Indy Restaurant Fights Rising Costs and Setbacks to Stay Open
INDIANAPOLIS — Parkside Public House serves up classic dishes such as patty melts and biscuits and gravy; however, in recent months, they’ve been served with a set of challenges, leaving the future of the restaurant in limbo.
In May, the business was one of five in Garfield Park that found itself the victim of a smash-and-grab. A small kitchen fire weeks prior and ongoing road closures in Fountain Square continue a pattern of blows to business.
“We’re not even directly like in the road closure; it’s just when our commuter road here stops having people on it, they stop thinking like ‘Oh, I could come in for a bite to eat,’” owner Lexi Haines said.
The restaurant took to Facebook on Friday to share its struggles. “Bad news, friends” was the caption on a picture of the building.
“Long story short — we are about to hit our financial wall,” the post reads.
Owner Lexi Haines said her struggles are felt throughout the neighborhood as businesses fight rising costs and tight budgets. Even though product prices go up, she tries to keep the menu the same to accommodate customers.
“The general mood (among other businesses) is sales are down year after year,” Haines said.
Going on almost two years of business, Haines isn’t turning a blind eye to the harsh reality of restaurants like hers. She’s hopeful to remain open for several more seasons, but said the next few weeks could determine if that’s a possibility.
“The money does run out at some point, and there’s only so far we can go,” Haines said. “We’re definitely willing to keep going if possible, but at the same time, sometimes those external forces are just a little too much to overcome.”
Haines said she is exploring different strategies to try and ramp up business. As always, she said it’s an ongoing challenge to compete with more established restaurants or chains.
