Stratto's Closing...and Opening?

[Scott Robinson]

It is official - Stratto's Restaurant in Clarksville closed it's doors today at 3pm after Easter Brunch....kinda...

Stratto's will no longer be open daily but will instead be a banquet / reception / buisness meeting place for the Bristol and anyone else that wants a beautiful place to cater thier food, have full service, full bar, etc.

So this is the *official* word on Stratto's - bring on the big parties

[Todd Antz]

I still think it stinks. Now I have to book a party to eat there.....

[Scott Robinson]

Doing special events open to the public may not be out of the question, Todd.

We may still do beer, wine tastings...perhaps open for holidays. I am still not 100% sure, so you may not have to come with a big party

[Lisa Stephenson]

So glad to hear that things have turned out better than expected! Hopefully no one will be standing in the unemployment line tomorrow.
However, like Todd said, now we hafta book a party just to have great food and visit with you and Jerome? OK.. we will.
Keep up the good work ex-Strattos gang! You all are true (independent) professionals!

[Dan Thomas]

Very unfortunate....

The location is great and the property is beautiful...And I enjoyed everything the few times I dined there...

It's a shame that this place wasn't embraced by the dining public in So. Indiana...

It's hard to keep up with the likes of Olive Garden and Cheddar's when the people you're trying to bring in have a very narrow idea of what "really good" food is....IMHO...There is a lot of "quantity vs quality" mentality on the Sunny Side for most..Or even worse; Again just my opinon, most think that "I've seen a commercial for it on TV(Ala Outback or IHOP)so it must be good enough to wait for an hour to eat here"...

I highly doubt that "Golden Corral" will ever have to put a "For Lease" sign....

[Tom Holstein]

Argh............WAY too Bad!

Gina and I were just commenting yesterday that we had never seen as large a crowd as Easter brunch.

Many thanks to Scott, Jerome, Trevor and the rest of Stratto's crew that gave us a great place so close to home.

Crestfallen in Clarksville

[Roger A. Baylor]

It's hard to keep up with the likes of Olive Garden and Cheddar's when the people you're trying to bring in have a very narrow idea of what "really good" food is....IMHO...There is a lot of "quantity vs quality" mentality on the Sunny Side for most..Or even worse; Again just my opinon, most think that "I've seen a commercial for it on TV(Ala Outback or IHOP)so it must be good enough to wait for an hour to eat here"

Amen, brother. I was thinking much the same thing yesterday while watching Applebee's commercials during the ballgames. Makes me want to retch to think that something like Applebee's is the pinnacle for some.

Then again, I'm a snob ... or so I'm told.

[MikeG]

Well at least it's not totally gone.

My girlfriend and I tried to have one last dinner there Saturday but didnt realize Saturday hours didnt start until 5pm (D'OH!).

[Susanne Smith]

We, too, ate at Stratto's last day as an actual restaurant, but I am sad to report that our experience was somewhat disconcerting.

The last time we brunched at Stratto's, our experience was pleasant. So we were happy to make reservations for the final seating at 2 pm on Easter. We brought a number of family members who had not eaten there before, and assured them that we had complete confidence in choosing Stratto's.

We arrived 20 minutes early to check in, but were not seated until 3 pm - a full hour after our reservation. We had stood in line in a near cattle-car atmosphere. When we were finally seated, the room was a sty. The floor was full of the droppings of those fortunate souls who had gone before.
I rushed to the food serving area, only to find there were no plates. When plates arrived, there were a few meats left, but no salad or vegetables. Eventually, someone drummed up some salad, but by that time, most of the meat was gone. There were apparently some pasta dishes served earlier, but we couldn't be sure, as they never re-appeared.

OK, that should give you enough of a picture of how our meal went. The beginning was the good part. It went downhill. By the time we got our drinks, they were breaking down the food line, and we were left to sit and wonder what in the hell happened. I will mention that the food servers were doing their best in what turned out to be a horrible situation.

Our waitress was at least personable - which was a modern day miracle, as she, and the entire staff, had been informed at 11 am THAT DAY that they would no longer have a job at the end of brunch. It was inconceivable that these employees, apparently, the skeleton crew that stayed despite the bad news (many bailed, which may have served the owners right, but certainly served their "guests" quite poorly, thank you) would leave us only to go home to their own 'EASTER DINNERS' to share the news that they were now unemployed. Happy Holidays!!!

Believe me, we ended up speaking with many of the waitstaff. They were understandably in shock, and completely resentful that they were fools enough to stay. Only, let's face it, they needed the money.

In fact, once they knew we were in on the news, they came out of the woodwork to tell us their stories.

Nor were we the only unhappy customers. But I think you've got the picture by now.

I know how hard it is to run a restaurant and make the magic happen without the manpower to back you. But Stratto's handled the situation poorly, with no apologies, no explanations, and they left their employees, and many of their customers, in the lurch.

[Robin Garr]

We, too, ate at Stratto's last day as an actual restaurant, but I am sad to report that our experience was somewhat disconcerting....

I was really wondering how things would go on Sunday once the news was let out to the employees, and when they were going to let them know about it. Its a darn shame, but the owner's definitely reaped what they sowed with the situation.

[Doogy R]

You may consider amending the website to indicate the changes at Stratto's. Just a heads up. Please no flames.

[Todd Antz]

You may consider amending the website to indicate the changes at Stratto's. Just a heads up. Please no flames.

No need for a flame, its a great point. I always used the website to determine my carry-out lunch orders, so they could easily confuse people if the existing information stays up there.

[Robin Garr]

Please no flames.

And the reason you thought it would be a good idea to include this exhortation ... ???

Curious George

[Trevor Semones]

I would like to thank all the forumites who frequented Strattos over the last two years. We were an upscale, independent experiment in a chain laden burg. Strattos tried to provide a beautiful atmosphere and hand crafted food to southern Indiana. The problem was the natives seemed to be intimidated by the ornate surroundings and upscale attiude. It was a regular accurence for a guest to ask where the prices were on our menu. They had just never seen a menu without .99 after the prices. I also agree with the other forumites about the chain dining mindset, If its not on TV it can't be as good. Dining in southen indiana just got a little more bland and midwesternized. To all the folks who came and Dined with us on our last day I apoligize greatly for any inconvenience or dissatisfaction. The word got out about the closing the night before, and many staff members stayed at home. The combination of 600 plus guests and zero staff morale on a holiday was painful at best. Once again thank you for your support.



"Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker" Ogden Nash

Trevor Semones Title in flux

[Jay M.]

...They had just never seen a menu without .99 after the prices.

A great line.

...The word got out about the closing the night before, and many staff members stayed at home.

Actually, I believe the word got out sooner than that. Someone posted here about the closing during the week before Easter, but I can't find the post. When I read it, though, I didn't think it would be wise to visit on closing day.