Old Homestead. One of the oldest steakhouses in the city, long a favorite among the meat set, a perennial go-to for large groups in search of some old school flair. And now, courtesy of one hell of a marketing stunt, the proud owners of an offshoot cafe, dubbed Prime Burger Cafe at Old Homestead. In our universe, a.k.a. reality, this is known as sidewalk seating: a bunch of tables, chairs, and other assorted mood elements set up on the sidewalk, especially during the warmer months. In the alternate reality in which Old Homestead and their PR, The Hall Company, roll, this is grounds to announce a brand new restaurant, "opening May 7th." (By the by, it's fully open now, today, this very moment.)
Here's the lingo Hall used to convince Strong, Thrilllist, Rare and others, via a 10 MB-big email blast, that while it may seem to be just an outdoor seating area, it is so much more.
To give a part of an existing restaurant a new personality is always a difficult task, but Prime Burger Café outdoors at Old Homestead is without a doubt its’ own entity. The sidewalk is covered with a green indoor / outdoor carpet, beautiful bright red geraniums hang from white flower boxes and original photographs of the Old Homestead’s famous cow by famed artist Julian Schnabel hang alongside the building. Blackboard menus and picnic-style tablecloths give a picnic feeling to the experience, but this burger is unlike any had at a backyard barbecue. In a city where everything is IT, this is the IT burger of the summer of 2007.Of course the one thing missing in the PR materials were photos of the physical space of this new restaurant, so we went ahead and shot a couple of our own. As you can see, from the front and in profile, what we have here is much ado about some new all-weather furniture and a dressed-down menu (perhaps to compete with Pop Burger, which is located next door). For more information -- burgers are burgers, we'll admit -- the menu and press release are included just here.
· Prime Burger Cafe Menu [.doc; Hall Company]
· Prime Burger Cafe: "There's a New Burger in Town" [.doc; Hall Company]
