeah buddy!
Drake's at 5am after a long night of delivering pizzas.
I used to like Paradise but they hosed my friend so f***'em!
TinPan Alley was a good stand by.the most memorable thing for me was the menu read “..served with fries and balhblahblah…”followed by a brief explanation to what blahblahblah meant.
Another staple was turkey go-go's at the replay when they still had a grill.Three go-go's for a buck!(little white castle sized turkey burgers.)
Bum Steer for the noon AA meeting was a favorite for me.(seriously).Followed by a trip across the street to the record store to see what was on vinyl thats new.

H_Lecter (Anonymous) says…

Cough, choke, (muffled), Hooters, cough, cough, cough

…With a fire pole from the 2nd floor

jpnm (Anonymous) says…

Worked at Campus Hideaway (Hey Gene!), Cornucopia (Hey Glen!), and Tin Pan (Hey Terry!), all under the original owners. They were fabulous until the owners went on to better things. That's the way of the Lawrence restaurant. As long as the owner stays focused, it's great. Anyone remember Schumm's other place, the New Yorker? On Mass. All his places have gone through cycles, probably related to his other activities. Remember when he ran for mayor? Greetings from Baltimore!

devobrun (Anonymous) says…

Speakin' of Wichita, how 'bout Pig In Pig Out.

Sure wish Lawrence had a good BBQ place like that.

cait48 (Anonymous) says…

Considering that when Vermont Street BBQ opened then (gasp!) moved to Mass we actually got a decent BBQ place in this town I'm surprised Buffalo Bob's is still open. My husband and I ate at Bob's twice and both times the food was terrible. We avoid the place like the plague.
It didn't help that after that we took our kids to Mass on Halloween. They Trick or Treated the Smokehouse and we were informed by an employee that not only did they NOT participate but if the boss caught them giving out so much as an after dinner peppermint they would be fired.
What a guy!

Eride (Anonymous) says…

Now if only that other disgusting eatery close by would shutdown… what is that places name? Buffalo Bob's?

PeteJayhawk (Anonymous) says…

Just so you all know…there were 2 commercials. The Red Hook ale right now and the Fat Tire ale right now…if memory serves, the Red Hook commercial came along first.

Those were the two worst-poured beers I've ever seen. Only Bob Schumm could make cold beer look unappetizing.

average (Anonymous) says…

Mediocre middle-of-the-road fare, unenthusiastically served. Still, the twice I was gainsayed into Mass St. Deli were moderately preferable to the few times I've been dragged to an Applebee's. Somehow, the formula worked out for them.

misseve (Anonymous) says…

Buffalo Bobs is next because really, if you have EVER had good bbq… you'd never eat there. I went once and felt as though I disgraced my family by eathing that crap. OH well… and i have heard about that “pot a potty”

swan_diver (Anonymous) says…

Anybody remember Bob's 'Our Place' at 14th and Massachusetts? Two scoops of ice cream and a cup of coffee for .30 — plus a penny in sales tax?

The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

Buffalo Bobs. Last I remember (15 years ago), it was the home of a lot of fries and poor service.

Thanks Petejayhawk.

Jpnm - I haven't thought of Tin Pan Alley in years. Cheddar fries on a hungover Sunday afternoon. Mmmm.

gl0ck0wnr (Anonymous) says…

Bob's food is mediocre and he looks like the principal from the Breakfast Club… Plus, the guy was always a jerk when he was in city government.

shirinisb (Anonymous) says…

bob schumbucket's food sucks.

good riddance

gl0ck0wnr (Anonymous) says…

Don't forget the obnoxious ads…

“How about a cold mug of you're out of business, right now!”

SeaFox (Anonymous) says…

Damn, I didn't think the food was that bad. Why couldn't the smokehouse go out of business? They sucked. (obvious answer being Bob wouldn't let the restaurant with his name on the front be the one to close).

This news does explain the last meal I got there (Black and Spicy Burger Platter, on the $3.99 evening special). They served curly fries with it (like the ones at Buffalo Bob's) instead of their regular French fries and they were undercooked/really old, something like that. They were completely soggy.

One less place to get a cheap dinner when you're an employee downtown…

I hope someone