Tumbleweed in Chapter 11

Don't click if you don't want to go to the CJ

Thanks for the CJ warning.

Anyway, its very sad to hear that Tumbleweed is tumbling like so many other restaurants. I'm not a huge fan of the food, but I definitely feel for everyone whose job is now in danger. I hope they manage to sort things out somehow.

I've been a long-time fan of Tumbleweed, yet believe they took their eye off the ball a few years ago when they shifted the emphasis of their menu away from Tex-Mex to steaks and ribs...I felt as though they relagated their core menu to a back seat, and lost their identity....I hope they can weather the point and refocus on what generated their original success....

I've been a long-time fan of Tumbleweed, yet believe they took their eye off the ball a few years ago when they shifted the emphasis of their menu away from Tex-Mex to steaks and ribs...I felt as though they relagated their core menu to a back seat, and lost their identity....I hope they can weather the point and refocus on what generated their original success....

EXACTLY!!!

Tumbleweed has not been the same since George Keller sold the place years ago. Not only did the Tex-Mex items take a back seat on the menu, the quality suffered too.

I'm getting on the soap box here so bear with me.....

What was once a great local restaurant, that used to serve pretty good Tex-Mex that every one used to rave about, over expanded without the proper management in place. They forgot about the bulk of the menu, tried to re-invent themselves as a "Southwestern Steakhouse" by jumping on the "steak" bandwagon a few years back when a few of the other local places(Texas Roadhouse) saw success with their well thought out models.

All of a sudden, the best part of what used to be the Tumbleweed I grew up with and loved, got bastardized by the corporate bean counters....

I mean really; Why would you spend the money on those tricked out order at the table Palm Pilot things the servers used to use, when you are eating off of melamine plates with cheap serviceware and drinking out of plastic cups. THEN have the audacity to try to charge me in the high teens for a bad piece of select grade meat...Give me back my Beef And Cheese Chimi for a reasonable tariff!

They got way too big for their britches, alienated their local customers by taking them for granted, and tried too hard to emulate other chains(Chili's for example) ...They get what they deserve...

I used to love the "Weed" ........But like Chi Chi's, another one bites the dust !

I met George Keller in 1978. He had just started serving at his in-laws place, The Hill Side Tavern on Mellwood. George actually played in a band there and met his wife Linda there. I had my wedding rehersal dinner in the back room in Oct 1979 there. We talked about doing a location in Lexington, were I lived at the time. I convincened him he could open more in Louisvile. I opened the 2nd location in Louisville in 1980 in Dupont. The current Wild Eggs Location on Dutchmans Ln. Louisville could support more locations, hence Outerloop. I left in 1984 and George sold his controlling interest.

The investors thought it could become the next O'Charlies type chain and it has struggeled ever since. It has broken my heart to see it change from what I loved. I'm with you Dan, George save it, bring it back, please!

I mean really; Why would you spend the money on those tricked out order at the table Palm Pilot things the servers used to use, when you are eating off of melamine plates with cheap serviceware and drinking out of plastic cups. THEN have the audacity to try to charge me in the high teens for a bad piece of select grade meat...Give me back my Beef And Cheese Chimi for a reasonable tariff!

Dan, mentioning those "tricked out order at the table Palm Pilot things" brought back horrible memories for me. I worked at the Outer Loop TW in 2004-2005. As the OL location was the "corporate test center," we had the great pleasure of testing out all the crazy (and mostly stupid) ideas the big wigs had. Knowing that the servers were going to be resistant to such a change, they formed an "employee advisory board" that basically served two functions: 1) advise the big wigs on server reaction to the Palm Pilot implementation and 2) sell the servers on the financial value of the system ("more money in your pockets").

I don't know how the system ultimately worked out, or didn't work out, as I left one memorable night in April 2005. Let's just say that servers were so frustrated with the system that management was so short on experienced servers that they called begging me to take my job back - when I had quit/been fired after agreeing to "work things out" with a customer in the parking lot. Alas, we never made it to the parking lot.

I had spent every ounce of my energy trying to convince these knuckleheads that it was the wrong system, in the wrong restaurant, in the wrong market. They listened to me for awhile - until they found out I was a left-leaning, college-educated person. Guess it didn't help that was also doing the exact opposite of #2 above - spending my time selling the staff on how the system would mean more money for the company but less money for the servers.

Oh to be young and stupid all over again. In a very direct way, my TW experience lead me to the glory of the independent and the true "local." Reminiscing, now over.

I enjoyed Tumbleweed back in the day, in New Albany. Now it is irrelevant. So it goes. We might be able to make a nice independent brewpub/eatery out of the riverside location ... if Mayor Jer permits.

The last time I ate at Tumbleweed was about a year ago. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries, nothing exotic or difficult.

I guess the burger was okay, but the bun was stale and the fries were cold and inedible. I'd have sent things back but it took 45 minutes to get my food and I had a time constraint. This mess with an iced tea and tip with four of us was close to a $50.00 lunch. Good food at those prices is a good value; bad food is a bad value and not worth a return visit.

I enjoyed Tumbleweed back in the day, in New Albany. Now it is irrelevant. So it goes. We might be able to make a nice independent brewpub/eatery out of the riverside location ... if Mayor Jer permits.

Only if you sell out to Cordish

The open-faced Tex-Mex chili burger was an occasional indulgence I really looked forward to. That was taken off the menu years ago...

I enjoyed Tumbleweed back in the day, in New Albany. Now it is irrelevant. So it goes. We might be able to make a nice independent brewpub/eatery out of the riverside location ... if Mayor Jer permits.

Just don't ask him for any money unless you're Cordish! He doesn't bother dishing out any money to locals, only to his out of town buddies. Of course he may help them start some competition for you so the profits of the local company go down.

"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin."

-- Linus van Pelt

Didn't TW go through chapter 11 or some sort of "realignment" once before?