Goodbye, Mr. Chips: It's All Change at The Crib

When we got wind of "F&B incubator space" The Crib's (AKA Yu) opening on Chunxiu Lu back in the winter of 2016, we were more than excited. It hinted at a new dawn in center-city dining where customers could browse cuisines from around the world in a setting more hospitable than a mall basement.

At the time we wrote, "Following in the footsteps of other curated food and lifestyle venues such as Lisbon's Time Out Market, theCOMMONS in Bangkok, and Anthony Bourdain's long-anticipated-but-still-unconfirmed Bourdain Market at Pier 57 in New York, The Crib hopes to bring together some of Beijing's best food and beverage brands under one roof, as well as provide space and support for food entrepreneurs to nourish their businesses." Three years on, and management at The Crib are looking to reposition the space as a venue for Chinese dining rather than niche and small, independent foodie passion projects.

The latest example of the change came on Thursday evening when upscale fish and chips restaurant Mr. Chips posted a message online explaining how they had been given three days' notice to ship out. News of Mr. Chips' departure from the venue is not a huge surprise – in my review of the restaurant, I mentioned how the lackluster surroundings hinted that they might not be around for long – but the closure is no less saddening given the high quality of the food.

Mr. Chips did not respond to our request for comment by the time of publication.

Justin Wang, who co-founded of The Crib with former business partner Hsu Li (The Smokeyard, FatFace Catering), told the Beijinger that he and his current business partners had decided to steer operations in a new direction, opting to bring in larger, "more stable" Chinese chains to attract local diners. Those would include a craft beer vendor that would replace the area that Mr. Chips occupied. Wang alleged that outstanding rent had also been a problem among vendors, which may explain the overall move toward Chinese-facing brands.

One such hopeful is the Chaoshan beef hotpot chain Baheli (八合里) whose team of workers were busily constructing the walls and decorations that will eventually house the restaurant, due to open sometime early next week.

With the changes, the two-floor venue is now almost unrecognizable compared to how it was just a few short months ago, with almost every independent venue now shuttered. Those include Australian craft brewery Little Creatures, grain bowl specialists Nooxo, pho purveyors Pho3, craft cocktail joint Canvas (and their collab with 24|7 by Secoo). The only exception is the tapas and wine bar Sori which look pretty safe (for now) in their little nook on the second floor.

When we stopped by, the ground floor showed few signs of life, with a smattering of Chinese eateries busy preparing waimai orders or preparing the ingredients for rice noodles and donkey meat sandwiches. A few people who weren't working or eating were using the space as an impromptu meeting room.

So while it still stands, The Crib looks to live on as a husk of its former epicurean glory, devoid of the unique options that once titillated and drew us in. In fact, you could say that the longer it stays open, the more it's starting to resemble a mall basement.

READ: 12 Restaurant Openings That Got Our Tongues Wagging

Images: Tom Arnstein, Mr. Chips