Students and Cantabrigians alike flock to Church Street hotspots like Fire & Ice and Cambridge 1 for weekend revelry, but one piece of not-so-prime real estate seems unable to find a long-term tenant. When Phatt Boys opened last summer in the 50 Church St. space vacated by failed restaurant Rock Bottom, Harvard kids were ecstatic to find a new haunt for live music, good food, and cheap drinks. Many frequented Phatt Boys throughout first semester, and the cavernous eatery earned a rep for fun (read: lax carding). Yet today, nearly all remnants of Phatt Boys’s existence have disappeared.
The reasons for its shutdown are unclear. An employee at Dado Tea, which abuts the now-vacant lot, claims the place closed due to “bad location of the restaurant, since it is so far back,” nestled awkwardly up a ramp between an artsy tea shop and a staid office complex.
In contrast, says the Dado barista, “we do well, and Fire & Ice does well.”
However, Phatt Boys’ closing was not simply a result of its unfortunate location. Theodore E. Chestnut ’06, a Senior Class Marshall, says “the reason Phatt Boys was not successful was the service was terrible. They weren’t really catering to students.” Furthermore, Chestnut adds, “last call was really early, so people would get there and they would be shutting down.” Others attribute Phattie’s demise to the opening of Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub, which has quickly grown in popularity among students.
So should students expect a hot new hangout to fill the void at 50 Church St.?
