LEO/LHB: Economy? What economy? Furlongs is back!

[Robin Garr]

We're a little late getting this up ... sorry about the delay, blame Christmas frivolity.

LEO's Eats with Louisville HotBytes.com

One year slouches to a close, another draws near, and if any subject dominates the conversation, it's the economy.

With the closing of a number of high-profile independent restaurants toward year's end, including Primo, Melillo's, Park Place and Browning's, and Seviche's suburban operation on Goose Creek Road, there's been a lot of media coverage - and abundant speculation - about the recessionary economy taking down our beloved local eateries.

We're not so sure. It's certainly true that in hard times, more than ever, those of us who love good eats and the fine independent restaurants that cook them need to get out there and support the industry with our business.

But a closer look at the local industry over the past year suggests that Louisville's independent dining scene is a far cry from the banking industry or Detroit's dinosaurs. You'll find few toxic assets on your dinner plate, and lemons turn up only with our fish entree or in our iced tea.

Let's take a look at the numbers: From late autumn 2007 through last month, my count shows 81 restaurants had closed in the Louisville metro area. During that same period, 103 new eateries opened their doors. Some urban-pioneer parts of town, particularly East Main and Market streets, have been shaky; but restaurant life appears busy and vital in the Frankfort Avenue and Bardstown Road "restaurant rows" and St. Matthews.

The restaurant business is a volatile field where it's tough to keep a business going for years; the public is fickle and so are tastes. But the same year that has seen us lose the restaurants mentioned above, not to mention such treasures as The Jazz Factory, Rockwall, Ferd Grisanti and Mazzoni's, has also seen us gain such new friends as Varanese, Red Pepper Chinese, Jarfi's Bistro, Blackstone Grill, Bombay Grill, DakShin Indian, Charlestown Pizza, a squadron of mobile taquerias and many more.

Coming soon, expect to see such new, upscale eateries as Z's Fusion downtown, 732 Social in the East Market district and Shariat's in Holiday Manor.

And just last month, laughing in the face of the recession, Furlongs is back.

Read the complete report in LEO and on LouisvilleHotBytes.com.

Furlongs
9601 Shelbyville Road
327-9299
http://www.furlongs.com
Robin Garr's rating: 84 points

Robin....

Furlongs is back in name only....Right now Tommy Walters....its Creator and Chef is not at the helm at the moment...and has not been since November 21......My partner whom I thought had integrity and I trusted with my life has committed fraud by going behind my back and Trademarking my name and logo without my knowledge......"A trademark does not have to be registered to be a legalized trademark and exist. It is well established that a trademark comes into effect through deliberate and continuous use of the mark"......

There are several other issues.....paying people cash, not reporting tips from servers..and agreements as to what percentages each person owned.....etc.......

We are looking at other sites in both Louisville and Lexington....for Furlongs and other concepts.....

Short article in the Courier (ducking to avoid flying fruit, etc.) says there's a lawsuit:

Furlongs Partners In Legal Dispute

Just six weeks after its November opening, the partners behind Furlongs, a horse-racing-themed Cajun restaurant at 9601 Shelbyville Road, are in a legal dispute over trademark rights and ownership of the business.

Tommy Walters founded the first Furlongs in Louisville 10 years ago, but closed it in 2005, when he also filed for bankruptcy. He later opened a Furlongs unit in Lexington, Ky., with Charles Verrette (president of Verrette Capital Management in Lexington) as his business partner. The pair opened their second together in Louisville this fall, with Walters as chef.

Walters has removed all his personal equine memorabilia from the restaurant and filed suit against Verrette for trademark infringement. The restaurant remains open, but Walters says he is planning to open a separate restaurant.

[Robin Garr]

Robin....

Furlongs is back in name only....Right now Tommy Walters....its Creator and Chef is not at the helm at the moment...and has not been since November 21....

Tommy, I understand that. You have aired this at considerable length in another discussion, and I've given you the free run of the forum to do so. In fairness, I would also grant your partner the same courtesy should he choose to post his side of the story here.

My report is based on a visit in December. It is fair and accurate. It does not mention (because I do not know, having visited anonymously) who was in the kitchen or who was in charge.

If things change in the future, of course I'll eventually visit and review again.

Robin...

It was a great review....deserving of it.....

We went to Furlongs on November 22 and found nothing that would entice us to return. The theme that I took away from your review is "large portions", which to me is not necessarily a good thing. My visit was one day after the apparent schism, so maybe staff discontent affected performance(?)

[Robin Garr]

[quote="Jay M.]"large portions", which to me is not necessarily a good thing.[/quote]
For the record, Jay, the doggie bags made four additional meals, with a little bulking up with additional rice and such. In this economy, it's hard for me to count that as a bad thing.

(Also, from a critical perspective, doggie-bagging it allows closer examination of dishes and their content and preparation at home. In fairness, whoever was cooking, the dishes we chose were darn good. First night and as leftovers.)