Cheff Jeff Talks Memories of That One Place
Last week, That One Place announced to its customers and fans that it would be closing in Early July – but that it wouldn't go out without a bang.
In case you missed it, the post read:
“After 10 years of pretty solid business, some great times, some not so good times, 4 renovations, a pandemic, celebrity visits, and some truly amazing people that have graced us with their presence over the years. We have decided to close our doors and move on to some other projects and spend more time with our boys.”
The announcement of That One Place has hit many regulars hard as it has long become a favorite spot among SLT residents who have made it their neighborhood bar over the years. Many lamented, saying they will need a plan B now to strike up a conversation after a long day of hard work.
That One Place will be throwing a two-day drink-the-bar-dry party on Jul 2 and Jul 3 and Jul 7 or Jul 8 will likely be the last day of operation.
We sat down to chat with Chef Jeff, he talked about his bittersweet journey running this place and some harsh realities he had to deal with while operating the business.
You opened this place about 10 years ago. What was it like back then?
Originally it wasn't a restaurant. We first got our start as a nail salon/cocktail bar. You're sitting in the old nail salon right now. There was outside dining before, and we bought a barbecue and started grilling burgers outside, and then we became famous for the burgers. People always thought at first it was a weird concept but it totally works because ladies would come get their nails done and the guys would come along to watch sports on the TV and get their cocktail on. We have really good ventilation so they could smoke cigars and then smoke would go out.
So, the concept started like that and we were definitely Beijing’s first for sure. It was called Frost Coffee Nails and Cocktail back then. Eventually, the food and the alcohol started being more of the sales, and we did some math at one point and figured out that maybe 10 percent of our business was doing nails, even though it was taking up 30 percent of the space. So we expanded that restaurant.
How did the idea of opening That One Place come into formation?
This place was originally my wife’s project and I was not really involved. She was one of China's top nail instructors. She's a badass when it comes to this. She doesn't do it anymore. It was just like, too, too hard on your body leaning over. All the fumes and the powders. I'm glad she quit.
I was involved for a while but we argue too much. We have totally different ideas on how things should run. I wanted to run it like a western establishment and she didn’t. I wanted to set it up with systems and checks that needed to be followed. She didn’t. So, I just let her do it, thinking she'll come back and ask me to go in. But I was so wrong. She really changed the business around.
What are some of your favorite memories of this place?
I had some great memories on my 50th birthday and my wife’s 40th birthday. We've had a few pretty famous people come in here before. One time, Cuijian came with a friend of ours to eat some rotisserie chicken and ended up jamming with our house band at that time.
What drove you to close down this place?
I realized the other day, in fact, my friend and I were talking and he says “I just realized I only have four more Christmases and four more new years and four more birthdays until my daughter goes off to college.” And it really hit me. And I was thinking I only got five. That's it. My family is a big part of the reason why I am closing down this place. You just don’t get that much time to spend with your family.
I also lost my bartender who had been with us for six years. He went back to his hometown to get married. I didn’t have to be sitting back here every day when he was here. The people that were working in Beijing before COVID just have not come back, which makes it really difficult to hire someone. The universe has sucked up 2000 people who would have worked here. All those restaurants and all the foodservice stuff sucked all those people out of the market. The main issue is I can’t find staff and I don’t want to do this every day. This is not my only thing in the world. I have a trading company. I have a vape business. I'm a director of research and development for a big pizza chain. I did this for fun, and it wasn’t fun anymore.
Did the pandemic affect your business?
We survived the pandemic and it is really not the main reason why we are closing. There is something though that bothered me for a while. There were a lot of people coming during the pandemic and I’m really happy that they were there. But I want them to know, when the pandemic is over, don't forget about what we were doing. Well, the pandemic finished and all the places started opening back up again. What’s really been a bummer is that people would go somewhere else for happy hours and for dinner. Starting from 10pm till 2am, they come hereWhen other restaurants close at midnight, we get a bunch of people coming in here for a nightcap. Before, when we had the outdoor seating, which was ordered to be taken down, people would come here and spend the evening.
Can you tell me more about the drink-the-bar-dry party?
That One Place’s last day of operation will most likely be Jul 7 or Jul 8. We are going to have a two-day drink and eat the bar dry party on Jul 2 on Friday and Jul 3 on Saturday. It’s just going to be crazy. There will be really cheap shots. If somebody wants to buy a full bottle, I will give it for half price. We will be selling as much of the equipment as we can and it will be available after Jul 8. We have refrigeration, small wares, a gas fryer, grill pizza oven, mixer, blenders, food processors, tables, chairs, air conditioner, lighting, etc. All work well with no problems.
That One Place will be throwing a two-day drink-the-bar-dry party on Jul 2 and Jul 3, and Jul 7 or Jul 8 will likely be the last day of operation.
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Images: courtesy of the venue, Dianping
