Naperville businessman Jim Bergeron says "a perfect storm" led to the closing of downtown restaurant Tessa's. After 14 months, it closed its doors Sunday. Bergeron says the statewide smoking ban, home foreclosures, bad weather this winter and even the war are factors in the decision. Several other area restaurants have closed too, including the downtown restaurant Masala Yangu in June, and Petey Z's in Oswego, which had moved from near the downtown train station less than a year ago. National chains are struggling, too. Just Tuesday, the Bennigan's in Bolingbrook and Woodridge closed.
But Paul Junkroski, chairman of the Downtown Naperville Alliance, says Naperville restaurants are "weathering" the downturn in the economy. And from the crowds on Friday and Saturday nights and the traffic on Washington Street, he seems to be right.
What were your best experiences at Tessa's? Tell us about your favorite foods, wine or other reasons to dine there.
It's terrible that all of these restaurants are closing... But with inflation out of control, gas prices double what they were only a few years ago, and people generally uncertain about their financial future, going out to dinner is nowhere to be found on anyone's priority list. You've got to have something exceptional for people to spend their dollars on these days.
Unfortunately, the three restaurants listed in this post all had flaws beyond just the economy. Masala Yangu was too cultural for downtown Naperville. They would have excelled in Chicago with other ethnic restaurants, the Crocs wearing Starbucks chugging crew that swarm around downtown Naperville aren't adventurous enough to try something so far outside of their burgers and fries comfort zone.
Petey Z's couldn't have been located in a worse location. Maybe if this were the 1850's and the heart of the town was the train station... but as it stands, there's nowhere to park for the Metra, much less to get a bite to eat at Petey Z's. People taking the train get dropped off with mere minutes to spare, commuter traffic doesn't sit down for a slice of pizza. They just want to go home or get to work. So Petey Z's went from a location with absolutely no parking or foot traffic that have time to eat to a location in Oswego where you can almost walk 5 feet in any direction and be at the doorstep of another restaurant. It's really hard to stand out as just another pizza place, and I'm guessing if they closed so soon after their move, this was just a last ditch effort for them to save their business.
In regards to Tessa's though... I don't even know where to start. I watched the construction as Jimmy B had the quaint Brickhouse Pizza building turned in to a towering monstrosity. It reminded me of the standard McMansion construction process. Take a very nice old building that fits in to the surroundings, then either knock it down or build it up to the edges of your property line and as tall as you can afford to go. I can't even imagine what that rebuild must have cost him, or what reason he would possibly have to think he could recuperate the cost of a building of such monolithic proportions selling mediocre Italian food next door to La Sorella... Which has been a staple in downtown Naperville Italian dining for as long as I can remember.
It's not the smoking ban, it's not winter weather, it's poor business decisions. My family went to Tessa's three times in the past year, once for lunch, twice for dinner. Each experience was similar. The food was decent at best, and the service was abysmal. Never in my life have I waited longer for a refill of my drink, or for someone in the kitchen to cut a slice of lasagna and slap it on a plate. The wait for food wouldn't have been so terrible if my drink was always full and there was a constant supply of bread. At our last visit to Tessa's, I just ended up going up to the bar and getting the bartender to refill our drinks. On the other hand, 20 feet down Jefferson, La Sorella has better food and a wait staff that is second to none. After my first experience at Tessa's, the only time I went back was with groups of friends when there was a half hour wait at La Sorella and immediate seating at Tessa's.
But... go ahead and blame it on the Iraq war. That's reasonable.
I liked the food at Tessa’s, but missed Brickhouse Pizza more even more!
I think Jimmy’s reasoning for the restaurant’s closing is a bit off-base. The war? Was he serious?
I think there’s more to this than just the economy. How about add in the fact that diners in Naperville are getting taxed into submission? Every time the city “needs” something, there’s a new food and beverage tax to pay for it. This constant desire to tax diners is eventually going to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. The taxes are going to be increased and increased until one day the city council will ask “Where have all the restaurants gone?” and “Why is our downtown empty?”. Then they’ll have to craft a new tax to replace the dwindling food and beverage tax revenues they were counting on.
Ultimately, I think Tessa’s was bound to fail. The restaurant just wasn’t inviting. It was too cavernous, the bar was too small (and you had to walk through the diners to get to it), and the restrooms weren’t even on the same floor as the dining. It didn’t create a warm dining experience. It was like eating in a warehouse. So much had to have been spent on remodeling and expanding the building that I don’t see how Tessa’s would ever have been profitable.
I think comparing the closing of Tessa’s to Petey Z’s and Masala Yangu is apples and oranges. Petey Z’s was one of my favorites, but I wouldn’t consider it a downtown restaurant. And Masala Yangu served a not too commonly sought cuisine (East African) in a poor location.
Perhaps Tessa’s could be compared to 10 West and Washington Square/that French place (I forget he name of the French restaurant on Washington). The downtown may be thriving in some respects but there are some glaring vacant storefronts. Tessa’s is now closed, the old RQ’s/Al’s Beef is vacant, the old ice cream store/RQ’s is vacant, 10 West has been empty for what seems like years, and the French place is empty. How many places need to sit idle before the rents to come back to normal?
Yet another example of somebody testing Napervillian's patience (and wallets) to try to figure out "what the market will bear". Guess what, Jimmy? We weren't willing to bear what you were serving up at Tessas. Oops.
Has anybody noticed that the Naperville establishment tries to hose all of us whenever possible? If you're not part of the good ol boys' club, then check your wallet.
No, the reason Tessa's failed was not the economy, but the horrendous food and service. Mr Bergeron needs to look inward rather then blame everyone and everything else.
Interesting that business owners always seem to want to blame external factors as the reason for their failures... in this case the smoking ban, home foreclosures, bad weather, and the war.
In the case of Tessa's I wonder if the owner thought thru the possibility that the market was already saturated with more Italian restaurants than is needed?
Add into that many of these other restaurants are a whole lot more competitive on price, portion, and quality. Then we can talk about the convenience of parking at a location like this on Jefferson. And let's not forget that this was a big gamble on his part considering the history of troubled restaurants in this very location. Some locations are just poison. Just look at some locations along Ogden Avenue where nothing ever seems to work and it sure isn't for a lack of traffic.
We each have our own criteria regarding what is important to us when dining out. More than anything else, including the blamed external factors, I suspect that Tessa's failed because it failed to hit that sweet spot between what customers wanted and what they were able to deliver. Wait time, speed of service, wait staff, food quality, food preparation, portion size, dining value, etc etc there are simply a huge number of internal factors that can sink a restaurant even if there are no external factors.
If people are staying away in droves you can blame everyone else or take a hard critical look at your own operations. Those who are able to find out what is wrong and fix it quickly tend to stay in business, those who don't... well...
Blame everyone and everything except yourself.
Try not to be so greedy.
And to think our city is thinking of building more retail at 5th Ave?
Restaurants fail because they aren't good, or poor location, not because of the smoking ban.
Go to Walker's for a good steak, go to Little Italian for a good ZA!
Go to Neighbors. Go to Traverso's.
I don't need some fufu restaurant for some noodles and tomato sauce.
Real meals cooked by real chefs with fresh food and ingredients usually don't disappoint.
Frozen entree's bought from a commercial food service, then thawed and reheated with bottled/canned sauce poured on top has come to be the unfortunate standard fare at way too many so called "Italian" restaurants. And make no mistake, while the Italian restaurants are probably the worst offenders there are a whole lot more doing the very same thing.
The $7-$10 per meal crowd will put up with that and never notice or realize the difference. More sophisticated diners looking for a truly gourmet experience won't tolerate a slight of hand like that, won't come back, and won't recommend the restaurant to their friends.
If that is the best a restaurant in downtown Naperville can serve up I would rather stay home and eat something straight out of the frozen food aisle at Jewel.
As for Tessa's, I'm sure the construction must have cost a small fortune. Whoever the architect or interior designer was, well they really blew that design badly. I'm shocked half of what was included in that design passed muster at city hall which is a testament to the job the city is doing to review construction drawings. No one I have met expressed any like for the interior design or layout. While the owner is busy blaming others for his failures I'm surprised he hasn't blamed the architect as well.
To Anonymous re: Tessa's architect/interior design:
Let's see, it was a Wehrli family architecture/design firm doing work on a Bergeron family owned building.
It sailed through the city hall without a peep.
Steve Roberts,
Ohhh, so that explains why all of the building and fire code violations exist and have never been corrected?
Good to know all of the codes are being equally and equitably enforced in all of the buildings throughout Naperville.
My family went to Tessa's twice. The food was okay (not as great as La Sorella) and the service was poor. It couldn't compare to its neighbor, La Sorella. Sad to see any business go under. By the way, we now go to Jimmy's because it is smoke free! You gained a customer Jimmy!
I had one (and only one) experience with Tessa's. A co-worker and I (who frequent La Sorella, Rosebud, Quigley's, Ted's, La Cantina, and many other fine downtown Naperville establishments) ate lunch there a few weeks after it opened.
I had fettucine alfredo with chicken and my co-worker had some sort of pasta with beef and a brown sauce. Just as anonymous at 4:30 said, we the meat was clearly "frozen entree"-grade and the sauces were from a can. As I recall, the price was around $15 per entree ("lunch" portions!)
We complained to the wait staff about the quality of the food. They trotted out an assistant chef, who treated us with complete indifference. After this experience we saw no reason ever to go back to Tessa's. Not only did we not go back, we told many people about our experience at Tessa's and encouraged others not to even bother trying it.
I would imagine that many other people had this same experience. Therefore, I think that Mr. Bergeron's excuses for Tessa's failure are pure hogwash. His Italian restaurant had bad food, bad service, and high prices. Not the ideal recipe for success.
Leonardo's Pizza was my preferred downtown Naperville pizza place (never a fan of Lou Malnati's). When it was turned into BrickHouse, it was still good and I always enjoyed going there, plus Brickhouse had the best spinach dip appetizer I'd ever had. Then Tessa's came - I gave it 2 tries. The food sucked. That's it pretty much. I never went back. When I read the article, I was surprised by the mention of roof patios and expansion of the upstairs. Each time I went to Tessa's, I was seated in the crowded downstairs area. None of the hostesses ever mentioned other options for seating. I would have been interested in seeing the other areas. Hopefully the next occupant will do something interesting with it.
To Anonymous on July 30th and Steve Roberts:
When a city's building department reviews construction drawings, they are not doing so to comment or approve the aesthetics of the design. The point of the review is to insure that the design complies with state and city building codes, life safety codes, city zoning and use codes, and other technical matters. They do not and should not make decisions based on what they think is architecturally pleasing to the eye.
The real deciding factor on the quality of the architecture (and the food) has spoken - people don't like the place - so they don't go.
We ate at Tessa's three times. It was a cold atmosphere serving mediocre food at gourmet prices. No need to blame the smoking ban or the economy. We are still eating out, just at better restaurants.
I could be mistaken, but I doubt the city has any authority to deny a permit for interior construction/design for aesthetic reasons alone.
Yes, while most restaurant operators are facing some sort of negative impact due to the economy, the truly great restaurants will and are surviving.
On two seperate occasions the food @ Tessas was mediocre at best and the service was unresponsive.
Fact is Tessas failed in a market that supports restaurants with a high perception of value, attentive service and great food.
This is surprising since it seems Jim B.actually has the winning formula down at Jimmy's grill.
However, the savy resturant crowd in Naperville may only be fooled once. Just ask the folks at Samba Room.
Bennignas & Bakers Square simply could not compete in the ever evolving palate of todays consumers. We don't want cheese smothered all over everything or mountains of unappealing high caloric food.
Those days are gone.
I can't believe this guy had the gall to blame even the Iraq War on his place closing.
Unemployment is still 5.5%, inflation is not out of control, and no one who would go downtown for dinner in Naperville is worried about an extra .50 the trip took in gas costs.
My wife and I are foodies and tried it a number of times. The food was hit or miss, but nothing memorable. We had one excellent time there with one manager, a youngish guy with short hair and an Italian last name but can't recall it for the life of me, who seemed to really enjoy making sure his guests had a good time, but otherwise service was so-so.
3/4ths of all restaurants close their first year, so there is nothing surprising here about Tessa's closing.
Rumor I heard was that their biggest problem was finding a competent Chef who would show up. I'd love to have seen a 'Kitchen Nightmares' show at that place.
Restaurants fail for one reason and one reason only: OWNERS WITH EGO'S!!!!! When you put yourself ahead of the customer you will most certainly fail. Being "humble" and facing the fact that "the customer is always right" usually leads to a formula of success. As much as Jimmy wants to point the finger at all those external factors, the fact is, that he failed. No one else but himself is to blame. There is great value in Naperville and because of one bad operator the people in Naperville shouldn't forget this... The restaurants that will be around in 5 years are the one's that simply take care of the customers and give them what they want. I'm sure the rest of the restaurants in Naperville will be more than happy to take the few people that dined at Tessa's and make them their customers...
Being in the restaurant business myself and understanding what's effective and whats not, is easy to summarize the loss of Tessa's in Downtown Naperville. You can blame the war, gas, smoking, parking, & the economy, but customer service, which includes going above and beyond for the consumer who is making your establishment successful, wasn't mentioned. "The customer" in any service industry should be your #1 priority, which I have come to beleive was Jimmy's biggest issue. From day 1 of Tessa's opening, service was off ( and was blamed on being the first day/night, which ultimately should be the best day, giving a first impression) and the food was all pre-made and heated in a microwave to the customers liking. To much competition in Downtown Naperville, for lack there of "customer service." Running a bar and and running a full-service restaurant are two different things. But remember for next time, it's not about the $1 that goes into your pocket, but the customer who walks out the front door, with a smile on his/her face, commenting "see you tomorrow," that's what's important.
99.9% of city review comments deal with fire safety and the handicapped (ADA).
They do not address design issues.
The best thing about Tessa's closing is that we no longer to have to deal with the Bergeron's blatant disregard for the No Left Turn in the morning at Washington/Jefferson. Maybe the police let you slide, but everyone knew who it was. Brickhouse Pizza was the perfect place (and its predecessor Leonardos?) - well managed, good food. The whole story about Tessas was awfully pretensious.
My husband and I tried to eat here one time but found the service to be terrible. We waited and waited for someone to serve us. when they finally came to get our drink order, we then waited and waited some more and finally walked out.
Here we go again. Blame everything on the smoking ban. And now apparently the war in Iraq also. If you are looking for good basic Italian food at competitive prices with excellent service then head to Traverso's on the south end of Naperville.
Ron,
If all the city does is review fire safety and ADA you would think they could at least get those two right; but they don't, not even close. Frankly I've never seen a city with so many blatant and widespread fire code violations in the retail sector. It clearly speaks to one of three things... either the fire department isn't performing nearly enough inspections, those who are doing the inspections do not have sufficient education in the fire code, or the inspectors simply have really, really bad observation and assessment skills.
If the city isn't reviewing plumbing, electrical, structural, and certainly health and sanitation issues in a future restaurant then we might as well shut down the entire building review department because they are not doing the public much of a service if all they review is fire safety and ADA and then doing these two this poorly.
Possibly the next fire chief will bring some true professionalism to the fire engineering and fire prevention side of the fire house.
Bring back Brickhouse and I'll gladly walk through the doors again. It was clear that restaurant was thriving.
Never ate there and based on the comments I'm glad that I didn't. I did find it interesting that his last comment in the Sun article was that now he could spend more time with his family and collect rent checks. Sounds to me like he may have a problem renting out that space with all the poor choices made during the rebuilding phase or maybe he already has a tenant lined up. I guess will soon find out....
Steve Roberts, you need to check your facts. A local architect named Opperman was the designer of Tessa's. Wehrli Architecture had nothing to do with it. The only Wehrli involved was a subcontractor on the job. Nice try Steve, but no smoking gun here.
Maybe you ought to give Jimmy credit for trying to use Naperville people on his job rather than companies who have no local ties at all. Ever try soliciting businesses in this town for a donation for your kid's football team or school program? Everybody I know tells the same story: like many locally owned businesses, Jim always gives something from his restaurants. Try doing that at some of the other places mentioned in this blog and I think you'll hear "it's our corporate policy not to" or "you have to talk to national." What makes Naperville special is people who give back to the community and not just profit or suck the suburban life out of it. "I pay my taxes" is not giving back - it's a cost of living here. Volunteering; donating to charitable causes; participation; doing something for others; etc is. Jimmy does all of these.
So, rather than bash your neighbor, his food, or libelously suggest that he illegally built his building, you should consider what you are going to do to make up it up to those charities Tessa's won't be donating to. Or, how you are going to help find employment for your other neighbors who lost their jobs when the restaurant closed.
It's cheap and easy to bash someone when they are down. Try taking the high road some time. Your glass will be half full and you may even smile more.
tomhera,
It WAS interesting to see his comment about collecting rent checks. I wonder how the Tessa's employees who lost their jobs felt when they picked up the paper and read that. Not good, I'm guessing. But that's Jimmy Bergeron. Concerned about the almighty buck and not much else.
A real community leader (which he's been called) would have better sense and a LOT more sensitivity than to make a boneheaded comment like that. Of course, per usual, he blamed someone else for the comment ... this time a Naperville Sun reporter who inexplicably printed words coming directly from his mouth.
Maybe for once he'll take some of these critiques to heart and realize that despite what he thinks, he's not always right.
Loved the story about ignoring the no left turn sign at Washington and Jefferson! I too have seen him ignore that sign. Entitlement mentality perhaps?
To Amanda re: Tessa's upstairs veranda -
The average common Napervillian couldn't sit up there. It was reserved for private parties, the same private parties he's busy refunding because of all the mistakes he made, oops, I mean perfect storm factors.
The public has spoken. Will Bergeron listen?
Hey check your facts,
It was a facetious comment about the good old boy network in Naperville, a network you're likely well aware of but don't want to admit, seeing as you're apparantly quite familiar with Bergeron's activities. Related, perhaps?
It was a Wehrli design firm. Call it a subcontractor if you want, but it is what it is. Also, please point out where I ever said he illegally built his building. Assume much, do you?
Great, so he donates to your son's football team (not literally, but maybe he does?). So do tons of other people. He made a big deal yesterday about how he refunded back some party deposits, as if he was expecting applause and an "atta boy" for doing so. He's doing what he's supposed to do. He makes his living from the community. Further, other corporations in Naperville give LOTS back to the community, so don't suggest they don't.
Seems to me Bergeron did the bashing. He bashed the economy, he bashed the winter weather, he bashed the effects of the war, he bashed downtown parking, he bashed everything but himself. And that's the point of this whole thing, and many of the comments on this forum. Maybe if he looked inward more instead of pointing fingers, he'd do better business. And guess what? He'd have more money to donate to all the causes you value so much. Pretty simple.
Check your own facts,
Start by checking your own facts before you call out Steve Roberts.
Does it really matter Wherli vs Opperman if the city didn't live up to THEIR responsibilities?
Unless you are Jim how are you to know how much he did or didn't give and to what per cent of those who asked got something and those who got something was it a little or a lot?
In all of the posts to date those who had a bad dining experience at Tessa's far, far outnumber those who didn't and Steve Roberts didn't even comment either way on the food.
Exactly how many of those who used to work at Tessa's actually lived in Naperville... I'm willing to bet not very many, if any.
You can call it bashing, but then your glass IS half empty for having done so. I call it constructive criticism and my glass is half full. Maybe, just maybe Jim can learn something useful from honest and candid feedback before he ends up with another embarrassment and another failure. Smart businessmen learn to suck it up when they are down and learn from their experience and try listening to their customers better so that they won't stumble the next time they have an opportunity. We'll soon see what lessons Jim learned from this experience.
Brickhouse, while probably not a huge money-maker, was a small, cozy place with a local feel, good food and decent prices. I was so sad to see it turned into the cavern full of over-priced, sub-par "Italian" food.
The owner definitely got greedy. Not happy with GOOD but not monster-returns he got greedy.
I knew it was doomed and going under once I'd drive by every day and see gimmicky coupon specials advertised on big banners outside. Gimmicks don't bring in customers, good food and good customer service does.
I was disappointed with the food and service the two times I went. I should have known something was wrong the minute the hostess brought over our bread in the paper bread sleeves and just set it on the table that way! Like she'd just picked it up at Jewel and slapped it on the table. Ugh, glad it's gone.
By the way, Jimmy's food isn't all that great, and their customer service isn't much better, however they do have the biggest outdoor patio in the best, most obvious location downtown, and it is the ONLY reason why that place stays open itself.
The mediocre food and poor service may have been because there were not enough customers coming in to afford anything better. I have only seen a few misguided newspaper ads for this place. I thought that trying to make Tessa’s into a fine dining restaurant, a family restaurant, and a place to take the little league after the game was confusing. You can’t be all of those things at the same time and be successful in any of them. I have only read the menu outside of Tessa’s and looked in the windows. Looking at the high prices I wondered how many little league teams had been there.
I had also heard rumors about a great roof top area that sounded like something from a southern villa but was only open to a few Naperville insiders. The second floor and the roof top have remained a mystery to almost everyone it seems. Even some people who visit Jimmy’s Grill had never heard of Tessa’s. To me it would appear to be a massive failure of Tessa’s strategic marketing. I don’t know if Jimmy did this himself or if a local company helped him but I sure would not want to be that company right now. Failed to nonexistent marketing, failed community awareness, and not even a professional website. You would have thought that with a year to plan all of this that we would have seen some great marketing and a “wow” website. Maybe if a few more people were enticed through the door there would have been enough cash flow to afford fresh food, good cooks, and pleasant wait staff.
Once I drove past Tessa's and I could not believe the place was nothing more than a rectangle with tables. No elevations! No design! No cubicles! No curves! Worse than a plain Jane!
I never stepped foot in that place but one of my neighbors did and she stated it was like microwave food with prices of a high class restaurant. The waiters and waitresses were very poorly trained. The table cloths looked so cheap and ugly.
Thanks to the advice of my neighbor, I never stepped foot in that place.
As far as Tessa donating to charities that is not possible. In order to donate to charity in business you have to have a profit. With no profit there is no money to donate.
If you are struggling and about to be bankupted it seems you would be trying to save your business first before donating to every cause on the planet.
Well, if Jimmy donated much of his little money from Tessas to charity that is a more practical reason of going out of business then the Iraq War.
If a few more restaurants go out of business, we need to consider suspending the library parking deck garage. That would make quite a few residents happy!!!
Having an ego in business is very detectable and offensive to any customer. Making your employees wear shirts with your name on them is a sign of very low self esteem. It appears that not only Tessa had problems but Jimmy B may have some problems of his own!!!
Note to "Agree" ...
Great comments and I agree with all of what you said. Lest I'm accused of just being a basher, I do have some comments on Jimmy's Grill and a few other places downtown.
I have occasion to stop in at Jimmy's Grill on a semi consistent basis, 8-10 times a year or so. It's energetic and the location is great. You are right, the food isn't that great, but the staff and managers have always been very pleasant to me, my family, neighbors, business associates, etc. The bartenders also have been very accommodating.
Yes, things can be improved but all in all, it's a winning formula and Bergeron should be complimented on that. Jimmy's Grill plays as a sports bar, but I am told he insists it isn't a sports bar (despite when walking in you see a bar and sports on TV's). But despite that seeming identity crisis, it's a good place to go.
Which leads me to say this, it's the independent local places that make Naperville, especially downtown Naperville, what it is. People gravitate to places like Jimmy's, Lantern, Potter's, Peanuts. The chains are everywhere, yet the local places are Naperville originals. I hope downtown Naperville never loses them, and never forgets that the casual local places are the heart and soul of our downtown. Give us less high end, and more places where we can relax and be comfortable. That's how you draw the crowds, that's how you make money, and that helps everyone. The independents are who I personally prefer to patronize, and have for years.
By the way, two great outdoor patios in downtown Naperville a bit off the beaten path: Peanuts and Features. Reasonable prices, decent food, and a relaxed atmosphere.
Touching upon the old Brickhouse ... a place like that could still do very well downtown. Let's see what else moves in the Tessa's space and the Bistro Margot space. I am told a casual/sports bar concept for the Bistrot Margot space. Brickhouse needed freshening up and a slight remodel, but its closure was a loss to the community without question, and I do believe it was motivated by greed and not truly listening to what the community (and his customers) wanted. Oh well, that is in the past now.
Back to Bergeron for a second. He made a huge mistake with Tessa's right from the get go. My main gripe is instead of admitting it in the press, he pointed fingers. It is well known he has a gigantic ego, a stubborn streak, and tends to be non inclusive in terms of others opinions. A lot of people downtown were put off by him pointing fingers at everything else (regarding Tessa's) in the Sun and Daily Herald stories. It's a consistent pattern with him. Hopefully he has learned something from all this. He can be a real asset in this community ... if he would only learn to listen.
I don't know Jimmy from the man on the moon, but it sure looks to me like a whole lot of Monday QB'ing going on. Jimmy, thank you for taking a risk with your own money. I am sure you learned a lot from the experience and your next venture will be even better for it. Ignore all the whiners, most of them wouldn't know where to begin when it comes to starting a business and of course most of them would not have the courage to risk their own money trying something like you did. You sir, are what the American Dream a reality. Keep on trying and you will get it right. In the meantime I'd suggest all you know it all's shut up and try starting your own restaurant and see how easy it is.
Jimmy, in your next venture downtown (if you do one) put a 2nd floor balcony up with outdoor eating. I'd love to see that in downtown Naperville.
Reply to Anonymous, August 1st ...
Yup, you're right, he's the American Dream all right. It was his father's money that bankrolled the place, just like it bankrolled Jimmy's Grill and just like it bankrolled Brighton Car Wash for the other son. LOL ... a real risk taker. So I suggest you clam up until you know what you're talking about.
Actually I agree with you on your last point about a 2nd floor balcony with outdoor eating. Oh ... Bergeron was way ahead of you, he did a 3rd floor balcony at Tessa's. Too bad he didn't allow the general public to sit up there and enjoy it. VIP's only.
Don't hold your breath on him opening another restaurant. As he said, he'd rather sit back and collect rent checks. The real risks are being run by the great independent places in downtown Naperville who actually listen to their customers and do their best to give them what they want.
Yeah Jimmy,
Do yourself a real favor. Ignore all of your customers comments and dismiss them as just whiners. Put your head down and plow full steam ahead. Hell it is your money, so the customers can be damned and you can do what you darn well please...Right? Of course, it is your own money you are risking so you can do what you want and of course you know best what is good for your customers.
Nope, I never started my own restaurant nor did I ever want to. I don't own a retail business either so I don't know what you have to go thru from that aspect either. So I can't comment on what your needs are as business owner... you are on your own for that. I'm just a simple customer and that is all I want to be. I enjoy eating out. A lot. Fact is I eat more meals away from home than at home. A new restaurant opens I try it out. If it is good, I return. If it isn't I don't. And it really is as simple as that. I'm no different than your other customers... other than I never, ever complain, I never, ever argue, I never, ever demand anything. I just vote with my feet and walk away. If your establishment fails to take care of me properly I know that you have plenty of competition who will. Life is too short for me to waste my time and energy trying to tell you what you should already know is wrong with your own business. Poof, I'm gone and you are never, ever going to see me again.
And quite frankly I could care less what you have to go thru as a business or restaurant owner. In my opinion you are doing this because you want to and because you know what you are doing. What you are up against isn't any different than any of your more successful competitors. Bottom line, all I care about is if you meet my needs and if I have a pleasant dining experience. I really am not interested in what it takes you to meet these needs and deliver that experience as that is simply the expected standard in this business today. If you can't or won't meet your customers needs and deliver a positive dining experience then why in the world are you in the restaurant business in the first place?
It does my heart good to read these comments as I think they are spot on. When I ready Jimmy's words in the Sun, it was confirmed that the "ego has landed and clearly outstayed its welcome". No inside group owns Downtown... it is the residents and customers who determine whether or not a local business is worth supporting and you've much to learn about creating the perfect customer experience.
My family and I at at Tessa's twice and I found the food utterly inconsistent, greasy, cold and overpriced. The service, in a nutshell, was absolutely terrible and everything that previous commenters have said is true. I'll never forget my attempt to navigate my way to the downstairs bathroom, encountering even ruder staff hanging out in the hallways.
To Jimmy, this is a great lesson and hopefully the humbling experience which will help you realize you don't own Naperville... downtown is not a money tree and you truly do have to deliver strong service and value to keep people coming back.
First:
Hi to Anonymous 3:48 above. Here is the thing, having lived in the downtown Naperville area for almost 10 yrs now, I don't know a whole lot about a boy's club, an insiders club or who rules where, I still barely know about the local politics that go into most businesses that get the green light to open here. (I barely know anything about Jimmy B. other than he owns Jimmy's grill and Tessa's. I have no personal stake into whether or not he turns left when he shouldn't) I only know what I like: local businesses that do well by, and listen to its community. Do I want B & N and the rest of the chains to leave? Nope. But I do like balance.
That said, I've been here long enough to see small shops open and close, only to be replaced by larger chains and $8 sandwich shops alike. And 10 yrs may not make me qualified, but I am pretty certain I've never heard any other business owner publically take such an ignorant and self-serving look at his failed business. Have him never take an internal look to evaluate its failure alone and blame so many external factors. The war? Are you serious? I really want you to then, personally write a letter to the current administration and contact your local Vets to let them know you lost a ton of money on their behalf, Jimmy. Dare you.
Yes, I applaud Jimmy B and his efforts to open his own Italian restaurant, spending his own money to help the community. Hoping maybe to do well by it. I don't applaud his efforts to not know the simple basics of owning a local restaurant, which includes all complaints above. Real cooking by a real chef with real, fresh ingredients for the prices. Good customer service to serve the GENERAL PUBLIC and foodies.
If his business plan was mostly to make his biggest returns on bigger parties in his exclusive "penthouse" area, well heck, that's fine, too. Just make sure there is a NEED with a lot of people willing to PAY for the exclusivity and support them with good customer service. But don't open 1200+ square feet below for the "rest" of the people in the community or visiting the community, serve them w/ mediocre food at higher prices than your competitors and expect it to fly. No one here wants to eat your sub-par food to subsidize the exclusive parties you hold LITERALLY above them.
And it wouldn't hurt Tessa's owners and operators to at least acknowledge their service workers who lost their jobs because of such poor business decisions. Hey, they may have sucked, but you hired/trained them. Your responsibility. They sure as heck don't have other side businesses to supplement their incomes (like Jimmy's grill) or can sit around and wait for you to collect your rent checks on the Tessa's space you will lease. Unless Jimmy B you plan on giving your fired employees a cut of your rent checks while they look for other jobs. The war/smoking ban/bad economy isn't their fault either. At least respect their efforts as poor as they may be. Local workers lost local jobs, bad for the community, right?
Anyway Steve Roberts, I completely agree on local business making the downtown area. I agree completely with your downtown patio selections, save for the fact service at Jimmy's grill it totally hit or miss. Most of the time for me: miss. The only draw and the only reason I and many people I know there will go is because of the location of the patio. When I first lived here, I'd be there 5-6 month with all my friends. Then we realized we really could get a lot more pleasant people and food/drinks in other outdoor areas (at that time, Peanuts not even open! Features not the monstrosity it is now! Mostly Quigleys, not huge but the people were always super-nice and food was decent-good great if you could stake out a patio space! Not too bad in the winters either). Jimmy's struggles with its identity as a sport's bar because it doesn't want to alienate its "Weekend Harley" riders, moms who park their strollers 3-fold outside the patio, and touristy types from other towns. It CAN be the everything bar/patio in the summer because of location.
Since I live in the area, most of my family, friends and associates look to me for recommendations when it comes to shopping, food, nightlife etc, and I am not saying I am the be all and end all of recommendations, but I've been to pretty much every business in the downtown area, so I have my opinions from sandwiches, to martinis and steak, depending on people's needs, wants and budgets. And naturally I recommend with my own agenda LOCAL when I can. And you can bet after my 2 times at Tessa's it never made the list. And you can bet no one at Tessa's was listening to me or the others in the community. And I DO know when a local business listens I will shout about it 10 times louder than necessary because I love, love love it. But when I hate it, its 20 times louder. I loved Brickhouse a lot and would send anyone there if they just wanted decent food, good service and standard drinks at good prices.
Yes, clearly. Jimmy B has one winning formula with Jimmy's grill, but I still stand by the fact it's location alone. Because I certainly haven't been there in 2 yrs though it's close and "fun" and really does have a great area to watch the downtown. I steer anyone else I know clear of it because you can do better. Potter's, Quigley's, even Peanuts now. Much better for outside atmosphere, service and prices.
But you make a lot of sense on your pts directed towards me, I appreciate that.
While we are being honest with each other here, let's admit that the food and service at Jimmy's isn't all that great either.
In my opinion Jimmy's has two things going for it which allows it to stay open. The large patio out front... everyone wants to see and be seen so that is a natural draw. Then there are the TV's in the bar and lots of people like to watch sports and have a beer or two or...
Take away the TV's in the bar and the patio and if Jimmy's had to compete on food and service alone they would be closed in 90 days.
Now rumor has it that someone else has figured out that the sports bar theme works downtown and is planning to open a competing venue down that block on the opposite side of Washington. If this new business decides to take on Jimmy in the two areas where he is weakest... food quality and competitive price... he will have to clean up his act real fast and get into the game of competition. For sure Jimmy will be giving up at least part of his market share... how much we'll soon see.
Customers can be fickle. If they decide they like the new joint down the street better Jimmy will have a lot more things to be concerned about. If that day ever comes it will be interesting to see where Jimmy points his big old finger of blame.
"
I don't know Jimmy from the man on the moon, but it sure looks to me like a whole lot of Monday QB'ing going on. Jimmy, thank you for taking a risk with your own money."
I hope he pays what he owes to all the other people who lost money in Tessa's, it wasn't 100% his money.
Like I said I don't know Jimmy and I don't know where his money comes from. If it was his father's money then that's his business. If he had investors then I can tell you right now as an investor you are an idiot. ANYONE who knows ANYTHING about restaurants knows MOST of them fail within a year. I wouldn't have given Jimmy a dime. Not because I don't like Jimmy but because I KNOW the chances of success are very slim and I would not like to take that much risk with my money.
However, I am sure Jimmy just felt like opening a restaurant to fail and lose a bunch of money. Yeah, I am sure Jimmy said, "hmm let's see if I can make really crappy food, crappy service and be rude to my customers, then I'll really rake in the dough." Geez I've never seen such a bunch of bitter whiners about a private entity. Must be all his investors in here whining. It was a restaurant people, it didn't work out, big flippin' deal. At least your tax dollars weren't blown on it. Move on for cryin' out loud.
It sounds like Jimmy simply screwed up.
It sounds like Jimmy was never a good businessman.
It sounds like his first restaurant's success is based on his beautiful patio and location.
I never ate at Tessa's but I ate at Jimmy's three times. The food sucked all 3 times but 2 out of 3 times the waitresses were very friendly. The 3rd time the waitress never came back once to check on our coffee and ice tea. We complained to the manager and he took care of the problem very quickly.
It seems Jimmy is a good nightclub owner but knows nothing about the restaurant business. My advice would be to convert Tessa's to a nice nightclub with a catchy name. Tessa was an awful name that was doomed for failure.
I hope Jimmy does a better job with restrooms than Rizzo. I went to Rizzo once and the line to the restroom for MEN was so long, I never retured.
It really is amazing that the City of Naperville would allow a place with 300-400 capacity only have 2 restrooms that only one person can use at a time. Most nightclubs in other towns have large public restrooms that can be used by a dozen at a time. It is obvious that the City of Naperville does not have an ordinance that assures adequate restroom facilities. And some of these town insiders are just going with the mininum and disregarding the comfort of their customers...that is not a formula for success!
While the City of Naperville should not be baby sitting establishment restuarant owners they should at least make sure they have adequate restroom capacity. While I can not be sure, I don't recall seeing a handicapped equiped restroom in Rizza and if there was one it would have not been the most comfortable combined with the long line to use.
I have not been in Rizzo's for a year. Hopefully, they improved the restroom situation. If someone can inform me that the restroom situation has been dealt with, I would love to visit that place again.
Thank You!
Jimmy was always bragging about how he was going to take La Sorrela's business that was next door to his and knock them out of business.
He thought he could do it. He had a dream!
Well, his dream backfired and he is out of business.
La Sorrela appears stonger than ever. I ate there last night and it was packed and so was the alley way they use for the overflow.Service, food, and atmosphere were all excellent.
I guess the Iraq War, the ecomony, the subprime mortgate mess, and the gas prices has no effect on La Sorrela. They must be in a different world. Hang on, they are only 15 feet West of Tessa and on the same street.
They also served Italian food. So I guess Jimmy can't say Napervillians don't like Italian food so he made some other excuses.
Jimmy, should have been a man and said he failed. He was not up to the task. Best he should have said nothing to the press. He simply made a fool of himself.
I think he needs to call the Naperville Sun and simply make a new statement and apologize for his outrageous remarks. Maybe he could just say he was drinking when he made those initial remarks and he regrets making them.
I can not beleive a man could trash the reputation he tried to build in town over decades in one day with ridiculous remarks to a newspaper. Somehow Jimmy managed to do it! He needs to go into low profile mode while he restores his reputation. Asking your employees to wear your name on their backs is not only high profile but as arrogant and conceited as one could possibly be! Jimmy needs to talk to a consultant about restoring his reputation, credibility and image after the Tessa Disaster!
Good luck Jimmy! You will need it!
To Anonymous on August 2, 2008 7:17 PM -
I agree with you. I can't believe this much energy has been expended about a restaurant! So it closed - so what?!
To Anonymous 7:17pm:
The only reason why people are "whining" here is because Jimmy B. seems to be blaming everything but himself and his poor decisions for his failings. In the article, he takes no personal responsibility whatsoever for the failure of his business. War, smoking ban, etc etc.
Of course the community has feedback. Had he asked them or listened in the first place, he'd not be in this position.
Blaming everything else but himself and smug comments about sitting around collecting rent checks, makes it a pretty volatile subject in the first place however....
Community paper does community article on a failed business and ask community to comment: HERE are his real answers. He's "whined" as well. Let the community tell him what the real problems were. Maybe next time he'll listen and the next project will be a success. I hope it is. Local businesses are vital to the downtown area. Local feedback is what makes it a success. Good luck to him.
I almost teared up reading Heather Pfundstein's nostalgic "Commentary" in today's edition. Then at the end of the article she complains about personal attacks posted here.
You know what Heather? The same thing is going to be true about your article as was true about the food at Tessa's or the personality of Jimmy. Some will love it and some will hate it.
Hopefully you and Jimmy both aren't too thin skinned to take some constructive criticism. Not all criticism is a personal attack. Some posters didn't like the looks of Tessa's, some didn't like the food, some didn't like the service... that is hardly personal. True there are a few who don't seem to like Jimmy for a variety of reasons... ego, arrogance, and a few other traits have been mentioned. Maybe you can call that a personal attack if you want. Truth is that nice guys, guys who people genuinely like don't seem to find the same adjectives used to describe Jimmy in the same sentence with their names. So maybe these so-called personal attacks are unjustified, maybe they are not. And maybe a Dale Carnegie course is recommended?
Maybe you are right. Maybe those happy customers who actually enjoyed Tessa's and were satisfied by the food and service should speak up. Hello? If there is anyone out there who actually liked Tessa's, please tells us about your positive experience. Same think, about Jimmy. Anybody want to tell us what a swell guy he is?
And maybe everyone who had a bad experience at Tessa's are really just crappy customers. Plus there are lots of us who don't have the benefit of knowing all the insider tricks like you and your former waiter husband. Maybe if all of us crappy customers can learn how to be better customers more restaurants like Tessa's won't fail because of all the stupid things we tend to do because we are such crappy customers.
Come on Naperville. We can do it! We can stamp out the crappy customer in us if we try. NO more cheap customers! NO more unreasonable customers! NO more mean customers!
Stop complaining about the food, the prices, the service. This is Naperville for goodness sake! Have some sympathy for the wait staff as they are all about to burst into tears from the undue pressure they are forced to work under.
No matter what, stay positive, don't complain, and tip generously. The fragile egos of restaurant owners and workers alike will be permanently damaged otherwise. And no compassionate Napervillian want's to see another restaurant owner like Jimmy be under the stress of wondering how and when he can pay back all the money he owes on another failed enterprise.
Heather Pfundstein had a decent article until that last paragraph ...
How soon we forget.Jimmy was honored with an award from NCHS for having a "heated patio" outdoor dining area.At least he still has that.
Whatever the loss, the money will flow in from the necks of the bottles at the Grill and the loss will be temporary. To paraphrase Chairman Mao "political power in Naperville flows from the necks of bottle".
Competing as a bar that happens (has to) to sell food and competing as a restaurant that also sells wine are two very different businesses. Was the Chef at Tessa's making 100K +?
The unique feature that makes the grill go is the outdoor seating, see and be seen. The food and service are better across the street at Features but you have to eat it indoors. Is the owner at Features still experimenting with playing the gang rap on his stereo?
Bubo,
Great comments. One note about Features, they do have a very nice outdoor patio in back and you can eat out there. Granted it's not the see and be seen type of patio but it's a great place to relax.
Fascinating to read all these comments the past few days. It appears the Naperville community has told Bergeron what they feel the problems are (at Jimmy's Grill) and were (at Tessa's).
I believe he's reading all these comments or at least having them relayed to him. Will he listen and make positive changes? Or will he dismiss any criticism as being ill informed, as has been his pattern for years? Hopefully it's the former. Listen to your customers Jimmy - they are speaking, loudly. Better yet, seek out their opinion. Be inclusive instead of standoffish.
Tomhenry,
Any truth to the rumor that Jimmy himself is the source of the hot air for the "heated patio"?
Leave Jimmy alone!
He screwed up and paid a heavy and very dear price.
What is the point of all this rubbing it in?
Most businessmen take risks and lose it all.
Jimmy only lost half of it. He still owns Jimmy's Grill!
To Anonymous 8/12:
There are several reasons many of the comments have been so, shall we say, direct.
One, before he opened Tessa's, he bragged to anyone who'd listen how he was going to take a bunch of business away from La Sorella. It rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
Two, judging by the comments on this forum, people aren't that thrilled with the Grill either. It's been noted here many times, he's not very good at taking suggestions to heart, let alone criticisms. Historically he's come off as a know it all. It rubs people the wrong way.
Three, there are whispers a few consultants and vendors haven't been paid. That's not good. Word gets around. Hopefully he makes good on his obligations.
Four, there is also some chatter (loud chatter as a matter of fact) that he is dismissing all the criticism he's received, basically indicating people here don't know what they're talking about. That rubs people the wrong way too.
Five, he blames others instead of taking full responsibility. He has done the same with several downtown issues as well. People don't like that.
Six, business is down at Jimmy's Grill. He's blaming it on outside factors. Meanwhile, a co-worker went in there last week and commented the women's bathroom is filthy. No towels, everything a mess, etc. Sort of a microcosm of the comments on here. Another co-worker commented two TV's in the main bar area have been broken for months. A neighbor commented he went in for a few beers and the beer on tap was so bitter and rancid he gave it back and was told the beer lines were cleaned earlier in the day and that was why the beer tasted bad. Huh??
Let's face it. People want Jimmy's Grill, Tessa's, and other local places to be good. They want to be proud of their home town local restaurants, bars, etc. They want to tell their family and friends about them. They want to recommend them to out of towners. By the looks of these comments, not too many people feel comfortable doing so. Who's responsible? It's Jimmy's name on the door. Naperville is speaking and giving what I feel is very good, very fair, and very deserved feedback.
Jimmy, two questions. Are you listening? Or are you still pointing fingers at everything except the mirror?
We used to own a business in downtown and were friendly with Jimmy. I can not say enough great things about BrickHouse Pizza. The food was delicious, drinks were cheap, atmosphere was inviting and karaoke was the best. Before Tessa's opened to the public, we were invited for the "pre-opening" lunch. Our service on that day was very slow and the food was ok. We wished the family all our best, but never did return to the restaurant. I agree with most of the above comments. Unfortunate, but things happen... Someone needs to open another Brickhouse Pizza!!!
I noticed that the entire Tessa building is now for sale on loopnet.
It's definately sad that this placed closed. I had my rehearsal dinner on the roof top. It was one of the best memories of my wedding weekend. The food was just okay, but the ambiance and the service was extraordinary. Though I havn't been back since the rehearsal dinner, it's still sad that other people won't be able to share the great memory!
By Erin Buck on July 27, 2009 3:16 PM
It's definately sad that this placed closed. I had my rehearsal dinner on the roof top. It was one of the best memories of my wedding weekend. The food was just okay, but the ambiance and the service was extraordinary. Though I havn't been back since the rehearsal dinner, it's still sad that other people won't be able to share the great memory!
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If Blackfinn American Saloon obtains a liquor license and takes over Tessa, people will be able to share that great memory and experience you once had. I heard about the roof top and would like to check it out one day, too.
But BAS will have real food instead of microwave food...so it should be much better.