Jackson Jambalaya

what a shame! It is a great resturant, but as we have seen as of late - ALL is moving to Rennaissance area...Ruth/Chris, Mint, AJ's etc.

Really? All? Nick's just announced it is locating to Fondren. What about Sal & Mookies, Walker's, and as Kinfish noted, the Auditorium? What about the numerous other establishments, old and new, in Fondren? What about the Ramey Agency which came back from the Parkway to locate in Fondren?

I don't even like the Fondren area but some of the eateries are quite good.....Que Sera Sera, Roosters, Etc.

What a great restaurant? is that a joke? The food has been average to poor since it opened. I can't tell you have many chances I gave Shimmel's before I stopped eating there. Now if you rate the place by the bar, then yes, it is cool. The actual structure is very nicely done as well. But the food was terribly average and the service was spotty at best. People vote with their feet, inspired by the gut, when it come to dining out. I am surprised that it lasted this long to be honest.

Looking forward to Nick's opening in Fondren, should be nice. I use to eat there when it was a Morrison's.

true- food not that great- Never was! Just another watering hole-

Kingfish, please make sure that everyone realizes that Schimmels is still open!! Jay spent money in Fondren when no one else was doing so.

Just another watering hole.

The size of this market is regularly over-estimated. There is only so much disposable income to go around.

The restaurant biz has been trending down since 2004.

National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index
Values Greater than 100 = Expansion; Values Less than 100 = Contraction
Source: National Restaurant Association

while I agree that there is only so much to go around, ever try to eat at Walker's on a weekend, or weeknight? It is packed and you should have a reservation. The quality of the food is the most important aspect of dining, which schimmels sorely lacked. Nice place, great bar, bad food, that is what people I know think. A restaurant cannot stay open as a "bar crowd" only and survive.

Personal anecdote: I tried to book a private party for my wife's surprise bday there in February. It was a 14 person deal, so there was some money to be had in it.

I called Schimmel's first because I wanted to give them the first bite. The saleswoman was absolutely disinterested. I was trying to get a feel for their space, their minimum prices, etc. She told me the per person minimum, and didn't go into any detail about ways it could be made more special, which I asked for.

I then called Mint, and they went the extra mile, helped set it up, offered to do different things for free.

Mint was a shade more expensive, but we went there because they tried harder.

Schimmel's didn't try to get our money. We ended up spending around $2600.

Schimmel's kind of reminded me of those restaurants on that Fox show with Gordon Ramsey where the people's restaurants were dying and he came in to straighten them out.

I think it's unfortunate, but I wouldn't blame the economy or the area as much as I would blame the owner.

On a different note, Underground 119 is pretty awesome.

Tell us about Underground 119, QB. I understand the menu has a Cuban slant. Is that right?

Quit blaming the economy !! Other restaurants in that area are doing well. The owner let alot of inappropriate behavior go on upstairsin its earlier days that ran alot of people off. Also, the food was average at best.......

The newest trend at Schimmels is for people to order five course dinners, leave a few dollars in the book and DIP! Server has to pay the check, and obviously quits. Not to mention the patrons now have the "english mentality" whereas- they leave no tip at all, which once again means, waiter quits. It's really hard finding help when you're employees are hired and quit like their "revolving door."

Underground 119

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009908200317

Don't blame the economy? LMAO

First and last time we went to Schimmels, the bartender lifted our credit card number and went on a large spending spree that evening.

I have heard numerous people say the food at Schimmel's is not good and that the service was terrible...

this reminds me of the joke about the restaurant where the food was terrible but thankfully the service was slow......

The food isn't any good and the service is at best, not very good at times.

Didn't Karen Irby get into a cat scratch fight there with some other fruitloop?

Speaking of Mint, I have tried it several times and have been left dissapointed and broke. It seems it is nothing more than another bar that serves average and expensive food. As for Ruth Chris, the price fixed three course menu has proven it is suffering and probably won't survive. But hey, you gotta pay Mattice his money, that is some way overprice real estate.

I certainly wouldn't blame this closing on the economy. When the owner's wife is starting fights in the restaurant, who wants to go back?

Why is Begley handling this? He's not a bankruptcy attorney.

We were in Chattanooga vacationing last week and drove through a part of town that reminded us of Fondren.

Once we arrived at the restaurant we had a reservations for our waiter asked if traffic on the interstates were bad due to construction--I told him the route I took downtown and he proceeded to tell us we had driven through one of Chattanooga's worst ghettos.

I said, "Well damn--place looked just like Fondren to me."

Fondren is an ideological ghetto.

Autogyro, nothing I've had at 119 is really "cuban." Nor is it a true tapas menu. Instead, it is a mixture of small plates. Crab cake and lamb lollipops were very good.

Of course there are those who think Fondren is "ghetto." Probably because there are no fake columns or "fancy" water features.

Thanks, QB (and Anon 4:47) for the clarification on Underground 119.

An old Jacksonian told me the Underground location orginally housed the old LeFleur's Restaurant before it moved out to the I-55 frontage road in the 1960s. That was quite a place back in the day.

Kingfish,
Schimmel's is not out of the game yet! We, have made the commitment to "Reorganize" under Ch.11and focus on a way to modify the concept and still be a desirable venue. No restaurant is perfect, but our reputation has been built on a higher percetage of successes than failures.

The choice to 'Reorg" also provides the opportunity to sort out a solution, rather than run from passed obligations. Successful business owners never quit...they find another way!

A business has to learn to swerve with the curves of the economy, competition, quality of its product, and consistency of how its delivered.

While many of the positive comments are appreciated only a fool would not listen to the negative. Some have some merit, others not so much.

In closing, There are several points I would like to convey...
1) In the end, the buck stops with me and my ability to make this restaurant work...not the economy, perceptions of naysayers, or kudos from loyal guests.

2) We have been open 11 years and have been late on taxes and met our past obligations. There is no reason not to expect resolution this time as well.

3) We look forward to posting our new model for casual fine dining for your bloggers to read..and comment..anonymous or not.

4) The passion and desire to be an establishment that is a symbol of the new south...commitment to the city..and first class experience (as stated in Southern Living, Esquire Magazine, Taste Of the South, Portico....to name just a few) is alive and well.

We hit a few bumps in the road...and tried to decifer what was in our control to change....and not to focus on the variables out of our reach.

We look forward to the opportunity to show a bright new look very soon....Thank you so much for the positive comments and acknoledgments. I appreciate the opportunity to respond. js

Dayumn. OK guys, give the Big J credit for showing some brass ones and showing up here to update us on his restaurant. Hope it works. Sorry Jay, but we already sent in your restaurant to Chef R's tv show. TV never hurt anyone and seeing the Chef operate down here would be funny. ;-) All kidding aside there is one thing you could do that would really work here but I'm not about to put it on a website.

Thanks for your comments and I'm going to highlight them in the post so everyone can see them.

Thanks Jay for the update! Kudos to you for communicating.

Had lunch there today and it was not a pleasant experience. They were out of several of the things on the menu, the chicken salad was not ready, the server was not very nice or prompt. There were only 6 other people in the place. The hostess was very cheerful, which so much more than I can say of our server. Not an experience that I would wish to repeat. There are many more choices in area.

you will fail with your current attitude toward the customer. The chef is always right mentality doesn't work here, mabey in New York, but not here.

Wow, I thought it said a lot that he would get on here, own it, and explain what's going on. To me that showed he cared very much. But, "MAYBE" I'm wrong..

talk the talk-then- WALK THE WALK!

I give the guy credit. I do hope he focuses on that famous Ray Kroc formula - Value is equal to Quality Service and Experience relative to Price. Know many successful restaurants that execute this strategy and if he does those simple things, he will be back in the saddle, but also needs to focus on food...not just drinks.

Hats off to Jay for responding to the comments - both positive and negative. I agree that he invested in and made a commitment to Fondren before anyone else. I have never had a bad meal at Schimmel's nor have I had bad service. I will say it was a little pricey for Jackson. I love the food, but when given a choice, I will choose somewhere else with a cheaper price tag. I look forward to Jay's new approach, wish him well, and ask for the folks that don't like Fondren (or Jackson) to stay away and keep quiet. More for us!

Jay:

Could I have your email address?

Thank you for allowing me post and respond to folks that have opinions...both good and bad. I welcome any constructive criticism from anyone anonymous or known that feels compelled to do so. My restaurant was a dream that started 11 years ago and all my proverbial eggs are in this basket. While an owner cannot necessarily build a new business model strictly by what the public sees from the outside looking in.....the publics perception is reality and it must be considered...and will be!

I like what one blogger said...and I live my life by it ....talk the talk ...walk the walk...Another motto is not to rely on the past...but.."What have you done lately"

Thanks for the feedback ....and I really appreciate all of ya'll making me and my business feel relevant. It is energizing to say the least....take care and you will see me sooner...rather than not at all!

Should anyone want to comment directly...jcsfinedine@gmail.com

Jay you are a class act. Stay above the small nameless, cowards that bitch, but offer NOTHING themselves.

Join NOTHING, do NOTHING, volunteer NOTHING, invest NOTHING, CONTRIBUTE NOTHING.

You rock.

After seeing that from Jay S, I'll be making a stop soon to Schimmels. Have always liked it, just have had SO many choices to check out lately, so guess haven't been in a while, perhaps the case with others as well.

There's a dish there definitely worth wrecking your diet ;) - something, tenderloin, grits, and apple. was awesome. Anyhow, will be there soon! Best of luck.

I agree Jay. You rock.

But stay away from the local grist miller's trap that people who post here join nothing, do nothing, volunteer nothing, invest nothing and contribute nothing as that 'near stroke' crowd just don't know how very little they don't know.

Schimmels food is awful- service is awful and prices are to high for something that taste like sysco.

All right, has nothing to do with this post or thread. Keep it on Schimmels.

Anonymous,

This is Denise Schimmel and I was Jay's wife when you made the unfounded comments and still consider Jay to be a dear friend. I have NEVER engaged in a "fight" or anything similar inside Schimmel's restaurant or outside the restaurant. If I have ever been rude to someone, there was cause and you can rest assured on that. I can only remember twice having to be rude and it was probably to you. Jay and I both worked so hard to keep that restaurant alive, Jay much more than me. We sacrificed time away from our children and familiy many times that you were spending holidays with your family. Jay was/is an amazing man and entrpreneur and I feel certain you will hear of his success elsewhere in this country someday. Please don't be a coward and anonymously make comments on this website. Feel free to reach out to me directly at your earliest convenience. Deniseschimmel@yahoo.com.