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Whitey's......sad


coachdags

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Not all that sad to see it go. Average to below average food and poor service every time I went there. At least now I can cross it off my list mediocre of restaurants 'Forkers are in love with.

I'm sure I hit it at a bad time...but here's to hoping that if someone does revive it, they do it right.

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Not all that sad to see it go. Average to below average food and poor service every time I went there. At least now I can cross it off my list mediocre of restaurants 'Forkers are in love with.

I'm sure I hit it at a bad time...but here's to hoping that if someone does revive it, they do it right.

We "Forkers" and former "Forkers" weren't necessarily in love with the food or the service, though, I think you are right that you must have hit it at a bad time or a low point in its history....what we "Forkers" were in love with was the nostalgia of the place and the great memories spent with friends at the bar and in the dining booths. It was truly a great place that transcended the flaws you cite through its history, character and ambiance.

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Not surprising considering the people who bought it and ran it last. Long history of being shady businessmen.

Hey coachdags, ready to get back in the bar business? ud be a great candidate to buy.run it haha

Sorry to inform you gfhockey but the people who bought it were good people and invested a lot of money into Dave's BS and they pretty much stopped funding it until they could get Dave out. The thing many people don't know is that Dave was never the actual owner, only a manager. One of the MAJOR investers was a guy from the cities who has bailed out Denny Hecker and when he found out the way Dave was running it he pulled out of it and left the rest of the investors high and dry. Another thing was that Whiteys was going downhill for a long time, it has never been the same since the flood. What is interesting is the people who say they will miss it but how often did they go down there? I'm not blaming the people of EGF or GF but it is just in a bad location with everything moving away from the river, no one wants to travel to downtown GF/EGF just to eat anymore.

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Sorry to inform you gfhockey but the people who bought it were good people and invested a lot of money into Dave's BULLSh!T and they pretty much stopped funding it until they could get Dave out. The thing many people don't know is that Dave was never the actual owner, only a manager. One of the MAJOR investers was a guy from the cities who has bailed out Denny Hecker and when he found out the way Dave was running it he pulled out of it and left the rest of the investors high and dry. Another thing was that Whiteys was going downhill for a long time, it has never been the same since the flood. What is interesting is the people who say they will miss it but how often did they go down there? I'm not blaming the people of EGF or GF but it is just in a bad location with everything moving away from the river, no one wants to travel to downtown GF/EGF just to eat anymore.

You had it up until that last part. The downtown restaurants are very popular, but Whitey's hasn't kept up with the curve.

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...What is interesting is the people who say they will miss it but how often did they go down there? I'm not blaming the people of EGF or GF but it is just in a bad location with everything moving away from the river, no one wants to travel to downtown GF/EGF just to eat anymore.

Untrue...totally your opinion...people didn't go to Whitey's after the flood because the food and service just weren't that good...

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Sorry to inform you gfhockey but the people who bought it were good people and invested a lot of money into Dave's BULLSh!T and they pretty much stopped funding it until they could get Dave out. The thing many people don't know is that Dave was never the actual owner, only a manager. One of the MAJOR investers was a guy from the cities who has bailed out Denny Hecker and when he found out the way Dave was running it he pulled out of it and left the rest of the investors high and dry. Another thing was that Whiteys was going downhill for a long time, it has never been the same since the flood. What is interesting is the people who say they will miss it but how often did they go down there? I'm not blaming the people of EGF or GF but it is just in a bad location with everything moving away from the river, no one wants to travel to downtown GF/EGF just to eat anymore.

The downtown area is very much alive right now. Especially in East Grand Forks. The Multi-plex theatre has all kinds of people heading down there for dinner and a movie. With the lack of parking down there, they need to get there early just for a spot, so dining is a bonus.

Maybe if they hadn't overhauled the menu time after time in recent years they could have competed. Or they could have properly staffed the place. I was in there around thanksgiving, very inappropriate behavior from the staff. Blue Moose, Applebees, Mama Maria's, Mike's Pizza, and the Boardwalk are all doing very well in that area, so that isn't the problem.

I don't know these people, but if they didn't like this Dave guy managing, to the point that they pulled out of the investment, why didn't they just lose this Dave guy?

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Sorry to inform you gfhockey but the people who bought it were good people and invested a lot of money into Dave's BS and they pretty much stopped funding it until they could get Dave out. The thing many people don't know is that Dave was never the actual owner, only a manager. One of the MAJOR investers was a guy from the cities who has bailed out Denny Hecker and when he found out the way Dave was running it he pulled out of it and left the rest of the investors high and dry. Another thing was that Whiteys was going downhill for a long time, it has never been the same since the flood. What is interesting is the people who say they will miss it but how often did they go down there? I'm not blaming the people of EGF or GF but it is just in a bad location with everything moving away from the river, no one wants to travel to downtown GF/EGF just to eat anymore.

People that bail out Denny Hecker are not good people.

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The downtown area is very much alive right now. Especially in East Grand Forks. The Multi-plex theatre has all kinds of people heading down there for dinner and a movie. With the lack of parking down there, they need to get there early just for a spot, so dining is a bonus.

Maybe if they hadn't overhauled the menu time after time in recent years they could have competed. Or they could have properly staffed the place. I was in there around thanksgiving, very inappropriate behavior from the staff. Blue Moose, Applebees, Mama Maria's, Mike's Pizza, and the Boardwalk are all doing very well in that area, so that isn't the problem.

I don't know these people, but if they didn't like this Dave guy managing, to the point that they pulled out of the investment, why didn't they just lose this Dave guy?

The whole dinner and a movie isn't what it used to be, with prices for dinner and movies going up its hard to go to both let alone either one. That was there plan was to stop payment on everything until Dave was out and with Dave being the liar he is it was hard. I know three of the investors personally and they are really sad that it had to come down to this but hopefully they regroup and get someone who isn't a totally idiot to run the place.

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I've lived in Grand Forks for three years and I have only went to Whiteys once, sort of. I went there in November for lunch and sat around for about 20 minutes looking at a menu. Never got a drink or saw the waitress again. Needless to say I left and went to Al's.

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RIP, old friend. I spent many a Sunday night in the Back Bar, and the Side Bar. Stennes was a class act. Can't speak to the current/newest owners, but how can you f**k that up? :glare:

Agreed. Reading the Herald article ( http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/192874 ), Norman seems to have plenty of not-particularly-convincing excuses, but as others have pointed out there are several restaurants on the boardwalk in EGF that seem to be doing just fine, and none has the iconic name and tradition of Whitey's.

If you're starting up a new restaurant, I may be able to buy the "competitive marketplace" excuse for why it failed. But when you have an established business that fails under your watch, it's probably not all that difficult to speculate where the blame should be placed.

If the right person took over, I have no doubt Whitey's could still thrive in this day and age.

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Whiteys will reopen, and the new owners should put the old menu back in place, and hire people who give a darn.

I go to Red Lobster, and get great customer service nearly 100% of the time, and that is freaking Red Lobster, a chain restaurant. Why can't a local legendary place like Whitey's do the same?

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RIP, old friend. I spent many a Sunday night in the Back Bar, and the Side Bar. Stennes was a class act. Can't speak to the current/newest owners, but how can you f**k that up? :glare:

We usually got one of the tables around the horseshoe bar, at least once a week. My main memories are -- Grain belt pint glasses, burger baskets, a beer selection I never took advantage of, "historical price" promotions (the once a year I could afford a steak there:). It was a mandatory stop on 21st birthday tours, a great spot for a group that wanted to sit and chat instead of go to The Antique.

I stopped in the new one post-flood once, and it just wasn't the same (you could say, "of course it wasn't", but Blue Moose felt exactly the same). So, I feel like I really said RIP to my old friend a decade or so ago. It sounds like this is less the end of Whitey's than the end of this owner, which according to the article and this thread may not be an entirely bad thing.

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The menu changes and price increases after the sale were ridiculous. We went there to support the new owners shortly after the turnover and ended up walking out after looking at the menu. How you can screw up an established business so fast is amazing. Many people I know tried to support and patronize Whitey's, but had such bad experiences that they left.

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I always loved the Riverboat Sandwich. Haven't been there since 2009, but it was nearly empty for dinner the last time I was there.

The old Whitey's was my favorite restaurant. The wink and nod way of getting a table was something I haven't seen since.

Between the Antique and Whitey's i had all of my eating and drinking needs met. Pre-flood EGF was the place to be.

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I always loved the Riverboat Sandwich. Haven't been there since 2009, but it was nearly empty for dinner the last time I was there.

The old Whitey's was my favorite restaurant. The wink and nod way of getting a table was something I haven't seen since.

Between the Antique and Whitey's i had all of my eating and drinking needs met. Pre-flood EGF was the place to be.

I miss those days also, but in some ways downtown EGF is more popular than ever. Finding a parking spot on a Friday or Saturday night is tough. The movie theaters have been a huge hit, which I believe has really helped the many restaurants in close proximity. Other than Whitey's under its most recent management/ownership, I guess. ???

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