| Bye bye, Baja 600 |
Update (1:30 p.m. Aug. 12): The employees at the shuttered Baja 600 restaurant were given their walking papers Tuesday, according to Sam, a waiter who requested that we not use his real name. Sam had worked for the restaurant ("I made damn good money there," he says) for 19 months and said he was continually told by his manager that the venue would remain open even though it had been operating without a liquor license for the last 30 days.
"When customers would walk in and hear that they couldn't get a margarita or a cocktail with their dinner," Sam said, "80 percent of them would simply turn around and walk out. Every week we would be told, 'Next week we'll have our liquor license again,' and every week nothing happened -- except our tips dried up."
11 a.m. Aug. 12: There was a sheet of white paper taped to the glass-door patio
entrance of restaurateur Blair Hurst's Baja 600 restaurant yesterday.
Someone had scrawled on the paper: "Closed for remodeling." It was
closed, all right -- for good.
According to Richard McPeake, the executive chef at Blair Hurst's other restaurant, Jack Gage American Tavern, the joint ain't ever going to be Baja 600 again.
"We're out of there, man," McPeake tells me.
There have been rumors flying around the restaurant community for months that the owner of the Country Club Plaza, Highwood Properties, wanted Baja 600 -- a Tex-Mex restaurant not particularly known for outstanding cuisine -- out of the prime location at 600 Ward Parkway. Highwood Properties spokesperson Gayle Terry confirmed that the restaurant is closed -- and not for remodeling. Will Highwood be showing the restaurant property to any other potential tenants? "It's a lovely space with a beautiful patio," said Terry. "But I can't comment on anything other than that?"
The Star's Joyce Smith has reported that Hurst, as late as this spring, owed Highwood Properties a considerable amount in unpaid rent and late fees and had been late in renewing Baja's liquor license. Not having a liquor license, of course, sounded a death knell for a restaurant that did great cocktail business on its patio.
"The restaurant did a pretty amazing business even though, inside the building, the place was falling apart," said Sam the waiter. "The management wouldn't repair anything. I think they knew this was all coming."
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Yep.... the food was horrible, anyone that thought it was good, well.... you probably think applebees or chili's is tasty. I can remember, it seems every restaurant has had below standard food, but they get you with the patio. Last time i was there, there were ten of us outside, got our food and then we stared at each other for awhile... no silverware!! The waiter had his back to us counting his tips from the day, so yea... bad service too!
We have been going to Baja 600 since it first opened its doors. The food, atmosphere & service were excellent. When they changed owners a few years back, it definitely went down hill. The owners & management thought they could reduce costs by using less than quality ingredients and charging more. You could not get lunch portions during dinner anymore, the alcohol was watered down and my favorite meal, the Pollo Grande just tasted awful. I tried it once last time a few months ago and decided the over-priced, bland tasting food was not worth it and the place was deteriorating inside. The phrase "Don't fix it if it isn't broken" rings true here...
I'm sad. My fiance and I had our first date there. We've been several times and always had good food and service. I ALWAYS had fish tacos - and loved 'em. But on our last visit I had something different ... possibly something with chicken and cream cheese? Can't remember-but it was GREAT! I remember saying "I have to come back next week to have this again!!". We both really loved it there and had great memories. What a bummer...
The place never seemed to fit at the Plaza. It definitely was low brow next to the archetypical Plaza eateries.
It always looked busy to me???
I know on a number of occasions I saw
"FAT"ruzza making out with a burrito in the corner booth.
Hurst owes almost $200k in rent, $17,000 per month. Do the math! He was supposed to take over Mi Cocina, but lost that one. What an idiot. They didn't lose money because they couldn't serve alcohol, it was the servers, or lack there of, and crappy food! Thanks RUss!!
I loved that place and am very sad to see it go. I hope there is something similar to come soon.
Nope, I agree with Anonymous #1. Both times the wife and I went there, the food was below average. Not terrible, mind you, but nothing you couldn't get at a half a dozen Tex-Mex places in Johnson County.
I realize you're going to pay more for food at any place on the Plaza because of the expensive lease. Part of the problem may be the Tex-Mex cuisine; I can't justify paying $13 for a taco platter, especially if there's nothing "haute" or "gourmet" about them. Peace out, Baja.
I never understood why people went there. My wife and I tried it a few times, each time saying we would never be back. But then you drive by and you see everyone having a good time on the patio and you say, "I want to be part of that," and you ended up with lousy food, asking, "Why did we come here again?" They new they had a prime location, and that was their selling point. Cheap ingredients, higher than necessary prices, and prime location are recipes for money.
Makes you wonder how much they were paid to leave.
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