No doubt about it. Turned from best coffee shop around to the very worst pretty quickly (mind you, I'm not talking about the actual coffee, but the atmosphere/feel). I think they've become more concerned with being hip and having a DJ than serving up a good daytime/coffee shop/regular bar atmosphere.
When it first opened up I quickly became a regular but I won't go near it now. Budweiser posters have replaced community postings on the bulletin board and a bar has replaced one of the seating areas in the coffee area. Good thing there is a Mocha Hut coming in now. I'd rather support Mayorga but there's not much left to support. (Except the staff has always been very friendly.)
Agreed, i liked it better when it first opened up. For me, the turning point was when they put the opaque coating over the windows so you couldn't see outside from the back room anymore, I suppose to give it more of a "club" feel. Also, it's pretty dirty now in the weekend mornings, after the previous evening's revelry. They need to do a better job of tidying up after the nighttime events.
I too was a quick regular who avoids it now. That said, for months there were never more than 5 people at the bar on most nights, so I can't blame the owners for trying to figure out how to make more money. I know a lot of neighborhood folks claim to love the spot, but they just weren't getting enough support. Considering how much money they put into that spot, five customers a night was never going to be sustainable. I hear they want to go back to trying for a neighborhood vibe. I hope it's not too late.
I'd imagine they'd get back to that neighborhood vibe if they stopped trying so hard at the awkward lounge thing. I gave the bar a shot, but expensive beer and attempts at an upscale atmosphere seem quite the opposite of a Columbia Heights neighborhood bar.
I am not sure the owners even care to get back to the neighborhood vibe. It would be easy to do: start doing some simple advertising and actually make the customers feel like they're appreciated. They turn off the wi-fi at about 7, and the owners seem more interested in sitting back and letting the promoters run the place rather than actually interacting with the customers (at least the bar customers) to see what would bring more people in. I was also a regular and now I just feel unwelcome because I am not interested in sleazy parties and I like having a place other than my tiny apartment to do work. Mayorga, in my opinion, has been the single biggest business disappointment in Columbia Heights.
6 comments:
No doubt about it. Turned from best coffee shop around to the very worst pretty quickly (mind you, I'm not talking about the actual coffee, but the atmosphere/feel). I think they've become more concerned with being hip and having a DJ than serving up a good daytime/coffee shop/regular bar atmosphere.
When it first opened up I quickly became a regular but I won't go near it now. Budweiser posters have replaced community postings on the bulletin board and a bar has replaced one of the seating areas in the coffee area. Good thing there is a Mocha Hut coming in now. I'd rather support Mayorga but there's not much left to support. (Except the staff has always been very friendly.)
Agreed, i liked it better when it first opened up. For me, the turning point was when they put the opaque coating over the windows so you couldn't see outside from the back room anymore, I suppose to give it more of a "club" feel. Also, it's pretty dirty now in the weekend mornings, after the previous evening's revelry. They need to do a better job of tidying up after the nighttime events.
I too was a quick regular who avoids it now. That said, for months there were never more than 5 people at the bar on most nights, so I can't blame the owners for trying to figure out how to make more money. I know a lot of neighborhood folks claim to love the spot, but they just weren't getting enough support. Considering how much money they put into that spot, five customers a night was never going to be sustainable. I hear they want to go back to trying for a neighborhood vibe. I hope it's not too late.
I'd imagine they'd get back to that neighborhood vibe if they stopped trying so hard at the awkward lounge thing. I gave the bar a shot, but expensive beer and attempts at an upscale atmosphere seem quite the opposite of a Columbia Heights neighborhood bar.
I am not sure the owners even care to get back to the neighborhood vibe. It would be easy to do: start doing some simple advertising and actually make the customers feel like they're appreciated. They turn off the wi-fi at about 7, and the owners seem more interested in sitting back and letting the promoters run the place rather than actually interacting with the customers (at least the bar customers) to see what would bring more people in. I was also a regular and now I just feel unwelcome because I am not interested in sleazy parties and I like having a place other than my tiny apartment to do work. Mayorga, in my opinion, has been the single biggest business disappointment in Columbia Heights.
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