One Riverside Cafe opens, one closes

The newest Riverside Cafe, which opened in April at 9129 W. Central, is doing extremely well, says owner Paul Cohlmia.

He wishes he could say the same for his south-side location, which he opened in April 2013 at 2539 W. Pawnee St. At the end of the day Wednesday, Cohlmia closed the restaurant, saying it just didn’t get enough business.

“It was a struggle from the get go,” he said. “I have tried and tried and tried.”

Meanwhile, business is booming at the new west-side store, which is in the former Auntie Mae’s space near Central and Tyler. It has been packed with hungry diners, he said.

“Can you say, ‘Location, location, location?’ Cohlmia said.

He said he’s trying to move most of his south-side employees to his other stores, including the west side, his Riverside spot at 739 W. 13th St. North and his cafe at 824 N. Baltimore in Derby. But he’s not sure he’ll be able to move them all.

A few customers have stopped by the closed restaurant today as he and the staff begin clearing it out, he said, and he’s redirecting them to his other locations.

This story was originally published June 15, 2017 at 1:43 PM with the headline "One Riverside Cafe opens, one closes."