Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Maggie Moos Leaving U Street?

While perusing the April minutes of the Carodozo-Shaw Neighborhood Association meeting (which will undoubtedly become the title of a chapter in our forthcoming book "So You Want To Write a Blog?"), we uncovered this little nugget of information that had somehow passed us by for the last month:

Maggie Moos presented the idea of changing from ice cream to gelato Italian eatery. They plan to seek a liquor license in order to serve coffee/gelato with alcohol. Once changed to gelato, store would no longer be affiliated with Maggie Moos.

A gelato bar? Is this a new thing? Let me guess: it was all the rage in NYC, and now someone's trying to export the idea to DC, in much the same way that i'm bracing for the forthcoming "donut craze".

If this is indeed the case, put me in the corner of "this sucks", particularly if it means I can't get a Maggie Moos shake anymore. Hey, at least I should be happy that they aren't converting to a "small plate" restaurant...

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I though the doughnut craze was already over, which is why we're now in the midst of the cupcake craze?

I've never really liked Maggie Moos, and I really like gelato, so I cannot share your specific pain. But it does suck when a neighborhood establishment you've come to rely on suddenly shifts beneath your nose.

Perhaps you could convince them to open up in the abandoned Coldstone space up in Cleveland Park? No one's taken that storefront over, as far as I can tell. And then it would be closer to me . . .

IMGoph said...

mr. 14th & you: of course the gelato craze is the next big thing. there's going to be another one right under your nose on P street across from best-in liquors...

Mackenzie said...

I've never seen gelato in the US before, but a week in Italy convinced me that gelato is the heavenly lovechild of ice cream and Italian ice and that there is no better food for cooling down in the summer.

Anonymous said...

Nooooo. My son will be very disappointed. MM is overpriced but a good treat. I don't know how ice cream only is a good business model, but I do wish they would stay put and not convert to gelato.

It could be worse. We could be getting a Tangysweet (yuck). I went to a Tangysweet opening party in Dupont Circle and snuck out to go to Ben and Jerry's around the corner afterward. Talk about bad imported fad.

Anonymous said...

That Maggie Moo's shake is downright aweful.

Anonymous said...

@Mackenzie
Apparantly you've never been to Portland or Brunswick, Maine before, both towns have an over-abundance of gelato shops.

Obviously this craze must be years old, if the always-5-years-behind-any-trend Maine has succumbed to it...

Anonymous said...

Oh, silly gentrifiers. Move back to nebraska please.

Maggie BOO said...

I don't care what they do with the space. That Maggie Moos will NOT be missed by me. I have given up on that place after multiple frustrating attempts...
Service gets an F- (someone needs to teach their employees that casually chatting on their cell phones and/or each other while a line of customers is waiting for service is NOT how you do business)
Product: F- (during at least four different visits... count them: FOUR! they were out of either or both Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream)

Magie "BOO"

Anonymous said...

maggie moos? do we want to be san jose? there are already enough stupid blondes with tramp stamps in DC

Anonymous said...

I'm in agreement with Maggie Boo. I love their ice cream, but that particular shop is terrible. On top of the generally poor service, I have been in there a few times when the guys running the counter claim that the cash register isn't working. So, instead they just fill their tip jar. I always wondered how they stay in business.

Unknown said...

I'm baffled by this comment section. There's A TON of gelato shops in the US, even some in DC! They tend to be mediocre and are easily lumped in with whatever food craze is happening now. I'm shocked that anyone thinks this will be a profitable endeavor.

Anonymous said...

I will take gelato over Maggie Moo's anyday. Assuming they do it right. Gelato is a craze I can get behind. Much moreso than cupcakes.

Anonymous said...

Gelato made a run in the mid to late 80s in the US. So this would be a reintroduction. MM isn't so great. Very over priced for one thing.

jimbo said...

Yeah, I agree with Kate - gelato is nothing new in the U.S.

While my mouth will miss Maggie Moos, my innards will not as I'm lactose intolerant. I'm conflicted like that.

Mmm...someone said doughnuts...doughnuts will never go out of style.

Anonymous said...

It's not like the Maggie Moo's on 18th St is that much further away. Trust me, this one on U St will not be missed by me either and I live right by it. I'd rather walk to Adams Morgan for decent service and at least have some feeling no one was messing with the ice cream. Can't say I feel that way about the U St one. Poor service, bad attitudes and just never a good experience. CYA!