Wache 1 - Schweinfurt

The Wache 1 has been open for two weeks and it shows. Four of us visited on a Saturday evening and found only one table occupied. When we left an hour later, th... read more The Wache 1 has been open for two weeks and it shows. Four of us visited on a Saturday evening and found only one table occupied. When we left an hour later, there were two recently occupied tables. With so few customers, you cannot afford to offer a large menu. But if a new guest looks at your menu and finds nothing appealing, you are not building your customer base. That is the dilemma of a new restaurant.Wache 1 has a lot of problems. First is location. It sits just beyond the downtown, so there is little walk-by business. Across the street is a very busy chain restaurant with a completely different clientele. There is not nearly enough nearby parking to properly support either restaurant.Second, the Wache does not seem to know what it wants to be. To go with its meager menu is an expansive and alluring wine list. Prices on each menu seem a bit high, although we had no complaints about the quality or food presentation. However, one order was delivered to the table minus the meat. Accidents happen, even when there is no crush of customers. Still, this went unnoticed in the kitchen and in the dining room.The dining area seems unable to decide whether it wants to be trendy or elegant. It winds up being neither. You can see from the building renovation that they had great plans. Alas, the tables, chairs and decorations look like the owner ran out of money and ended up at a discount store. Our waitress sought to be friendly and helpful and succeeded at neither. She seemed to feel that more she talked, the more we would buy. We would like to see this restaurant survive, but the problems are enormous. I have little doubt that with a larger customer base and a better trained dining room staff that it can be one of the cities better restaurants. The customers will certainly come with an appetite after the long walk from their parked cars.