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Following a pandemic shutdown, an announced closure, a reversal of that decision and then a rebranded name, the Indianapolis restaurant formerly known as Next Door American Eatery is no longer in business at the intersection of 46th Street and College Avenue.
Known as ND streetBar since February, the restaurant served its final customers on June 18.
“As with our restaurant industry peers, we faced continued challenges in the hiring and supply chain sectors, leading us to close our doors,” Sam Hallak, chief operating officer of The Kitchen Restaurant Group, said in a statement provided to IBJ.
Hallak said all staff members have been offered severance.
“We recognize their tremendous contributions in this challenging climate,” he said. “We value our loyal guests and employees who have supported us over the last four years, and our goal is to return to the Indianapolis market in the near future.”
The Kitchen Restaurant Group, co-founded in 2004 by Kimbal Musk, younger brother of tech billionaire Elon Musk, continues to operate four ND streetBar locations in Colorado: Boulder, Eastbridge, Fort Collins and Denver.
The Indianapolis restaurant at 4573 N. College Ave. opened in 2018.
The Next Door restaurant chain closed temporarily during the pandemic, and some of its locations never reopened. In March 2020, in an email addressed to the “Next Door Indy Family,” Musk wrote that the company would be permanently closing four Next Door locations, including the one in Indianapolis. He added that the four Next Door locations “were already struggling with being profitable.”
But the owners changed their minds about the Indianapolis site and reopened in July 2021 at the building that previously was home to a 7-Eleven convenience store and a Double 8 grocery store.
The rebranding to ND streetBar emphasized “a new menu of shareable plates and easy-to-drink cocktails that pull inspiration from street food carts across the globe.”
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“As with our restaurant industry peers, we faced continued challenges in the hiring and supply chain sectors, leading us to close our doors” will be a phrase that we are going to hear more and more often.
While you’re probably right on this, it still seems that plenty of other restaurants have faced these same challenges yet have been able to work around them. It could be that Kimball Musk simply doesn’t have what it takes to be a good restaurateur. Nothing to be ashamed of–it’s a very tough and competitive industry. But all his Hedge Row locations have closed (Indy was last), and his Next Door is reduced to four locations in Colorado, and only three left of The Kitchen.
My only hope is that he doesn’t sit and contemplate on these two valuable properties for much longer. Hedge Row’s vacancy has been a blight on Mass Ave for over two years.
Lauren, it’s owned by the local Gershman firm.
Kimball only succeeds when riding elons coattails who only succeeds riding the government subsidy coat tails…
Well, I can park in the lot again when I go to Scarlet Lane 🙂
Put something else there!!
It is hard to blame supply chain, staffing, etc., when you put up a menu that just never was going to work with the area. Its hard to get excited about a place that overcharges for uninspired street food options that only appeal to a limited crowd. Their pre-pandemic menu was good, but the place really was a one-time visit on the reopening.
Food wasn’t good and was overpriced. Put a second location of Bonge’s Taven there and you’ll have a line of people out the door.
What the neighborhood needs is a good family-oriented, old fashioned Italian joint.
You know, red-and-white checkered table cloths kind of place with chianti bottles everywhere A simple menu serving spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, all-you can eat salads, and mariachi music playing softly in the background. Something that’s a good value where you can take a date or the kids – good atmosphere, good food and drinks, and good prices.
Used to frequent such a place in Montreal called Santa Lucia [https://santalucia.restaurant/]. It was always packed.
Mama Carolla’s just a little north at 54th & the Monon trail is some of the best Italian in town and great atmosphere. Ambrosia also always slaps.
What’s interesting is that Next Door came out like gangbusters the first few weeks and business later fell off a cliff. I don’t think it had anything to do with supply chains or staffing. The food was just super mediocre. Not overly expensive but not cheap. Just not a dining experience that, in my opinion, made anyone feel anything but ‘meh’. Hopefully that doesn’t offend anyone who put in a lot of work to make it happen since it was a big leap of faith to activate that intersection at 46th & College.
Lastly, for those of you saying ‘don’t let the building sit vacant’…it was a blighted looking former 7-Eleven for as long as I can recall before Next Door so please relax.