JZ: I didn’t even think of the neighborhood aspect because everyone was telling me that there wasn’ta neighborhood here. They were saying, “Okay, it’s a cool space, but how are you going to survive? Where are people going to park?” Brookline Village is young, it’s full of young couples and families who don’t really go beyond their area. Route 9 just sort of separates us; I didn’t even have the comfort level of, “Well, people will walk across the street.” But I thought, “Okay, well, I’m near the hospital so I can do private parties.” But really it’s been the neighborhood that’s supported us.
So how has your restaurant evolved? How does it reflect the neighborhood it’s in now?
DO: I took as close a look as I possibly could at the demographics of JP. It’s a very diverse place, from the students, artists, and musicians to the young couples, young parents, as well as lots of gays and lesbians. But there are professionals as well. At Arbor, I was only getting those professionals, those wealthier residents. There was a concerted effort on my part to make the restaurant more appealing to a broader audience. Changing the interior, making it more casual, making it more approachable from the street, which it wasn’t before. The bar is now twice the size. There’s a TV there now. I’ve kind of set it apart with some curtains so it’s a little more comfortable back there. But that’s more cosmetic stuff. I’ve also got a more diverse menu, which is the key. There are things like hamburgers and fish tacos now.
And in my experience, the change from Arbor to Café D has been enormous. On a busy night, people will walk through the restaurant and know multiple people at multiple tables. They’re seeing their neighbors or people that their kids go to school with. They’re stopping at tables and saying hi. The space is getting used in a lot of different ways, with diners on a special night out sitting right next to people just having a quick meal. The bar is being used by a lot of singles; people weren’t really comfortable doing that before.
CD: Two things. First, suburbanites started coming in on the weekend. I think what attracts people from the suburbs is, you know, they say, “Let’s go to a funky urban neighborhood and experience that tonight.” Second, regulars aren’t as consistent because a lot of young couples have moved in [to the South End]. It’s funny — we can tell when a woman gets pregnant because the pattern of alcohol ordering changes, and again when they have the baby, because we start seeing them less and less. Although those couples also bring their kids. We’ve turned into a little bit of the Chuck E. Cheese’s. I hate to use that phrase, but it’s true, in a good way.
Even from the beginning, this was the biggest dog-friendly neighborhood that I’ve ever been in. Within three blocks there are three dog-related businesses. So it’s such a great thing to have regulars be able to bring their pets. They’re a part of the family, and it’s really nice for dog owners to have someone else acknowledge that. We’re actually thinking of doing a dog menu for the summer. We’re just trying to figure out how to execute it so the kitchen won’t get bogged down by orders for dogs versus orders for people.
