The main topic wasn't at all about KFC attracting the wrong type of people. There may have been one or two people who mentioned it, but the vast majority of the comments were about the business itself. This is a bad business with bad management. Thats what this is about. People are sick of the sewage, smell, rats, uncleanliness, open dumpsters, dirty lot, etc.... not about the people who frequent the place.
Why do people like to pretend that the "Elmwood Village" 10 or 15 or even 20 years ago was some sort of slum-filled ghetto, and now suddenly all these rich white people are coming in to change the whole character of the area? It seems to me that this area has long been filled with what they used to call Yuppies and Yuppie-centric businesses.
talk about a sanitation issue, Monorail and Iambuffalosfuture, you are dragging this posting into the sewer.
Oh really. This is a problem business that doesn't want to face the continued vigilance of the surrounding community over its clearly disgusting and dangerous health violations.
What possible reason would anyone have to blame BRO for celebrating the loss of such a business? Bottom line, KFC decided to close. Someone else is buying the property and they appear to be an improvement.
I don't see anything amiss about this. And it is the neighbors who have had to put up with this who have been working the hardest to force this place to clean up its act. Not BRO. To make this into an excuse for BRO-bashing is just plain silly.
I sympathize with the neighbors, and look forward to a business on this corner that respects the law, no matter what it looks like.
I don't speak for Buffalo Rising, I just personally think KFC is an eyesore.
I see, the age old tactic of answering a question with a question, I guess I'll let it rest since an answer does seem to be forthcoming
NickInPHL,
The attitude displayed in your post does more to foster racism and classism than it does to end such attitudes. Taking Elmwood Villagers to task for trying to improve the neighborhood they live in is backwards. The people make the neighborhood, not the other way around. Once you settle there, it becomes your neighborhood, too. You need to consider the fact that ALL neighborhoods have active and involved citizens. That is what makes it a neighborhood, as opposed to a collection of houses in close proximity to one another. Socio-economic status and race have nothing to do with wanting to rid one's neighborhood of nuisances, crime, disinvestment, blight, garbage, etc. People can disagree about what constitutes a "nuisance," but wanting to live on a clean street with well-maintained homes and clean, attractive, well-run businesses transcends socio-economic boundaries. Every neighborhood, from the Lower West Side to Williamsville, has some form of group or association that is working to make or keep the neighborhood standards up to par.
Are you seriously suggesting that people should just accept that anything goes in a low-income neighborhood because "that's what living in a city is supposed to be like"? That is the essence of the bigotry of low expectations.
KRS-ONE said it best: "You can love your neighborhood without loving poverty." Don't hold this KFC up as some kind of totemic symbol. This is not like rezoning 125th street. This is not a gentrification issue. I'm sure you meant well, but you are misguided.
The closing of KFC was somehing benefitial t Buffalo. I wish that we would have a neighborhood calming effort year round and put an end to booming car tyranny.
Or charge those who are running mobile concerts tickets for electronic concerts without a permit.
Time to unplug all who bring down this city to the lowest common dominator. Close businesses who pollute and pull down our city.
Enforcement of public health laws, fire and building codes, and quality of life ordinances makes Buffalo better for all classes and races and ethnic groups. To the government do a better job. KFC/Rat Central Elmwood shows how there are breaks in the system.
Pundit: Your a gigantic douchebag. (Oooh, that just made me all warm and fuzzy inside. boy do I feel good about myself now! Even though I know that you are smarter and better than me in every way and will now post a blistering retort full of large 3 & 4 syllable words that a peon like me is clearly too stupid to understand.)
can we please treat BP like the annoying little brother that he is and ignore him in hopes that he will just go away? He's not even arguing the same thing as anybody else on this thread. He's attacking BRO and trying to point out a hypocrisy that he percieves while everyone else is celebrating the fact that a business that has a history of health code violations is closed and hopeful another business that doesn't leave puddles of grease in the street will take its place. Aren't you a lawyer? Shouldn't you be good at arguing? (I just got that warm fuzzy feeling again)
to me the thread reads like this:
BP: BRO sucks and they are all hipocrites!
Everyone Else: isn't it great that a business that spills sewage and waste into the street is closed? I wonder what might go up in its place
BP: Yeah but BRO is a bunch of hipocrites!
*And Onestarmartin is right.. It's a f*n post about KFC!!!!!
I have no issue with KFC. This KFC however is one of the most poorly run that i've ever seen. Poor quality, poor service, poor upkeep of the property. They deserve to close, they deserve for us not to be sad about it.
The bad news for those of us that would like to see an alternate use here is this.....KFC has a lease with renewal options....they have complete control over this property for the foreseable future. So, when a buyer is found, they will be stuck with KFC, vacant or not.
A new buyer....will have to strike a deal to get KFC to rip up there lease. Which could cost the owner of the property some money. Very common real estate deal in this type of situation. This situation is FAR from over.
i can't believe he's still at it.
you have got a problem dude. just a more severe case of my problem of revisiting this same posting again and again to see what more ridiculous things are being said. unfortunately it's the same thing over and over. Pundit, can you send your address I need somewhere to bill my time.
Um, this wasn't a "legal" business. Spewing sewage on the street is not legal. Not securing your dumpsters and waste bins is not legal. Leaving food out of the cooler at incorrect temperatures is not legal. We are cheering the system which has finally worked to close what has long been run as an illegal establishment.
It would be illegal for this business to remain open, running as they do.
What a shame, I'm going to miss their three piece "salmonella chicken value meal". But I heard Tim Hortons is considering that location. That wouldn't be so bad.
I used to think the regulars on BRO were the dumbest people on the internet. Now I know I'm wrong, it's Buffalo Pundit. Listen you idiot: As the readers have made clear over and over, it's not the fact that it's a KFC that they are glad to see go, it's an undesirable disease-infested unclean eyesore whose departure they are celebrating. To take an extreme example, suppose there were successful drug dealers operating on that corner instead of a KFC. Suppose they were highly successful and brought money into the community. Then people would still be glad to see them go, because they drag down the neighborhood and the people in it. Even if they employed a number of drug runners and made a profit. Because their overall effect is negative. While that disgusting eyesore is not as undesirable as a crackhouse, it still lowers property values, harms people's health, and slows down development near that corner. While it may be true that the employees there will have to find new jobs, even in the pathetic Buffalo economy they will shortly be able to find jobs at the level of a f*#$ing KFC employee. We aren't exactly talking 6 figure incomes here. Furthermore, because of its location, if they succeed in obliterating all trace of the KFC, whatever new store opens there will employ a number of people, provide valuable services to the community, and will quickly reverse the negative economic impacts of having that repulsive fast food s@#hole sit there like a tumor on the Elmwood neighborhood for decades.
Also "appallingly convenient" would be to forget that this business was dumping sewage into the streets. Have a look at the pictures if you need a refresher.
Pundit,
What are we ignoring???? KFC did repair their recent waste issues, and its KFC's choice to remain closed. People have been trying to work with this establishment for YEARS to no avail. Until this point, all of those efforts have been to get KFC to remedy their problems, never to close. But the time has finally come, and its KFC who has decided that its not worth the battle anymore. As evidenced by their own decision to close, apparently, they feel its the best course of action as well. I'm still not understanding what we don't get. Please, enlighten, Pundit?
I will say it loudly and proudly with zero "class" implications: GOOD RIDDANCE!
Pundit,
I know this might be hard for you to understand, but people who live in neighborhoods with an actual sense of place tend to care about the surroundings beyond their own front lawn. Since when did aspiring for aesthetic (and in this case, sanitary) achievement become a crime?
The reason this thread is 100+ comments is beacuse of BP unsuccessfully trying to spin this into a class warfare issue.
Dude, this has everything to do with how much of an unsanitary mess this nuisance business has become, and very little to do with the "class" of clientèle. You can find KFCs in some of the wealthiest census tracts, even freakin' Greenwich VIllage for f-cks sake.
TL --
My success claim is based only on observed longevity. I don't have access to anyone's books, but I know which places have been around for a while, and I've seen that plenty of places have come and gone while the KFC stayed.
The KFC is an icon of how local government fails the citizens of Buffalo.
1. The place had constant rodent problems for over a decade.
2. The sanitation outside was deplorable. How do you think the food prepartion and storge conditions were on the inside.
3. Poor and working people deserve excellent public health standards. What was racist and wrongful was to allow public health to be sub standard and diesese prone to go on for more than two decades.
4. In New York City public health no longer allows cooking substances that create cancer in human beings. Some of the highest cancer rates in the U.S. are in the African and Hispanic population. This is caused by lack of neighborhoods with high enforcement of public health, litter, and housing standards. It is also caused by cheap food that is fried in transfat oils. It is also caused by lack of preventaitve health care. It is racist to have seperate enforcement and sstandards for different areas of Buffalo and WNY. Fairness starts with strict enforcement of public health laws . Elmwood and Bryant had a problem with this shoddy fast food restarant for over 20 years. Perhaps the outcry here will awaken City of Buffalo and Erie County Officials to restore higher quality of life in all Buffalo restarants and in every neighborhood inevery compass direction. Filthy restarants that serve working and poor people should be held to the same standard as those that look hip or institutional. That was not happening. That is the segration that occurs in Buffalo. Standards are lowered and the very people who require better protection don't get it. This is what happens when money interests have more sway over our government.
Pundit,
I can't tell if you're serious or just trying to pick a fight with BRO readers. Criticisms by BRO (at least in this post and the linked post) toward this particular KFC have centered on how that location has conducted its business. I made a purchase there last summer and would not do so again unless there were outwardly visable signs of change. Based on my experiences and those shared by others on other threads about this particular KFC, I don't feel particularly bad for the franchise owner or the people who worked there.
You've imputed bias by BRO toward the cuisine and architectural design that is not present in either this post or the linked post. You are sympathetic to the owner and workers at KFC yet your calls to abolish Erie County would undoubtedly result in loss of more than minimum wage jobs.
I think your positions are inconsistent.
BR
BIG FREAKING DEAL PEOPLE WOULD PREFER SOMETHING OTHER THEN A KFC. it's not class warfare but if you want to make it that go right ahead. have fun feeling righteous.
I apologize. To clarify, when I said "higher use," it was intended that this meant actual land and building use. Multiple story, mixed use, quality design.
I would have NO PROBLEM with seeing a new KFC located on the first floor of a new, multi-story building at this corner, as long as its under good ownership and management.
I don't have a problem with KFC in general, I don't have a problem with nat'l chains. Would I prefer a Panera over KFC? Sure! Why? Because I like Panera. But that has nothing to do with my wants for the development of this site. If Panera operated this location the same as KFC does, I guarantee everyone would have the same reactions.
Maybe KFC would have quietly died if it wasn't for the sewage explosion last month on Bryant St. that took them several weeks to clean up? Its not like the criticism of KFC was unwarranted. No other business on the street has exploded its guts onto Elmwood. It was a hazard to the community, its patrons, its employees, and the neighborhood infrastructure. I am THRILLED this place is closed!!!
I always been under the assumption that the owners treated this KFC as a cash register and that their business strategy was to keep costs to a bare minimum, most likely at the expense of their employees, and to the detriment of their business and community standing
could barely sleep a wink last night in anticipation of the KFC post...
I hope that, for the last time, I have stepped in the ever-present cesspool puddle behind this place. What really kills me is how the gas line on the outside of the building is supported by a short house jack. The kind that you temporarily support a beam under your porch with. Nothing to keep it from kicking out on the bottom either. WTF. It’s been like that for like 5 years, maybe 10. It’s basically right on the sidewalk too. How is that acceptable?
The whole argument in this tread spawns from the same theme: Everyone in the Elmwood area is urban, hipster elitist, aka an a-hole. In this version we can summarize it by “if your happy KFC is closed, then you hate poor people”. Am I supposed to feel bad when the slum lord who owns the house across the street sells it….Please. The argument brought in by BP is nothing more than self-serving ego trip. Same annoying arguments, different context. So much for trying to get along with everybody.
I wonder if BP will write a follow-up on his website. I’d go check but their site crashes my getto-ass windows 98.
Aside from the health hazzards associated with the poor maintanence of the facility, KFC and the neighboring Sunoco are bum-havens. Not that I would even consider eating fried chicken smothered in movie theatre nacho cheese and butter-filled potatos, but the bottom line is, even if I did, the fact that every time I walk by these two stores, I am constantly pestered for money - hense I wouldn't consider patronizing either location (or any more than I have, should I say). Niether one of these operations seem to extend the customer any courtesy in even have-heartedly curtailing this issue. I gave that Sunoco the benefit of the doubt over the years that they'd change, but all they've done is add bullet-proof glass to protect themselves. This Elmwood Village has indeed come a long way over the last few years, and quite frankly, its clientel shouldn't be subjected to lazy business owners. Furthermore, I noticed a post on here complaining that another national chain left Elmwood (Burger King being the other). The way I see it, which could be off-base, is that KFC, Burger King and other fast-food chains have to be struggling. We are a society that is now yerning toward shunning saturated fat destinations such as KFC and BK. Additionally, if Elmwood is the prestigious strip it is hailed, the "dollar menu" and "smacker menus" simply can't survive in an area that enjoys forking over $4.20 for an ETS chicken supreme, with the occasional $5 Spot or Starbucks latte to follow. It sounds snobbish, but people here pay more for higher quality.
Hopefully th next developer follow's Bank of America's plan and brings another to-the-sidewalk business into the fold. And hopefully its occupant will have enough business sense to provide its patrons a safe and bum-free (as best as possible) location, such as the many other businesses in the area do.
Bye-bye KFC, feel free to take Sunoco with you!
A filthy dirty eatery is gone, dregs of society will have to look elsewere to eat with my tax dollars and a great corner is freed up for a new build that will help enhance Elmwood and Buffalo, so what is the problem?
Wow- it's really an eye opener how many people will leave comments on a subject they have no first hand knowledge or experience with. I lived right around the corner of this KFC from 1978 till 1990. In that time - which is plenting of time for a business owner to correct health and cleanliness issues- this KFC location has been a sesspool of filth, grime, grease ran down to the curb, rotting wings on the sidewalk- for years, etc, etc. I could barely breathe when I went by. Someitmes I accidently stepped in the grease and wondered if I had to throw away my shoes.
This went on for years with no improvement - plenty of years to try and correct these problems - with no sucess. Lets be honest - they weren't even trying to clean it up.
This festering rat smorgasboard needs to close. Somthing is not better than nothing when it is this bad.
frederico --
No, that's not what I'm saying at all. Of course I'm opposed to anyone working in bad conditions. I have the track record (and arrest record) to prove it.
magnum --
Poor people who eat at KFC are making their own decisions, as is their right.
townline --
Thanks for clarifying what you meant by higher use. And I agree, a better building would be great. It seems pretty unlikely, though, that a better building at this location would end up serving the same sorts of people that the KFC serves now. The effect would still be to remove an option popular with poorer people, and replace it with one that is popular with richer folks. The fact that everyone is so gung-ho about that prospect, and is so blind to its class implications, is troubling to me. But maybe I'm unusual.
Colin,
1. I would probably agree.
2. How in the world do you know that this is one of the most successful businesses on Elmwood? You did read that its the owner thats choosing to remain closed.... if it was such a goldmine, would they really do this?
3. There is the potential of a new developer about the buy the project and build to a higher use. That will probably actually lead to a significant increase in employment, and level of pay from any retail establishment that will locate there and construction jobs.
Buffalopundit,
What is wrong with people cheering that a business, that they do not patronize and that conducts its business in a way that they feel in not in the best interests of the community, is closing?
don't even start with the fact that poeple will be losing their jobs.....Buffalo has a surplus of low end, no future crappy jobs that these former KFC employees can get.....for the good of everyone, this place should be closed...period
while i do not revel in seeing businesses close, i do not think the KFC is much of a loss - for ethical reasons. KFC is notoriously inhumane in the way it treats its livestock. i eat meat but believe that torturing livestock before slaughtering them is unnecessary. until that changes i won't mourn the loss of KFC.
colin, removing entities such as KFC improves neighborhoods and does no harm to the riff-raff they displace. Just think how much nicer North Buffalo and Black Rock would be if the city removed the Jasper Parish Housing projects on Hertel and removed the section 8 status of the mess of apartment buildings at Delaware and Amherst. Increased property taxes would generate capital for the city to improve its schools and inner city neighborhoods.(A win-win) Jaded and self righteous people like you have created alot of problems in this country and city that are just now being corrected.(forced busing, affirmative action hirings)
Demanding Sodexho to close with giving them an opportunity to correct violations would be stupid. Why would anyone suggest they immediately close?
Pundit - this is not about a business that was caught in violation. This has been going on for YEARS. YEARS!!! They have been shut down before. They have temporarily resolved issues before. HOWEVER, there has been ZERO effort on the parts of the owners of this location to maintain good business practices. This isn't about the business not being able to afford to do so!
It does not cost money to keep your dumpster pen locked.
It does not cost money to keep the lids closed on your dumpster.
It does not cost money to keep the grease bin securely closed.
It does not cost money to ask an employee to spend 5 minutes every other day to pick up garbage littered about the parking lot (garbage from your business).
It does not cost money to NOT dump kitchen waste out the back door (which proceeds to run down the slope in the parking lot and into Bryant Street, daily)
It does not cost money to make sure that food gets put away in the cooler, at appropriate temperatures (which is one reason they were shut down previously)
These things are in addition to the serious waste systems problems they have encountered, a building that does indeed require a power washing.
KFC is NOT a business that is just hard on its luck. Its not some owner thats struggling to make it. This is about a business that absolutely refuses to properly manage their property, and poses SIGNIFICANT health and safety issues to its customers and the surrounding neighborhood. THIS BUSINESS SHOULD NOT BE OPEN. I don't know the whole story with Sodexho, but as far as I know, they have not been a problem in the past. They have not been a repeat offender.
Is there any reason to believe, with Sodexho, that once they correct their violations, they will not maintain those corrections????? KFC has proven, time and again, that they do not have an interest in permanently resolving problems. This is a great case of where the board of health's inspections process has greatly succeeded.
You're completely missing the point with this establishment.
I used to go to that KFC every Tuesday after school. Will miss having it there. They can put in some yuppie store with a cute name that everyone will like, but I'll still remember Tuesdays filled with colonel, no smiles, and a smidgen of something that i could never put my finger on.
RIP KFC!
Pundit, you're off your rocker today. I'm not sure why this has become a hobbyhorse of yours, but you're now resorting to apples and oranges, and most of us see right through it.
I used to live right around the corner on Hodge, and can attest that KFC was a total disaster. They didn't care about keeping anything clean, there was always mysterious brown "juice" all over the sidewalks and parking lot. I am glad that a business that frankly didn't care about itself is going to close. Maybe someone who cares about the area will be able to do a better job at keeping a business open in that location.
This is Capitalist America, and if you operate a business that spews sewage into the streets, have rats living in your business, don't even attempt to keep your property clean, and people stop going ... you should be shut down. Commentors need to stop wining, that place was gross, and I will feel better walking by there now.
TL --
Yeah, I've seen those in other cities, but I haven't in Buffalo. Why? Probably has everything to do with real estate and land prices. But moreover, I imagine a "higher use" building on this site would come under all sort of pressure as to what sorts of tenants were acceptable. Nothing "low class" that attracts the "wrong demographic." And that pressure would be guided by all sorts of prejudices which I think are ugly.
bc71 --
Sure, the market will ultimately decide what ends up here (or anywhere). But that wasn't the conversation that happened in this thread. Instead, we heard a lot of coded talk about how KFC is bad because it attracts the wrong sorts of people. And that kind of talk just makes my skin crawl. I can't help it -- that's how I'm wired.
Did anyone here say that Sodexho should not correct their safety issues???? Anyone???
Is anyone arguing that KFC should be closed just because the building is dirty???? Anyone???
I guess we should ignore the idea that KFC is a repeat offender. That they are a consistent problem over a period of many years. I guess we should disregard that they attract rats to the neighborhood. I guess it doesn't matter that NO ONE was surprised when sewage waste exploded onto the sidewalk last month. You're right, there is no reason anyone should want this place closed, and the property bought and put to a higher use.
Thank you, BuffaloPundit, for making sure to bring light to and sensationalizing the most minor details of this entire subject, while ignoring what everyone else is talking about. Thats probably why we stay on BRO and don't corrupt your random daily comment site.
I think it is completely indicitive of the market on Elmwood Avenue. KFC has run its course. Does anyone remember what Elmwood looked like 25 years ago? Its time for KFC to move to a different neighborhood. Elmwood Avenue is arguably Buffalo's most successful shopping district and people expect a certain shopping experience when they are there.
Its amazing how people see things in neighborhoods... People in Buffalo (including myself) often think that things will never change. For instance, Im sure that people thought once that KFC got built, it would always be there, not so. The neighborhood has surely evolved in the past 10 years, and it will continue to evolve.
Pundit, I understand that your point here is to kind of paint BRO and Newell as promoting a hypocritical elitist community that wants everything done their way or its not good enough. I know you enjoy proving that BRO is the site where the city is pitted in a battle with the suburbs (and that of course bp.com is a much more wholistic regional site). And that, as a lawyer, you're just looking to get BRO to contradict itself when it comes to business promotion in the city, and prove its own ineptitude.
However, you obviously are not aware of the issues with KFC. This has been a problem business and property for years.... they dump waste out the kitchen door, which drains down the parking lot and into bryant st, they don't secure their dumpsters, the parking lot is consistently filled with garbage, they don't keep their waste bin closed, they attract rodents to the neighborhood and it just constantly stinks there. This is all prior to their most recent waste explosion onto the sidewalk and street. The Elmwood Village Association, the board of health, and neighbors of this business have been dealing with this particular KFC for YEARS. This is not the first time they have been shut down.
At what point do you have to realize that a particular business will never fully address the problems it creates and will always be a constant detriment to the community??? That point has arrived with this KFC and its time to explore options for finding a better and higher use for this property. Isn't that how cities should develop, after all?
How about because they literally have sh!t leaking out onto the sidewalk?
Buffalopundit, have you eaten there? I've been to the one in West Seneca....i'd go there again. I've tried this one on elmwood once.....made me sick. Place is dirty...inside and out. Service was horrible.
This franchisee doesn't not have money issues, he's wealthier then all of us combined.......he has just refused to reinvest in this business.
I think we need "Buffalorisingkeepsblockingme" to tell Buffalopundit why we are happy that it is closed.
Colin, wtf are poor people doing eating at an over priced fast food joint? When i am poor, I eat Macaronni and cheese.
Yeah, I agree that the KFC was a liability to the Elmwood Village area.
Still, I get the impression that if this were "Elmwood Fried Chicken", "Buffalo Fried Chicken", or a Mighty Taco, many would be singing a much different tune; that the same sanitary issues and cluientele would make it an "real, authentic Buffalo institution that will be sorely missed."
Anyone here old enough to remember the old Panos? That place was pretty nasty too, yet when it relocated to a new building further north on Elmwood, the equivalent of the hipster crowd at the time were quite upset about it. "The old Panos had character!" "Without that dirt and 20 year old frying oil, the food won't taste as good!" "I'll never go to the new Panos!"
"Thanks for the compliment, but I don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the brave people who built the movement that led to things like "forced busing," aka school integration."
And look at all the great things "school integration" has done for America's cities!
In Buffalo's case it merely put the after burner on white flight and turned many once-tidy, once-stable neighborhoods into crime- ridden ghettos.
I don't think that this business with its sewage and grease covered exterior and grimy interior is considered a benefit to the strip. If someone wants to redo it and make it nice sure. But the loss of a business that caters itself to a lower demographic would be considered a positive sign. It would be like watching a Rent-A-Center or a check cashing store close. I see the lose of KFC here as a sign that the demographic of the community around it is changing to the point where such a low quality establishment can continue to make money.
This place may be gross, but so is the elitism of its critics. No matter how much people want this to be about heath code violations, the code words -- "low class," "lower demographic," "check cashing place," etc. -- tell the tale.
So you guys can complain about crap or chicken parts in the street, but that's why it's shut down, no? I never said it should not have been shut down. Instead of closing, I'd be happier if it could come up with the resources to make necessary repairs so that it can offer its food safely to its clientele.
Repairs to infrastructure were only part of the picture. They would have also needed to repair their ownership, management, and staff, and since this was - as you say - locally owned, there's really no way to force someone to make those changes, short of shutting it down with health violations. This isn't a case of a struggling business owner who couldn't get enough money together to do things as they wanted to. This was, and I think the observations of others bear me out here - a consistently (and consciously) negligent management whose actions reflected a decision to run as-is for as long as possible heath codes be-damned. There's no correcting for that, other than to say: you (local or not) should not run this business.
The city has done that. but in the meantime, the owners have made a decision that invalidates their permits and a buyer willing to pay more for the property has emerged.
There's no liberal-elite slant to that story. That's codes and the real estate market.
I hope the owner feels some shame. It has been too long and time for a "steamclean" are long past.
For 90% of the posters it's a health issue, not class war.
Pundit, I agree with you up to a point but are you kidding? You feel bad for a business owner that can't get it together and keep their operation running and up to code? Boo hoo.
KFC operating in its current condition is a detrement to the Elmwood village and higher paying jobs that it can generate.
This corner is a dangerous eye sore -
Sounds good to me, if the new development is better looking than the KFC building, I'll support it.
Monorail: I never, ever spun it as a class issue. I merely pointed out that it's the one and only time Buffalo Rising cheered the closing of a legal business on the Elmwood Strip, and I find that lamentable and fascinating.
Genghis: I'm sure calling me the "dumbest" person on the internet and an "idiot" made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and for that I salute you. You are the epitiome of everything that is good and "positive" about Western New York, and you are a credit to the community. Your method of discourse is not at all unlike that of the editor of this site, Elena Cala Buscarino, who evidently has scuttled that whole silly policy about ad hominem attacks.
However, whilst accusing someone of being a "dumb" "idiot", it would behoove you not to compare a completely legal fast food restaurant to an illegal business activity such as drug dealing. Why? That should be self-evident to someone as savvy and brilliant as you.
On the other hand, I suspect that you're genuinely as stupid as you merely believe me to be.
TL --
Sure, some people made arguments about health and cleanliness issues, and who could disagree with their concerns? Not me. But others made what I think are ugly arguments about the class of people that frequent the place, and I responded to them. No biggie.
Best news I've heard in a long time. These few blocks between W. Utica St. and Bryant are quickly becoming an impressive stretch of Elmwood. With a few wonderful new restaurants opening in place of the defunct Astoria and Solid Grounds, the addition of Bank of America, and the existing places like Toro, Mythos, Aurum and Casa-Di-Pizza, it would be fantastic to see something useful and aesthetically pleasing on that corner. Any ideas?
iab --
Thanks for the compliment, but I don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the brave people who built the movement that led to things like "forced busing," aka school integration. Your bitterness and stupidity suggest that you do deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the scum who opposed them, however.
Buffalo Pundit,
Don't worry, there is still a KFC near where you live in Clarence and other locations around Western New York!
You will be fine!
"Finger-lickin' good"
Up is down - left is right - and Buffalo Rising is lauding the failure of a business on Elmwood.
Just when you thought you'd seen everything...
Seriously - if a new franchisee came in to get the KFC up to code, would you folks oppose it? If so, why?
So far, everybody's justification for this place closing is that it's in need of a steam clean and a power wash.
That, and some thinly veiled code about it being for a "lower demographic".
Yeah, I feel bad for anybody who makes a go of it as an entrepreneur and then fails. Because believe it or not, a franchisee is an entrepreneur - there's a huge outlay of money to open up a KFC, and on top of that you have to use dedicated suppliers, participate in marketing schemes, and pay dues for the right to use the brand. It's particularly difficult to make a go of a small business in the Buffalo area, which is shrinking in size and wealth on a daily basis.
So you guys can complain about crap or chicken parts in the street, but that's why it's shut down, no? I never said it should not have been shut down. Instead of closing, I'd be happier if it could come up with the resources to make necessary repairs so that it can offer its food safely to its clientele.
Townline, I'm just pointing out (and have been throughout this thread) that people seem to have no problem cheering the demise of a business on Elmwood ...
... when it's KFC.
God forbid [insert restaurant perceived to be hip here] close down, and there'd be mourning.
LOUIES IS THE NEXT SHITHOLE THAT SHOULD BE SHUTTERED...THEIR FOOD IS WORSE FOR YOU THAN KFC, NOTHING BUT LIPS AND ASSHOLES
Eyesore or not, I'm quite shocked that BRO in general, and Newell in particular, would applaud the demise of any taxpaying business on Elmwood that employs people and meets a demand.
I think that it's appallingly convenient for Buffalo RIsing to lend local businesses in certain neighborhoods a helping hand and solicit their ad dollars, but heaps scorn and derision on a locally-owned franchise that apparently has problems of its own. How is KFC any more or less worthy of support than any other business on Elmwood?
Because it's ugly? There are plenty of ugly structures on Elmwood. Because it's a chain? A locally owned franchise of a chain - one that employs local people. Because it serves fattening fast food? Is a KFC drumstick really any more or less healthy than a slice of pizza, or a hot dog? Or any other food that BRO pimps as part of an advertorial deal with a sponsor?
I feel badly for the owner of the business, who obviously has problems keeping the place up to code, and I feel badly for the people who work there and are currently laid off. I also feel badly for the people who patronize that store and can't get their fried chicken fix, and have to suffer the slings and arrows of people who look down on them for their culinary choices. I wish them well and hope they can get their sh1t together.
OK, bc71. I will take under advisement that it is ok to do under those circumstances.
Because there's lots of people who don't patronize Pano's, and who think that he doesn't conduct his business in the best interests of the community because he ripped the "Atwater House" down. So, I guess Pano's would qualify under the bc71 Rule.
That's GREAT NEWS!! ANOTHER BUISNESS CLOSED!!! 20 SOME ODD EMPLOYEES ARE OUT OF WORK!!! Are you kidding me. Are you really that self-centered? There is more to an economy then the beautification of the streets. This is not GREAT news, people lost their jobs, and another buisness on Elmwood has failed (Burger King) Quit painting this rosey picture that Elmwood is a thriving commercial district, if that was the case, these two national corporations would not have closed.
That KFC has outlasted a lot of cute but clean restaurants and tchotchke stores that get loads of plaudits here. If KFC is a repeat cleanliness offender, then there are legal avenues to be taken with respect to punishment and repair.
But you guys did a great job at ignoring one very salient point - you applaud it going out of business. Not that it should fix itself or clean itself. You applaud that it ceases to exist.
I think that's very telling and has everything to do with its identity.
Colin gets it.
1. Closing the KFC doesn't "elevate the socio-economic level" of the community. Removing poor people (or the places they frequent) from sight doesn't change the makeup of the community. It only hurts one part of it so that another part of it doesn't have to look at them.
2. For all the talk about how this was a rundown dump, it was also one of the most successful places on Elmwood. While BRO writes stories practically celebration the constant churn of small boutique stores opening, closing and relocating up and down the street, this restaurant has been doing steady business over the years, employing people and paying taxes.
3. Despite people's stated lack of concern for KFC workers losing their "no future crappy jobs," it's still a problem. Real life people will be harmed by this. It's in all of our interest for young and/or poor people to have access to this sort of honest work.
Townline --
Your comment about "higher use" betrays your argument about health code violations. It suggests that, even if this KFC was perfectly up to code, you would still want something "higher" there. The problem that people have is with a fast food place that appeals primarily to poor and working people. I'd bet dollars to donuts that if KFC was replaced by a Jamba Juice or Panera, people here would have no trouble thinking of it as a "higher use," despite the fat that the actual use -- quick service food -- would remain the same. Anyone who can't see the class issues behind everyone's glee at the failure of this business is being willfully blind.
So, objectively, you value the cleanliness of the street over the value of the lives and safety of workers at Sodexho.
You bastards! I hope you're all happy now to see this rock go. Where am I going to get my rat dropping biscuits with gravy now? Well, I guess there's still Pain-o's
Funny what gets sent into moderation.
What I had posted was that TownLine echoes the sentiment I had when reading Newe11's original post.
I trust that all of the people up in arms about KFC's health code violations all demand Sodexho immediately close.
http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/340162.html
Colin,
I think you are reaching as most of the comments are of the 'Good Riddance' variety. Your are making more out of people's comments than what is there.
What is wrong with the idea that I would prefer a Jamba Juice to a KFC. I don't patronize KFC and I would patronize a Jamba Juice. And it has nothing to do with elitism or class issues.
Can't believe u people would cheer a locally owned business on your beloved {deleted}, subaru outback driving, spot coffee drinking Elmwood Avenue. BROKEEPS IS BACK {deleted}! If it were Toro, Nektar, Sweetooth, Utban, or the ever awful Brodo u wud all have your dreads and Birkenstock panties in a bunch. Yeah, the Louies 30 feet away is a real healthy alternative to KFC.... Get a grip hippies
bc --
Comments about "improving the corner," "higher use" and such have all sorts of judgments embedded in them. Some are simply aesthetic, but some are classist. You might not see that, but I do. We're different.
Monorail --
School integration did play a role in white flight. But the fault there lies with those white parents who were uncomfortable with the idea of their children learning next to black kids, not with those who fought against segregation.
This thread of more than 100 comments is fascinating. It's as if this debate and this post was actually going to change anything regarding this corner and this building and its history. It's all kind of a waste of time and brainpower, isn't it? The bottom line is that unless BRO buys the property, it's doubtful that they or any of us will have any influence over its future.
BP, why are you so upset about this KFC closing? You didn't have a problem when the bagel shop closed. They were both businesses that employed people. Apparently, one was unsanitary to the point of leaking sewage and chicken parts all over the street - and they were both poorly managed. And now they're both gone. Why such differing reactions?
I think you're misunderstanding my point.
If the KFC had been permitted by BRO quietly to die, no one would have given it two thoughts.
Instead, Newe11 posted this particular article hailing its demise. I thought that was uncalled-for, because it's very, very seldom a good thing for a private, taxpaying business that employs people to close.
I didn't care when the bagel shop closed because Buffalo Rising did not applaud its closure. You can see that post here:
http://www.buffalorising.com/story/a_big_bagel_on_elmwood
I think that if you compare both the tone and the content of the bagel post with the KFC post, you'll see what I'm objecting to.
One Hundred and Six comments about a KFC closing down.
Only in Buffalo folks!
If this happened anywhere else no one would bat an eye.
Seriously, do you people have no reading comprehension skills? From the original post:
I spoke to Dan Leonard, the Elmwood Village Association's business development specialist, who had this to report on KFC to Go:
"Basically, they shut down the operation when a bunch of problems were discovered. I have heard that those problems have been corrected.
1. The problems have been CORRECTED.
2. bc71: Whoever would have thought that your query was serious. My apologies. In answer to your question, I will posit another one. Please direct me to the previous post from 2005 - date when Buffalo Rising has been cheered by the CLOSING of a business. Link to it, or let it rest.
I remember Elmwood Village from 35 years ago: a bunch of cranky, weird , old people hanging on to their homes or dying out of them, and a bunch of hippies and '70's Drama queens "rediscovering" all that cool old shit and, incidentally, going to art flicks and behaving like mimes. (The 'Yuppie' part came later, when they all thought they were living in another, more famous "Village".) And all the while, Kentucky Fried Chicken has been there for them...and not one bit of thanks.
425k for this corner - kind of pricey....
Nevertheless, if this corner were developed properly it would drastically change the neighborhod.
I remember a thread a few months back about the Elmwood bagel shop closing. Nobody was outraged. It was a relatively insipid thread.
What makes this KFC closing so different from the Elmwood Bagel and Sandwich Shoppe closing?
After reviewing more of the comments, I guess I should have addressed my question to BuffaloPundit.
BP, why are you so upset about this KFC closing? You didn't have a problem when the bagel shop closed. They were both businesses that employed people. Apparently, one was unsanitary to the point of leaking sewage and chicken parts all over the street - and they were both poorly managed. And now they're both gone. Why such differing reactions?
Why knock BuffaloPundit if he digs restaurants with clogged flush-out valves and seeping sewer gas? If KFC is his kind of people, then God bless him. All those "secret herbs and spices" are calling him to this place where he will shamelessly defend the Colonel to the very last. I salute you, Bucketeer!
..urp*
The closing of KFC was somehing benefitial t Buffalo. I wish that we would have a neighborhood calming effort year round and put an end to booming car tyranny.
Or charge those who are running mobile concerts tickets for electronic concerts without a permit.
Time to unplug all who bring down this city to the lowest common dominator. Close businesses who pollute and pull down our city.
Enforcement of public health laws, fire and building codes, and quality of life ordinances makes Buffalo better for all classes and races and ethnic groups. To the government do a better job. KFC/Rat Central Elmwood shows how there are breaks in the system.
The question of legality is key here. KFC was operating for quite some time illegally, as far as health regulations go. They were forced to correct them, we're told. But, clearly, staying legal is not something they're interesting in doing. Too much trouble.
I've found, as a city resident, that it's quite common for businesses to feel that they can lower theiir standards in a poor neighborhood, as almost any neighborhood in Buffalo would be classified, in the larger scheme of things.
Is this something we should applaud? No. Better to have an empty lot than a business that has total contempt for its surrounding neighborhood. I think you have to have a good understanding of urban living to understand this issue. Compliance with health regulations should not be grudgingly obeyed only when there is scrutiny. A business that does so will never be a good urban neighbor.
That KFC is rat breeding ground central in Buffalo.
Over the years that KFC Elmwood/Bryant has operated like a third world business.
The employees leave the tops of the dumpster and grease disposal dumpster open often and frequently. The rats do jump in and out of these containers.
The parking lots are constantly coated in cooking grease.
I wouldn't eat there because their food is full of fat and the outside was unsanitary and dirty constantly.
It took sewage flowing out side into the sewers to get some action. It got so bad it was like a business operating in a slum in Somalia.
That KFC is rat breeding ground central in Buffalo.
Over the years that KFC Elmwood/Bryant has operated like a third world business.
The employees leave the tops of the dumpster and grease disposal dumpster open often and frequently. The rats do jump in and out of these containers.
The parking lots are constantly coated in cooking grease.
I wouldn't eat there because their food is full of fat and the outside was unsanitary and dirty constantly.
It took sewage flowing out side into the sewers to get some action. It got so bad it was like a business operating in a slum in Somalia.
WooHoo! platt4! A celebration is in order! Would you like "Original Recipe", or "Extra Crispy"?
I wonder how many east side properties could be bought for $425,000? I think my head just exploded.
I wish government consolidation, or schools, of the hospital merger, or the 1000 other things that could save money were considered as important as this KFC closing. =[
Colin,
Other than SProf's comment regarding predatory businesses such as Rent-A-Center and check-cashing outlets, I do not see any explicit or implied comments that could be considered elitest or class-based discriminatory.
If you are going to continue this line of posting, you need to reference what posts/comments you are referring to.
KFC was negligent for not enforcing standards with the franchisee. The franchisee was negligent for allowing employees and customers to be exposed to such abhorent conditions. The City was negligent for not acting more quickly on the health and safety concerns. Finally, the customers were negligent by supporting KFC -- one of the most poorly run fast food chains in the country. This neighborhood and the city of Buffalo deserves much better.
Is this really that bad of a thing to happen to Elmwood?! If you want KFC, you can go out to Amherst or Clarence and I'm sure you'll find your share of KFC restaurants.
KFC's food is garbage! It's quite possibly the worst of all fast food restaurants and the chicken is barely chicken. I hardly eat at chains (Applebee's, etc), let alone fast food chains (McDonalds, BK, KFC). So something new opening up would invite me to go to a place where I'd previously pass right by. Hopefully this will turn into a restaurant with real, decent quality food. Also, perhaps some people have lost their jobs, but hopefully something better will open up, creating (better?) jobs where you can make more than minimum wage.
That KFC is rat breeding ground central in Buffalo.
Over the years that KFC Elmwood/Bryant has operated like a third world business.
The employees leave the tops of the dumpster and grease disposal dumpster open often and frequently. The rats do jump in and out of these containers.
The parking lots are constantly coated in cooking grease,
I wouldn't eat there because their food is full of fat and the outside was unsanitary and dirty constantly.
It took sewage flowing out side into the sewers to get some action. It got so bad it was like a business operating in a slum in Somalia.
BuffaloPundit,
So what?
I don't see why anybody has to apologize for wanting to elevate the socio-economic level of his or her community.
I can't believe the race card is being played in support of this poorly run franchise. It does not matter if this was a Subway, McDonalds, or Burger King - the place sucks! I speak from experience. The KFC on Michigan Ave is head and shoulders above this one in terms of service, cleanliness, and food quality. I know because every year me and my friends order 32 pieces of KFC's finest - with all the sides - to gorge on while we watch the NFL Draft! Whoever was running that franchise ought to be barred from ever operating a food sevice operation of any kind!
A beautiful McDonalds with huge gleaming arches that gracefully span the entire site, and at 40 to 50ft high, instantly becomes a beacon and a landmark to the neighborhood. Dual drive-thru lanes and a two story play area full of happy children, zipping down slides and giving each other communicable diseases.
I prefer to be around people who are richer than me, and are also more intelligent than I am, better educated, better dressed, funnier, more spiritually uplifting, and have better smelling breath than I do.
Does that make me an elitist?
Colin,
I am not seeing your logic. Market forces ultimately determine what business makes sense for that corner. Again, if the KFC is replaced with a Jamba Juice, that would be GREAT in my opinion. Why is the fact that I think that would great a class issue? Not trying to be combative, just think you are reaching for your conclusion.
FYI, TonyMacaroni, Louies offers both grilled chicken sandwiches and turkey burgers; both of which are grilled - not smothered in butter, breading and then tossed into boiling crisco for 3.5 minutes and served for $1. Good observation about Elmwood though, glad to see you understand why KFC doesn't meet the criteria of an area that enjoys fine-dining and locally-owned/operated business, rather than a refuted nationally run crap-shack such as KFC.
Not trying to be negative in my previous post. Just adding some facts about this KFC.
If they re opened and made improvements in service, quality, cleanliness....i wouldn't mind.
Although something new here (chain or not) would be exciting!
KFC's and other fast food chains locate on the first floor of extremely expensive buildings all the time in most cities. Why would that not happen here?
Scooter - It would actually be possible for a new owner to try to get KFC to sublease the property, or depending on the lease terms, the new owner could up the rent to the point where the franchisee would want to sublease. But I haven't seen the lease, so I'm just talking generalities. I have wondered for years why this place was never kept in better shape being in such a good location - corner, good footp traffic, hospital next door. If they can't pull it together, then I'm willing to bet the franchisee will want to get out, or the new owner will get someone else in there. Hopefully not a parking lot....
Buffalopundit, you did not answer my question. What is wrong with cheering the closing of an establishment that you did not want in your community?
BP
STILL, you have not answered why you feel that the cheering of the closing of a legal business on the Elmwood Strip to be lamentable. Why? Please expand on this or let it rest.
Done right, I would be ok with KFC (even though I know we could do better).
However, this KFC did not do things right, or even well.
al-alo - are you a traitor? What happened to your loyalty to Mighty??? ( Kidding of course :)
because it's very, very seldom a good thing for a private, taxpaying business that employs people to close
yes, it is very, very seldom a good thing, but, in this case, this VERY VERY SELDOM CASE, IT IS !!!
BP,
You forgot the rest:
"It turns out that Kentucky Fried Chicken has chosen to remain closed."
Why would they do that? (Other than to please the staff and readership of BRO, of course.)
That KFC is rat breeding ground central in Buffalo.
Over the years that KFC Elmwood/Bryant has operated like a third world business.
The employees leave the tops of the dumpster and grease disposal dumpster open often and frequently. The rats do jump in and out of these containers.
The parking lots are constantly coated in cooking grease,
I wouldn't eat there because their food is full of fat and the outside was unsanitary and dirty constantly.
It took sewage flowing out side into the sewers to get some action. It got so bad it was like a business operating in a slum in Somalia.
It is also a national chain, which most of its revenues out the region vs a local store which typically spend more money within the region. Anytime we can replace a national chain with a local one (especially one that doesn't keep a filthy restaurant as a business strategy) it will be a win for Buffalo, Erie County and Western New York.
Look at page two.
If I eat a box of "Kentucky Nuggets" at a KFC just outside a gigantic Con Agra plant, does that make me a "locavore"?
Colin
Sounds like your saying it's ok for certain "groups" of people to work with rats and filth so that they can have a job. I would like decent/humane working conditions for everyone.
This is excellent news! Now all they need to do is shut down that Sunoco/A-Plus, and I'm sure the number of panhandling bums on this corner would be reduced even more. Or maybe they could just stop selling 40s and cigarettes. Uh oh, I'm being elitist. Oh well.
people who ate at that kfc were/are the same folks who clog the childrens ER on a daily basis for minor, non life threatening illnesses that should be dealt with by a general practioner, not an institution like childrens and CERTAINLY not in the ER. these ER visits are put on the taxpayer, and the people who are abusing the services in this way are also stopping at that kfc. ive lived in this neighborhood for over a decade and i don't know a single person, no matter their socio-economic status, that has eaten there. its sole purpose is to serve people going to/coming from childrens. replace it with a library, and see how well it does. betcha those folks head to ecmc next time, i hear theres a mcdonalds on the corner of delavan and grider.
I just want to respond briefly to all those Elmwood Villagers who have complained about "bums" and "riff-raff."
Here is what those of you who live in the area need to understand: Part of living in a gentrified neighborhood is being aware that you are, in fact, in the city. That means that there are going to be poor and homeless people in your neighborhood, there are going to be stores you don't like, and it's not always going to be sparkling clean. When you make the conscious choice to settle in a neighborhood in any city, really, you have to be prepared for the realities that surround your chosen place of residence. Trying to kick out everyone who used to live in the area, places they frequent, and mess they leave, is never going to work on the whole. But you shouldn't WANT to do that...it should be exciting to live in a neighborhood so much more real, walkable, and chic than Orchard Park.
If you want a little Bohemian Paradise where you can bike to work, walk to the store or for breakfast, and read at a sidewalk bistro in your spare time, live in the Elmwood Village. Accept the good with the bad, since there will always be some of both. However, if you want an All-Caucasian neighborhood with the ability to decide what businesses get to exist and which don't, no crime, no poor people, and beautiful, tree-lined and landscaped streets, then move to Williamsville, because the city is not the right place for you.
you know what, this is great news... a poorly operated business on a very busy corner, should not be the "hallmark" of a business district! Good ridence! Those folks who are out of work have nobody to blame but the owners of that business.
As far as "income and demographics"...those shouldn;t even play a part in this conversation...i mean come already...because it was "fried chicken"???? are you kidding me...?! Rent a center? check cashing? Cultural elitism is what that is...and it seems that Elmwood has its fill of that.
Again I restate that fairness in enforcement of all City ordinances and laws should be fair but firm in all neighborhoods. Health codes were passed to protect all Americans and not just those with extra money.
As for excepting lowering standards in a community that is a big cop out. This is racism or classism,. It harms those who have the least and are either poor, elderly, or both. NickInPHL raising community standards benefits all classes of people. It is not just or right to look the other way and to become complacent and apathetic about businesses that harm cirtizens and promote decline in a community.
KFC is an example of failure of our government to protect all citizens.
To respond, magnachef, it depends on who's conception of "the bad" we're referring to.
Let's not sugarcoat it--a lot of Elmwood Villagers want all the lower-SES businesses and people driven out of the neighborhood. They desire what they think of as a perfect city-living area. They want the former residents of the area to leave, completely, so that they can occupy the entire area and decide what gets to go on there. Who is to say that their conceptions of what the neighborhood should be are correct? Why are they in the right and the former residents of the area in the wrong?
It goes well beyond KFC. A place with numerous health code violations deserves to get shut down, no one is arguing that. However, it is clear that, regardless of the rats and the grease, many people simply didn't want that business in the area. They thought it was an eyesore; they disliked the clientèle. There's an inherent value judgment being made here: that hipster sidewalk bistros are somehow naturally better than KFC. Some comments have pointed to KFC's use of trans fat while cooking, and how that's a bad thing for the neighborhood. I say, so what? Is your way of life so threatened because a restaurant (which you choose not to eat at) prepares artery-clogging food? I certainly hope not.
To reflip, I find your argument simply off-base. What you are suggesting might be called the "white-ification" of the Elmwood Village, and you are saying that it is beneficial to everyone?? I must disagree. Sure, it benefits everyone who lives in the neighborhood. However, it also necessitates kicking people out of the area who are deemed as unfit residents, be they homeless, working poor, or simply kind of messy. How are they being benefited? The people who lived in the Elmwood area before it became chic aren't getting anything benefit whatsoever, unless you call being able to sell their homes for slightly inflated prices beneficial.
To quote KRS-ONE as you did, "You can love your neighborhood without loving poverty." I'm not going to disagree with that. However, there's a startling difference between trying to work within to raise the standard of life of the impoverished in an area, and simply kicking them out so they can go be poor somewhere else. I don't know if you have noticed, but the Elmwood Village has become much more the latter in recent years. Like I said, if you want to live in a Green Party paradise, taking over an area and then holding everyone to standards YOU DEEM FIT is hardly the way to do it. Just because the Villagers think they know what is best for the area doesn't mean it is what's best for the area. Like it or not, there are two sides to every coin.
To Rez, accepting lower standards for poverty and crime in some areas is racism?? How the hell do you figure? If I want to live in North Buffalo instead of Clarence, I accept that there will be more crime and more poverty. That's makes me a racist......how?? I'd say it makes me realistic. Again, we have gone way beyond KFC by this point, but "raising community standards" and "businesses that harm citizens" is an insulated view on the world. If the community standards aren't good enough for you, who is to say they aren't good enough for other people who live there? And running them out of the neighborhood is the solution? Poppycock.
Also, one more word of note: government doesn't exist to "protect you" from from greasy foods or health code violations. If you really didn't like KFC, there are a number of things community organizers could have done to either shut it down or force it to comply with health codes. Complaining that the government didn't step in right away to help you is nothing more than a sign of your own unwillingness to tackle a problem yourself.
NickInPHL,
Why should people just accept the bad? Why can't they work to eliminate as much of the bad as possible - in this case, KFC? Granted, not everything will be peachy with white picket fences, but having such a defeatist attitude toward something as easy as shutting down a restaurant that is polluting the area and not up to health code (aka, endangering the people of the area) is sad..
Whether or not this is a good thing business-wise, I just don't know how people can eat that food.
NickInPHL,
Who is kicking who out? If you have an issue with the direction of Elmwood over the last 15 years, fine. That's not what this thread is about, nor is it what this KFC example represents.
Generally, gentrification is an issue where working class poor renters get displaced by condos and national chain stores come in and displace mom-and-pop locally owned businesses. Or, when subsidized housing is replaced by market-rate housing. Examples where people are literally displaced because the price is rising all around them and they can no longer afford their rent, or their building is sold out from underneath them. If you OWN a property though, this is GOOD for you. Race is irrelevant - ownership is relevant. And, people of many races and ethnicities own homes in Buffalo. Selling your house for more than you paid for it is a tremendous benefit! There is a reason why one of the ideas about how to deal with gentrification for people who have lived in subsidized housing for a long time is to give the building to them and let them sell their units. Instant wealth.
Gentrification is often a racial issue. In this case, however, gentrification is not the issue, nor is race. People of all races are actively involved in their communities. I work with neighborhood groups in Rochester. I work with people of varied income levels and races, from varied neighborhoods. They all want to eliminate crime and blight and increase investment (I repeat: INCREASE INVESTMENT) in their neighborhoods. They all want nice buildings with pedestrian friendly streets. It's not a racial thing. I suppose if the neighborhood wants shoddy businesses and garbage strewn streets, then so be it. But in my experience that is never the case, regardless of the racial composition of the neighborhood.
So, people say, "I'm glad this KFC is closing. Hopefully someone will build something nicer in its place" and your first reaction is to scream "Racism!" You are equating "nice" with "white" and, by extension, "KFC" with "black." Are you serious? I mean...really. Are you f'ing kidding with this? And please rescind your comment that I was supporting the "white-ification" of Elmwood. I find that notion offensive and I did not write anything - anything - in my post that could even remotely be construed in that way. It borders on libelous. What's more, I'm not from Buffalo and I couldn't tell you what Elmwood looked like even 5 years ago, so I can't speak to a decade-long trend. I only know about this in the context of what exists now.
I am from a place where gentrification is a real issue, though, and in this context (a KFC closing) the idea is laughable.
I don't think that is where it intended to go. I saw it more as since the demographic around KFC has changed so to will the businesses that cater to them. The closing on this place therefore is like watching an era on Elmwood come to a close. Is that bad? Good? I dunno probably depends on which side of the fence you grew up on. I would think it is good for the city. It is important that we are least have one prosperous street in the city. Something to say hey.. the whole city isn't like that news report you watch every night. If that means a constant eyesore of a restaurant closes. So be it.
I can't believe the race card is being played in support of this poorly run franchise. It does not matter if this was a Subway, McDonalds, or Burger King - the place sucks! I speak from experience. The KFC on Michigan Ave is head and shoulders above this one in terms of service, cleanliness, and food quality. I know because every year me and my friends order 32 pieces of KFC's finest - with all the sides - to gorge on while we watch the NFL Draft! Whoever was running that franchise ought to be barred from ever operating a food sevice operation of any kind!
Hopefully the bums will move on from here cuz they're a real pain in the ass, the one guy broke a bottle in the face of a patron of a nearby restaurant after he denied him money. Let's chop up the bums and deep fry them at KFC!
wait; I thought that this was one of the "businesses" which "the public" used as an example of what would close if Childrens' Hospital moved?
The Elmwood strip has become a very popular street primarily because of it's authentic, non-chain feel. In my opinion a KFC really doesn't fit in with the Elmwood street feeling and well if the place was disgusting and unhealthy to top it off well I say good riddance to the place.
I think people like Colin are very oversensitive and it seems like their life revolves around a paranoid sense of 'everyone is elitist and out to get the poor guy.' It is what it is my brother. Get over it and move on.
Report this