eating at rockola is one of my first memories of raleigh

2/6/2008 11:58:53 PM

it always seemed busy too..

whats up lately with places being packed, yet failing....

see amedo's, damon's, rockola, etc

2/6/2008 11:59:40 PM

yea i loved rockola too, i always went there for lunch on half-days and had a birthday dinner there one year.

how big was Rockola, how many locations did/do they have?

2/7/2008 12:14:58 AM

theres one in Danville, VA - I used to go there weekly for loaded cheese fries mmmmmm

2/7/2008 12:20:13 AM

rockola has been quite slow for a while.

i've been there twice lately, right before they shut down aparrently and it was quite dead inside.

everyone was just standing around watching tv.

at least the food came out fast.

2/7/2008 12:43:26 AM

damn, I was just there last week. had no idea it was closing

haha, I used to work there in college too. I know how to make just about everything on their menu

2/7/2008 2:01:31 AM

Quote :

"I know how to make just about everything on their menu"

please make me some rolls with the yummy butter then

2/7/2008 2:03:44 AM

Went there to drink once in a while. The food was greasy as hell and not good.

Let's face it, folks, if all these restaurants in question were actually so good, they wouldn't be closing.



DONKEY!

2/7/2008 3:31:14 AM

not a bad chef.

2/7/2008 3:37:27 AM

Quote :

"I know how to make just about everything on their menu"

Southwest Chicken Pasta? yummmmmm!


I worked there twice 2004 and 2006

2/7/2008 6:37:18 AM

Sigh. Judging by the fact that nothing ever moved into the space above bada wings/bar, it's going to take them a million years to find a new tenant too.

2/7/2008 9:13:52 AM

Damn, I loved their butter rolls and turkey club. Good portions for the money. They had enough customers sometimes, but the off hours were really, really dead. I wish I'd thought about it more.

2/7/2008 9:16:27 AM

So- does anyone know why they closed so suddenly?

2/7/2008 9:29:24 AM

There used to be one in Winston-Salem too but it closed down 3 or 4 years ago probably, the company must not be doing too well

2/7/2008 9:33:02 AM

they charged like 2.25 for a soda and at a time years ago they didn't give refills
I've gone there for YEARS and they have never not given drink refills.

2/7/2008 9:53:21 AM

Rockola was my first serving (waitressing) job

worked there when I lived in Avent Ferry dorms

ah the memories

2/7/2008 10:51:54 AM

Talking about closing down......a place that NEEDS to be SHUT DOWN FOREVERRRRRRR is Applebee's on Hillsborough. I've yet to right corporate b/c I have bigger fish to fry with work and shit, but it's the WORST. Ppl just standing around, food coming out LATE and cold, never any customer service, shitty workers and bad attitudes, managers never coming out to do table visits or cook-ups, etc. YUCK!

2/7/2008 11:23:11 AM

you should take the time to right them

2/7/2008 11:27:55 AM

Quote :

"So- does anyone know why they closed so suddenly?"

breaking their lease.

2/7/2008 11:37:59 AM

^^ Yeah I should!!!!!

I was outraged the last couple of times I've been there.

First time: Went there with a friend at like 10:45 thinking they didn't close til' 12 (like they had been doing), and the waitress came to the table undoing her apron and taking her shirt off. She slammed her tickets on the table and said the kitchen was closed, but if we wanted to get sandwiches we could do that. And we said we were sorry and could leave, but she insisted, but then walked in the kitchen and threw her tickets in the kitchen and was screaming. WTF?!?!

Second time: Went there after the NCSU vs. UNC game with a friend. Ordered the new dish of Breaded Macaroni and Cheese with grilled chicken strips. Waitress never brought us our alcoholic drinks...had to go to bar to get them ourselves!!! Food came out wayyyy late. Never was asked for refills. My food was COLD...noodles were stuck together...no cheese on them...chicken was BURNT black. My friend was already done eating by this point. Waitress ACTUALLY told me that they cooked it early that morning and when someone orders it, they reheat in the microwave (hence the noodles being stuck together--with no cheese). Ended up opting to order something else (the quesadilla burger--which I had before) which took forever and was UNDERCOOKED with too much cheese on it. Turns out they CHARGED ME FOR BOTH ITEMS. Asked another waitress since ours disappeared for the manager...he/she NEVER came. WTF is that about?!?!?!?!?!?!?!






I mean, granted I used to work at restaurant and I know how optimal service should be...I was appalled. Who does that shit??!?!? How does a place like this stay in business!??!?!? At Outback, we had A MILLION meetings on just service standards and making sure we greeted customers in the most efficient manner and respectful way, every table had their food by 13 minutes TOPS and if not or it wasn't correct, then it was 100% comped with a new item already cooking for them including a free app card. Refills are automatic---you never ask them. Are you kidding me??!?!? That's service...not what I've been through at Applebee's. F*CK that place!




[Edited on February 7, 2008 at 11:54 AM. Reason : .]

2/7/2008 11:46:27 AM

Quote :

"breaking their lease."

really?

2/7/2008 12:53:54 PM

The one and only time I ate there was before the FSU football game freshman year. They had the Ohio State game on while we were eating; I remember the commentators talking about Maurice Clarrett and TA potentially being two of the best college backs ever.

2/7/2008 1:01:20 PM

you should take the time to right them

2/7/2008 1:08:26 PM

I agree the Hillsborough Applebees is bad. Bad service last few times I've been, they usually get something wrong and then lie about it, food takes too long and is shoddy quality. They have no write to treat customers like that.

2/7/2008 2:12:25 PM

Quote :

"Rockola at Celebration at Six Forks closed down 3 years ago because of sanitation problems. a girl in the grade above me was a waitress there when they shut down. "

oh that's pretty recent. I thought it was more than 3 years. Either way the Chinese buffet now there is awesome!

2/7/2008 2:18:43 PM

2.25 for a coke is f*ing ridiculous, and so many places screw you over that BS anyways. I've seen 2.85 at some places. I mean, coke is 0.06/glass, come on.


Rockola wasn't very good. It's sad that restaurants are going away like that, but hopefully whatever gets replaced there tastes better.

Same goes for Damon's. Never had anything good from there. I'll be happy when it goes away.

Amedeo's food was good (only ate their once) i thought, but i've never had such shitty service before. I've actually been twice. The first time we waited 20minutes and nobody came to our table, so I walked out.

2/7/2008 2:30:00 PM

fuck rock ola

2/7/2008 2:38:57 PM

^^Damon's is gone now too.

2/7/2008 3:03:35 PM

Man, been going there since high school

2/7/2008 3:08:35 PM

^^ didnt they get shut down for serving raw or rotten wings?

[Edited on February 7, 2008 at 3:19 PM. Reason : And is that pic in your Gal the same as the nose near Near Middleburgh NY???]

2/7/2008 3:16:54 PM

^ finances, taxes, etc

2/7/2008 3:54:14 PM

i did love rockola's loaded cheese fries

2/7/2008 5:08:14 PM

^^ Damn that sucks. That is a perfect spot for a buffalo wild wings

2/7/2008 5:35:36 PM

so did Amadeos close or something? Why does their name keep getting thrown around in here?

2/7/2008 5:46:15 PM

Quote :

"oh that's pretty recent. I thought it was more than 3 years. Either way the Chinese buffet now there is awesome!"

werd that Grand Asia place has some good food.

their sanitation was like a 76 or so 2months ago.... startin to think maybe the building isn't suitable for a restaurant.

2/7/2008 5:51:26 PM

^ gumby's syndrome?? lol

2/7/2008 6:21:55 PM

i wonder what will open there next...i'm sure it won't be vacant for too long - that's a prime piece of commercial real estate!

2/7/2008 7:00:26 PM

^^ there close to bankrupt despite being packed all the time

there is a thread on it and see the wral story



[Edited on February 7, 2008 at 7:02 PM. Reason : .]

2/7/2008 7:02:03 PM

nm

[Edited on February 7, 2008 at 8:08 PM. Reason : ]

2/7/2008 8:08:21 PM

I've always liked Rockola. Went to the one off Six Forks a lot when I was a lower case g. I remember they had arcade games or something there cause my sister and I were always out of our seats. I've been to other Rockolas, too. For some reason, whenever I'm on the road and hungry, a Rockola just appears on the horizon, and nobody ever has any complaints--it's just understood that that's where we're eating. It must have been like a super family friendly place so everybody my age went there as kids and now we're all just really comfortable with it. Plus, there's never anybody in there so it's like private dining...

And, joepeshi, I don't see how you can possibly say Rockola had bad food while simultaneously touting the chinese buffet in its place. I went there with my father, and we agreed that everything tasted the same--like shit. It was horrible, even for a chinese buffet.

[Edited on February 8, 2008 at 5:01 AM. Reason : I'm not saying Rockola was good, but Grand Asia sucks.]

2/8/2008 4:58:51 AM

we used to drive to the one in greensboro from HP in the early 1980's - id say ~1983-84. Thenwe would wait like an hour to get in! The 80's were a very sad time in america. because of that, i still wont wait more than 10 minutes at a restaurant - im scarred for life. Thank God for reservations.

2/8/2008 7:38:44 AM

bttt what happened to rockola?

2/10/2008 8:41:07 PM

i asked the bar tender at the garner location friday night. he said they were "too slow".

who knows if that was really the reason.

2/10/2008 9:27:05 PM

2/10/2008 10:08:26 PM

they had been too slow in there for the last 2-3 years. also had some managerial problems. i could say more but i won't.
i worked there for over a year and liked the menu and the company, but that location was terrible. there were ruts all along the floor and ceilling tiles were falling down. plus, the a/c would never work during the summer.
i approve of the decision to close it down, but now i'm worried about having an old, vacant building right across the street from campus. as if the area around campus doesn't already look bad enough.

2/10/2008 11:57:28 PM

i want that fred flintstone cut out they had in there.

2/11/2008 12:12:27 AM

^^ yeah the location isn't so good for a sit down place (well at least one that's primary focus is not being a bar). One there is no alumni/serious regular following, students don't walk there much, and it's just a run of the mill chain (one which is not well known and with most students having cars there are so many to chose from).


It seems like the sit down (not primarily a bar) places that make it near campus have an alumni following/regular following and hell even these haven't been immune to closing (brothers/darryls) or being on the brink (amedoes and others). Porters and Fraziers do good because they're the only type of place directly near campus in that class and are fairly small. I guess you can point to applebees, but it is the only major chain in the area (and it has it's problems too). El rodeo has been really slow the last few times I've been, but there aren't many subsitutes directly near by and it's small.

[Edited on February 11, 2008 at 12:30 AM. Reason : .]

2/11/2008 12:26:49 AM

i used to go as a kid to the one off of six forks and they closed that years ago...

i liked their burgers

2/11/2008 12:38:27 AM

petition for Goodberrys

2/11/2008 12:44:16 AM

paging

2/11/2008 1:01:39 AM