I wish I could say I am surprised.

Unfortunately, I am not.

Virginia-based New Realm Brewing Company announced on Monday that they would be closing their Savannah location. The reaction from the community? A whole lot of “meh.”

That would include the view from this seat.

The idea seemed like a good one. A very popular brewery and eatery from Atlanta was going to open up here in the heart of downtown Savannah. There was certainly brand recognition. There was certainly stable financial backing to make it all work, but it didn’t take more than a couple ‘walk bys’ and/or visits to pick up on the fact that the Savannah version of this very popular Atlanta beltline watering hole appeared to be under performing.

I don’t ever recall seeing it at anything close to capacity. Meanwhile, I was at their Atlanta spot a few months ago Memorial Day weekend and it was hopping. On a Sunday afternoon.

In the wake of Ghost Coast Distillery closing up shop a month or so ago, you have to begin to wonder what’s up. Savannah is many things, including a drinking town. So how could two large scale adult beverage operations like these shut their doors?

Clearly they were not too big to fail.

Would you believe I saw a first red flag within a week of them opening their doors last year? It was the moment I was told they were opening a location in Charleston a few weeks down the road. I have nothing to add here about the current state of affairs at New Realm-Daniel Island, but I did wonder at the time if someone was biting off more than they should be chewing. New eateries always need time to catch on and start making money. I don’t care how popular the flagship is, every market is different.

Sometimes I wonder just how much thought and research goes into some of these decisions. Because while I don’t know a whole lot about what it takes to open a multi million dollar brewery, I do know Savannah and the people in it very well.

This has traditionally been a tough sell in the copy and paste department. But people keep trying to tap in to the 14 or so million people who visit here every year.

Exhibit A would be 39 Rue de Jean. One of my favorite spots for a bite and a glass of wine or four in Charleston. I have always loved that space. However, the cookie cutter box they put in front of us at the Embassy Suites here never came close to capturing the vibe they have in Chucktown. Not even close. They closed very quietly during Summer 2020.

The point here is that what may work at your place may not necessarily fly here. Why not? Let’s start with prices.

Any regular reader of my work knows that I have never-nor will I ever-question what something costs. Dining out, especially lately, has gotten pretty pricey. Food? It is what it is. But drinking in this town? For starters, the locals all know where best value is for booze around here and very little of it is North of Liberty Street.

If I had a nickel for every local who has complained to me about prices for a beer or cocktail at the Plant Riverside District, I’d be driving that Range Rover by now. Visitors to our city will gladly pay what they ask because no one told them that Dub’s Pub-about 200 feet away-has that same beer for probably half price. And a rock star bloody mary, too.

I don’t know any of the details behind the reasons why Ghost Coast Distillery shut down, but I’m guessing that $15 cocktails in their tasting room wasn’t doing them any favors.

Is a local from, say, Wilmington Island going to come downtown, fight for parking and/or walk a bunch for the right to spend $75 on a round of drinks with friends? Maybe, if you’ve got someone in from out of town, but otherwise? Not so much.

All of this said, the blessings our city can enjoy these days cannot be discounted. Our food scene is chugging along nicely, and people in increasing numbers are coming here specifically for experiences with food. I’ve heard this from a few different sources. Which is great.

As I write this, I have a list of FOURTEEN eateries on tap for Savannah sitting right in front of me. So clearly someone believes there is enough juice to go around.

But a lot of downtown businesses will tell you they need local traffic as well to thrive and in some cases survive. Without locals filling in some of the dead spots on the calendar (because a few still exist) or a random Tuesday night, well then the fancy pants space from your city is unlikely to fly here.

The only thing I loved on the menu at New Realm Savannah were the chicken wings. They were solid. But the rest? There was nothing there to make me go out of my way. And I live close enough to walk there. So how about those that don’t?

Just one big ‘meh’

Let’s hope whoever goes in there next brushes up on their homework first.

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