A Matter of Opinion

The Daily Dartmouth is reporting today on the quick demise of Mojo’s Bistro, a flashy little Mexican joint on South Main Street, in part of what was the Dartmouth Co-op. Apparently, there’s some disagreement over why it failed to take to the Hanover scene. Owner Nigel Leeming attributes it in part to the sluggish economy. However, he also offers this reason:

“The public has to like what they see. We were progressive in terms of Mexican and it probably scared some people off,” Leeming said. “We weren’t your traditional Tex-Mex place.”

[…]

Leeming said that the Upper Valley has long preferred a traditional, New England menu at its restaurants. Though Asian cuisine may be the exception to the rule, many other eating establishments that carry exotic fare have foundered, as did Mojo’s.

“The Upper Valley is a very meat-and-potatoes place,” he said. “There are twists to it, but it’s a very conservative eating area.”

So the burritos were too “progressive” and Hanover couldn’t handle it. Hmmm… Well, some students offer other opinions on the matter:

Many students, though, said that they steered clear from dining at Mojo’s because of what they saw as exorbitant prices and mediocre fare.

Petra Halsema ’03 said she wasn’t surprised that Mojo’s had lost its, well, mojo.

“I thought the food was too pricey. If they spent less money on the decorations and more on the food, they might have succeeded better,” she said.

Others were eager to see what will replace Mojo’s.

“I heard that the food was overrated and expensive, and I’d love to have a restaurant I’d like to go to in its place,” Zena Bugaighis ’05 said.

I guess it’s all a matter of opinion.