Tricky floor plan challenges eatery's success

Did a faulty floor plan drive Croma out of its location?

By Marissa Grey

In the past, a heavenly summertime treat on Newbury Street might involve grabbing a seat at Croma, under an umbrella on its street-front patio. With a pitcher of Sangria and some shade, it provided a perfect place for people-watching and business.

But when winter hits, the chairs and tables hibernate. Between the months of November and April, the restaurant has to rely on what it has to offer on the inside, and for Croma, this didn't come easy. Reviews of what was on the inside were unforgiving.

In 2004, soon after opening, the Boston Globe's Sheryl Julian described the restaurant as having "little concept" and the food as "nothing exciting." The article concluded with the question: "the crowds will come for now, but what will happen when it's no longer patio weather?"

Now, in 2009, Croma is empty. Its doors have closed, permanently, without an explanation of the departure from Newbury Street.

"I don't think landlords have any clue that we are in a recession," said Stephanie Sokolove, owner of Stephanie's on Newbury. "They'd rather sit with empty spaces than drop their rents, andit's time they woke up and made Newbury Street affordable to the entrepreneurs," she said.

Croma opened in 2004 when Davios, a Newbury Street fixture for 17 years, moved to its Arlington Street location.

"It's a tough space, but there are a lot of tough spaces on Newbury," said Steve DiFillipo, proprietor of Davios, in response to the narrow floor plan and two-levels of 269 Newbury Street.

"We did well there and only moved because the space on Arlington was three times the size," said DiFillipo, "but I think it was a difficult restaurant for Croma to run because it's on two levels," he said.

Davios succeeded with the two-level set up because the top level was a café, and the bottom level was fine dining. "The restaurant had two different concepts which brought in both a casual and formal crowd," DiFillipo said.

"Croma just had pizza in the beginning, and that's not going to cover the rent of that space," he added. Eventually, Croma became more of an Italian eatery, but possibly not in the nick of time, closing only after four years.

According to Lynn Reed, General Manager at Croma Plymouth, the Newbury Street location did not "close." Rather, owner Francis "Biff" Shea sold the space to Pazzo, which is due to occupy the space in April, co-owned by Shea.

"It was a deal Biff couldn't turn down," said Reed, speaking on behalf of Shea who refused an interview. Reed said that Croma is concentrating on its Plymouth location exclusively for the time being.

Whether or not the rumors are true, the next restaurant that goes into 269 Newbury needs to have a plan that will properly use both floors.