Chapman's was a "huge win" in a "struggling" industry
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of BJ Lieberman
After opening and closing some of Columbus' most beloved restaurants, restaurateur BJ Lieberman is proud Chapman's went "out on top," but is approaching his newest venture with "eyes wide open" about today's restaurant climate.
Why it matters: Nationally recognized Chapman's was once our hottest restaurant, but faced a "fistfight every single day" to remain open — a sign of an increasingly unfeasible climate for restaurants in Columbus and beyond.
Driving the news: After five years in German Village, acclaimed Chapman's closed in August rather than renew its lease.
- Lieberman's focus now shifts to Metsi's, his new Short North "wood-fired Italian" concept.
Behind the scenes: Lieberman tells Axios the closure wasn't because of rent disagreements or declining sales — if anything, he made the call with his own sanity and family in mind.
- "It wasn't something that happened to me. It was a decision that I made."
Yes, but: Between his own experience and his accountant's industrywide concerns, projections for the next five years looked daunting. So he made the difficult call.
- "Getting to close on our terms and not on anybody else's terms feels like a huge victory."
The big picture: Lieberman says the nearly impossible margins of the restaurant world aren't just an industry hazard — they're a concerning indicator for the country.
- Whether in Columbus or in Washington, he says, restaurant struggles are "one of the first indicators of economic issues."
- "When people don't have the funds or the confidence in the economy to make their extravagant expenses going out to dinner at night, we're the first ones to feel it. We're also the first ones to feel it when the price of beef goes up 16% in six weeks."
Case in point: At Metsi's, beef is almost entirely gone from the menu. The margins don't work.
- "I can't charge $80 for a five-ounce filet. And that's what it would be. It's not price gouging, that's just basic restaurant economics."
Consumers might not see that yet — but he expects they will "when they start seeing grocery store prices in the next few weeks."
- "People see prices in restaurants going up and they assume I'm getting rich off of it. No, not even a little bit."
The bottom line: Despite it all, Lieberman is "hopeful" about Metsi's future and happy with the strides made in their first four months in business.
- It's been busier than he expected thus far, and the team is starting to "dial in" on the menu.
- "In a lot of ways we're beyond where I wanted to be, and in other ways I still feel like we're playing catch-up."