Dawn in Memphis
2003-12-10 17:11:06 UTC
From the EPE Fan Forum:
FAQs about the closing of Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant on Beale Street.
Posted November 24, 2003.
Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant closed on September 15, 2003. Here, we
respond to the most frequently asked questions about it:
Why did Elvis Presley’s Memphis restaurant close? What happens now?
EPE decided to close Elvis Presley’s Memphis restaurant on Beale Street
because it operated at a significant financial loss throughout the six years
that it was open. It cost a small fortune to renovate the former Lanksy
Brothers men’s store location at 126 Beale and transform it into a beautiful
restaurant/nightclub facility. Those costs were expected to be recouped through
the operation of the restaurant and through its serving as the flagship
property to inspire a series of similar restaurants to be opened, via outside
investor capital, in a few select cities of the world. Unfortunately, despite
high levels of customer satisfaction with our facility, its food and
entertainment, and its excellent staff, plus enthusiastic efforts to promote
the restaurant and efforts to manage expenses, Elvis Presley’s Memphis failed
to attract enough business on a continual basis to keep it going. It was very
busy during the height of the summer tourist season and, of course, during the
Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration each January and Elvis Week each August, but
patronage was not at a high enough level most of the remainder of the year to
make the restaurant viable. Elvis Presley’s Memphis was very expensive to
create and, in meeting the high expectations of its patrons, was very expensive
to operate. In a rapidly growing downtown Memphis, competition is tough with a
wide variety of restaurant choices offered to the locals and tourists.
What will become of the restaurant property? Will EPE open a restaurant in a
new location?
EPE has no plans of operating a new restaurant location in Memphis in the
foreseeable future, and has no plans for creating another business at the Elvis
Presley’s Memphis location. The decision to close was a necessary measure in
order to stop the financial losses. The restaurant building is owned by the
Lanskys. EPE still has a long-term lease from them and plans to sub-lease the
property to another company. EPE has heard from numerous entities interested in
the facility. What company might eventually occupy the property or what sort of
restaurant or other business will be created there is unknown at this time. In
the meantime, EPE continues operation of its Elvis gift shop that is part of
the restaurant facility. Whenever a new tenant is confirmed and can be
announced, we will update this FAQ page, post a notice in News here on the site
and issue an E-newsletter alert.
Why was the decision to close the restaurant so sudden?
Closing Elvis Presley’s Memphis was a very painful decision for us. We were
very proud of the restaurant and all we accomplished there, and we were
particularly proud of our excellent staff. While the decision did seem sudden,
it was actually a long time in the making. Once that decision was finalized,
there was no reason to wait to act upon it and there are many staffing
challenges and other concerns to deal with in the food service business when a
closing is announced in advance.
It is of great comfort that job opportunities in the Memphis restaurant
business are plentiful and that some of our Elvis Presley’s Memphis staff,
because of their fine reputation, had several job offers immediately after news
of the closing. Severance pay was given in order to bridge the gap in case any
staff needed a little time to find a new position.
What has become of the Elvis artifacts that were displayed in the restaurant?
What about the furnishings, fixtures and equipment?
The Elvis artifacts were simply taken back to EPE’s archival storage
facilities where all items presently not on display at Graceland or elsewhere
are kept. The artifacts once displayed at the restaurant will continue to be a
part of EPE’s vast permanent collection of archival materials and, as such,
are eligible for exhibit again sometime. The restaurant furnishings, fixtures
and equipment, for the time being, remain in place for possible use by a future
tenant.
How does the restaurant’s closing affect the Elvis Birthday Celebration and
Elvis Week?
We know how much the restaurant had come to mean to so many Elvis fans from
around the world and we greatly appreciate their loyal patronage and support.
We will particularly miss Elvis Presley’s Memphis during the Elvis Presley
Birthday Celebration and Elvis Week because it was such a wonderful place for
fans to gather for special live entertainment and camaraderie. But, we had many
exciting EP birthdays and Elvis Weeks in all the years before the restaurant
opened in 1997 and we’ll have many more, endlessly into the future. We’ll
explore all kinds of possibilities for working with other companies’
properties to put on great events that typically took place at Elvis
Presley’s Memphis.
Will free shuttle service from Graceland and Heartbreak Hotel to Beale Street
continue?
In 2003, we greatly expanded our free shuttle service from Graceland and
Heartbreak Hotel to Beale Street as part of our marketing and promotional
efforts for Elvis Presley’s Memphis restaurant. We have now reduced the
service to it earlier set-up, which is providing free shuttle service for
registered guests of Heartbreak Hotel to go to and from Beale Street in the
evenings. We are pleased to report that Sun Studio has expanded its existing
schedule of daytime runs of the free Sun Studio shuttle, which includes stops
at Graceland Plaza and Heartbreak Hotel and provides transportation to Sun
Studio and Beale Street.
Does the closing of Elvis Presley’s Memphis affect the operation of Graceland
and Heartbreak Hotel or indicate any slowdown in Elvis Presley’s popularity?
Not at all. The restaurant business in general is very tough, with as many as
nine out of ten restaurants failing in their first year of operation. While we
did not have the success we hoped to have in our restaurant venture, all is
well with everything else at EPE. Visitorship to Graceland and patronage of
Heartbreak Hotel are strong and growing. Activity levels with record sales,
licensing and merchandising, entertainment projects and more are no less than
outstanding. It’s almost exhausting to think of how much there is to look
forward to in the years ahead.
--------------------
Patsy Andersen
Fan Relations Manager
Graceland
***@elvis.com
Dawn
www.altelvisking.com
FAQs about the closing of Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant on Beale Street.
Posted November 24, 2003.
Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant closed on September 15, 2003. Here, we
respond to the most frequently asked questions about it:
Why did Elvis Presley’s Memphis restaurant close? What happens now?
EPE decided to close Elvis Presley’s Memphis restaurant on Beale Street
because it operated at a significant financial loss throughout the six years
that it was open. It cost a small fortune to renovate the former Lanksy
Brothers men’s store location at 126 Beale and transform it into a beautiful
restaurant/nightclub facility. Those costs were expected to be recouped through
the operation of the restaurant and through its serving as the flagship
property to inspire a series of similar restaurants to be opened, via outside
investor capital, in a few select cities of the world. Unfortunately, despite
high levels of customer satisfaction with our facility, its food and
entertainment, and its excellent staff, plus enthusiastic efforts to promote
the restaurant and efforts to manage expenses, Elvis Presley’s Memphis failed
to attract enough business on a continual basis to keep it going. It was very
busy during the height of the summer tourist season and, of course, during the
Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration each January and Elvis Week each August, but
patronage was not at a high enough level most of the remainder of the year to
make the restaurant viable. Elvis Presley’s Memphis was very expensive to
create and, in meeting the high expectations of its patrons, was very expensive
to operate. In a rapidly growing downtown Memphis, competition is tough with a
wide variety of restaurant choices offered to the locals and tourists.
What will become of the restaurant property? Will EPE open a restaurant in a
new location?
EPE has no plans of operating a new restaurant location in Memphis in the
foreseeable future, and has no plans for creating another business at the Elvis
Presley’s Memphis location. The decision to close was a necessary measure in
order to stop the financial losses. The restaurant building is owned by the
Lanskys. EPE still has a long-term lease from them and plans to sub-lease the
property to another company. EPE has heard from numerous entities interested in
the facility. What company might eventually occupy the property or what sort of
restaurant or other business will be created there is unknown at this time. In
the meantime, EPE continues operation of its Elvis gift shop that is part of
the restaurant facility. Whenever a new tenant is confirmed and can be
announced, we will update this FAQ page, post a notice in News here on the site
and issue an E-newsletter alert.
Why was the decision to close the restaurant so sudden?
Closing Elvis Presley’s Memphis was a very painful decision for us. We were
very proud of the restaurant and all we accomplished there, and we were
particularly proud of our excellent staff. While the decision did seem sudden,
it was actually a long time in the making. Once that decision was finalized,
there was no reason to wait to act upon it and there are many staffing
challenges and other concerns to deal with in the food service business when a
closing is announced in advance.
It is of great comfort that job opportunities in the Memphis restaurant
business are plentiful and that some of our Elvis Presley’s Memphis staff,
because of their fine reputation, had several job offers immediately after news
of the closing. Severance pay was given in order to bridge the gap in case any
staff needed a little time to find a new position.
What has become of the Elvis artifacts that were displayed in the restaurant?
What about the furnishings, fixtures and equipment?
The Elvis artifacts were simply taken back to EPE’s archival storage
facilities where all items presently not on display at Graceland or elsewhere
are kept. The artifacts once displayed at the restaurant will continue to be a
part of EPE’s vast permanent collection of archival materials and, as such,
are eligible for exhibit again sometime. The restaurant furnishings, fixtures
and equipment, for the time being, remain in place for possible use by a future
tenant.
How does the restaurant’s closing affect the Elvis Birthday Celebration and
Elvis Week?
We know how much the restaurant had come to mean to so many Elvis fans from
around the world and we greatly appreciate their loyal patronage and support.
We will particularly miss Elvis Presley’s Memphis during the Elvis Presley
Birthday Celebration and Elvis Week because it was such a wonderful place for
fans to gather for special live entertainment and camaraderie. But, we had many
exciting EP birthdays and Elvis Weeks in all the years before the restaurant
opened in 1997 and we’ll have many more, endlessly into the future. We’ll
explore all kinds of possibilities for working with other companies’
properties to put on great events that typically took place at Elvis
Presley’s Memphis.
Will free shuttle service from Graceland and Heartbreak Hotel to Beale Street
continue?
In 2003, we greatly expanded our free shuttle service from Graceland and
Heartbreak Hotel to Beale Street as part of our marketing and promotional
efforts for Elvis Presley’s Memphis restaurant. We have now reduced the
service to it earlier set-up, which is providing free shuttle service for
registered guests of Heartbreak Hotel to go to and from Beale Street in the
evenings. We are pleased to report that Sun Studio has expanded its existing
schedule of daytime runs of the free Sun Studio shuttle, which includes stops
at Graceland Plaza and Heartbreak Hotel and provides transportation to Sun
Studio and Beale Street.
Does the closing of Elvis Presley’s Memphis affect the operation of Graceland
and Heartbreak Hotel or indicate any slowdown in Elvis Presley’s popularity?
Not at all. The restaurant business in general is very tough, with as many as
nine out of ten restaurants failing in their first year of operation. While we
did not have the success we hoped to have in our restaurant venture, all is
well with everything else at EPE. Visitorship to Graceland and patronage of
Heartbreak Hotel are strong and growing. Activity levels with record sales,
licensing and merchandising, entertainment projects and more are no less than
outstanding. It’s almost exhausting to think of how much there is to look
forward to in the years ahead.
--------------------
Patsy Andersen
Fan Relations Manager
Graceland
***@elvis.com
Dawn
www.altelvisking.com