Maybe the Bad Idea — a sandwich composed of a homemade maple doughnut, house sausage, egg and cheese — was more prophetic than addictive. Farmhouse Group owner Jed Davis announced today via email and social media that Guild Fine Meats, the home of the Bad Idea, Piggly Wiggly Poutine and a slew of sandwiches prepared from homemade deli meats, will serve its final meals next Thursday, September 25.
Via email, Davis said, “We are very proud of this restaurant – the ambition behind the concept, and the daily execution in particular. Our staff was exceptional. We hold our heads high knowing that we created and delivered a unique concept to the market, and that we excelled with quality product and service. Unfortunately, not all businesses work out.”
With a steady stream of customers, to the casual observer, the business seemed to be working out just fine. But in a phone conversation after this story was originally posted, Davis explained that profit margins were to blame.
“It can be a tough gig, the farm-to-table restaurant movement. You’re operating in a world with much, much higher costs than other people,” he said. “That model works brilliantly in some cases and unfortunately, it just didn’t work here.”
While the Farmhouse Tap & Grill Burger is a successful vehicle for the local meats produced at the company’s commissary, Davis said a deli sandwich proved to be a less cost-effective fit. “The guest wanted [the sandwiches] to be two bucks less and the business needed ti to be two bucks more. That value conversation just break down,” he explained.
The Guild Fine Meats products sold at 111 St. Paul Street also make their ways into the dishes at Davis’ four other Farmhouse Group restaurants, including Guild Tavern, Pascolo Ristorante and El Cortijo Taqueria Y Cantina. Bacon, sausages and deli meats from the label are already available at City Market and Healthy Living.
But what will become of the space? Will the prolific Farmhouse Group try its luck with another concept? “That’s undetermined right now,” Davis told Seven Days. “We’re going to feel that out.”
Davis and his team are also working to find potential homes at their other restaurants for some of GFM’s most popular sandwiches and baked goods.
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IMHO I always thought that GFM lacked the “Show” that a good Italian or Jewish Deli in NY presents. I never got the feeling in the few times I visited that the staff was extremely knowledgable about the product. When I go to a butcher shop for “fine meats”, I expect someone overweight that looks like they’ve put a few steaks on the grill in their lifetime, and an apron that looks like they know how to cut one of those steaks. If you’re going to open a butcher shop, open a butcher shop, or was it supposed to be a deli? There in lies another problem, was it a butcher shop or was it a deli? Still dying for a good Italian or Jewish Deli in South Burlington / Williston.
If they could serve a bowl of soup in less than 20 mins or a sandwich in less than 30 perhaps they would have stayed in business. Send some folks to NYC and teach them how to run a lunch counter. order pckup pay and get out is the deli business. no one has half an hour to wait while precious butchers your meat cures it and makes the bread before they serve you.
Dear Walt, you are just one ignorant human being who I assume has never worked in a deli shop before. Give the people who worked there some credit. They made great sandwiches, expensive for sure, but the quality was fantastic. Otherwise I am sad to see Guild Fine Meats close. I’ll miss my franks famous roast beef… But seriously walt, piss off!!!
Good businesses don’t go out of business. I ate there once and felt the sandwich was overpriced for what I got, a small roll with meager amounts of meat that was nothing more than average in my opinion. I was also unimpressed by the limited selection of meat products that were available in the deli case. It is unfortunate because GFM had an opportunity to do something special and unique here and create a large fan base here in Burlington but fell short on what seems to be a lackluster attempt. Seems to me that if the customer wanted a sandwhich that was 2 dollars cheaper and 20 minutes faster, GFM should have figured out how to make that happen instead of just giving up.