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Fuse is De-Fused

Posted on July 16th, 2008 11:55am by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Restaurant News

Last week we reported on the abrupt closing of Scene. Sibling restaurant Fuse hasn’t closed, but chef Blaine Stanford and manager Michael Bratcher have left the company to pursue other interests. Interesting, eh?

13 Comments to “Fuse is De-Fused”

TG @ July 16th, 2008 at 1:16 pm

seems like a good time to post an email that Blaine sent last week?

“I apologize for any inconvenience caused for D Magazine by the closing
of Scene. I appreciate all of the press your magazine has given Fuse and Scene over the past several years. The closing of a restaurant or any other business can happen very quickly and with virtually no notice to owners or employees. In this particular instance I was not in the country when it happened and found out when I returned at the beginning of this week. As everyone is aware, the cost of running a business or even a home in a waning economy can be very difficult. It is also difficult to determine how much of a cost increase will be passed on by purveyors due to a very large increase in fuel costs. At this time, I would like to reassure you and the bloggers Scene and Fuse pay their bills. This information is an effort to give you and your readers an apology. There really is no excuse for the behavior other than advertising and public support was not the foremost thought at the time. I appreciate all of our past, current, and future customers.

Sincerely,

Blaine Staniford”
Nate @ July 16th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

I see a Fuse burning out soon.
Anonymous @ July 16th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

You didn’t hear this from me. The Hamilton’s let Michael go after discovering a fiasco at Scene.They hired Russell Hayward to fix it and all he could do was close it. Blaine left of his own accord after Michael was let go. Russell is going to try to recreate something at Scene. Fuse is now making money and should be ok. Michael is working at Dallas Fish Market.
DTD @ July 16th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

For a security guard, he had an awful lot of information, don’t you think?
J.B. C @ July 16th, 2008 at 1:35 pm

I spoke with Blaine a week before the closing. He didn’t seem to let on about any impending doom and we actually had a good conversation about Parsnip Ice Cream and how he had some other dishes in the works. Nice guy, good demeanor.

I hope whatever the “fiasco” was it doesn’t stop Blaine from opening another restaurant… with or without Michael.

Who is the head chef at Fuse now?
Nancy Nichols @ July 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Thanks, TG, for posting Blaine’s reply. I’ve e-mailed him again to get an answer as to what is going on. I called Fuse and they just said “he was no longer with the company.”
jpb @ July 16th, 2008 at 2:38 pm

Michael is not working at Dallas Fish Market, never has and never will. We wish him all the luck in his future projects. Mr.Anonymous needs to do proper research before telling stories.
Nancy Nichols @ July 16th, 2008 at 3:37 pm

Ok, then. We’ll wait to hear from the parties involved.
kevo @ July 16th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

I hope they go with a more relaxed place…they will get residents to come down and “hang out” if they can get a beer, some moderate priced food, maybe watch the game… I envision a cross between food like the All Good Cafe (include the live music) and more of an atmosphere like Frankie’s Sports bar without the ridiculous volume of the TV’s and the Juke Box.
Roscoe Purvis Coltrane @ July 16th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

going….. going….. going…..
Justin @ July 16th, 2008 at 10:48 pm

@kevo,

Fuse already has a nice “hang out” vibe going for it. Maybe not to the extent that a sports bar would but after living in the DP&L building (attached to the shared Fuse pool/patio) for four months you see the same people over and over again, and in a good way, everybody in the two buildings and the Fuse staff have all been very friendly. The bartenders Sarah, Will, and Christina are all cool as hell. I’ll be very disappointed if Fuse goes under as well, it’s a huge asset to the buildings and the neighborhood.
russell @ July 17th, 2008 at 9:26 am

First of all I want to assure your bloggers that Fuse is healthy and doing fine in what is becoming a tighter and tighter economy for restaurants. Michael and Blaine created a great environment and menu at Fuse when it was one of the pioneers of downtown restaurants,and it still performs well today. Executive Chef Robbie Lewis and General Manager Steve Smith have been at the helm of Fuse for almost a year now, so don’t expect too much to change in the short term.

For those that are concerned about Blaine appearing again, have no fear, he is an extremely talented Chef and I beleive a new restaurant for us all to enjoy is not too far in the future.

In relation to the changes of the last weeks, I think Blaine’s email sums it up quite succintly. Changes can happen very quickly in this business at this time of year, and the closure of Scene and the ensuing departure of Michael and Blaine was not foreseen by any of the parties involved, including me, as little as a week before their occurrence.

That being said we look forward to seeing you all at Fuse in the near future.
A.Stewert @ July 24th, 2008 at 10:13 pm

I have had the experience of dealing with both of these guys. I was under the impression they were owners. Rule #1 NEVER BUY USED RESTAURANT FURNITURE from another de-functed restaurant (Petrus), #2 You should never get comfortable with your enviornment that’s when crap hits the fan! And Rule #3 Do Unto others as you wish them to Do Unto you. All the people that worked for them at Fuse and none of them are left and most where truly friends…That should tell you something in a nutshell.