3rd Ave. Loses Golden Krust and Wendy’s
A few emails yesterday tipped me off to the closing of the two story Wendy’s on Third Ave. btw. 57+58th. Not that sad… and in fact it could end up being great news, depending on what ends up moving in there. Double decker Panda Express anybody!?! (I know, I’m a broken record and I apologize.)
Far sadder was the sight 13 blocks farther south, on 3rd Ave. btw. 43+44th.
Another Golden Krust bites the dust. The sign in the window instructs you to visit their other location in Grand Central, but sadly that location is more expensive and has far fewer options than the 3rd Ave. location. It may be awhile before any of these places get leased. Right next door, the Prince Deli (which closed in December) still remains vacant.
Posted: 11:15 am, March 26th, 2009 under Closed, Fast Food Chains, Golden Krust.
33 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
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33 Comments
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@bb – This is one of the contradictions on this blog for which there is no explanation. The focus of the blog is to find good food in “food challenged” midtown, something other than the generic deli/salad bar that most frequent. However, Zach has this soft spot for specific chains – Baja Fresh, Panda Express – which is a mystery to me, as they’re just as generic to me as the deli.
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How about a conveyer belt sushi joint that actually uses the conveyer belt!
Oh Wait! conveyer belt sandwiches! -
My guess is someone is buying up those buildings
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Isn’t that the beauty of food? Everybody’s taste is rife with contradictions that vary depending on where you grew up. I love authentic chinese food, I even love good, cheap American chinese food. But there is something amazing about the orange chicken and lo mein at a good Panda Express (the ones on the West Coast are far better than the ones on the East Coast, and the stand alone versions are much better than their mall food court counterparts)
I will, however say this… my hatred of “generic delis” has to do with one simple fact. The *only* reason most of them exist is because of laziness. If people had to get in their car and drive, or take a subway to a deli they would NEVER eat at Cafe Metro or one of the generic Midtown delis that I make fun of on this site.
I, however, have driven to Baja Fresh and Panda Express multiple times when far more authentic Mexican and Chinese food were available (when I lived in LA). And that is because they both make one particular thing that I really like, and need to eat every once in awhile. At Panda Express, it’s the orange chicken (and their lo mein), and at Baja Fresh it’s their Baja Chicken Burrito. That’s it. I won’t vouch for any other thing they serve… and understand why people don’t like both.
Baja chicken burrito craving will be taken care of in May, orange chicken from Panda Express I’m still waiting on…
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I love wendys!! its my 3$ rather save money for happy hour lunch!
please dont lynch me.
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Yeah, there’s nothing sadder than losing another location where one can pick up that Spicy Chicken samich…which is easily one of the best options out of all the big boy fast food chains.
*sigh*
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Although Panda Express is pretty respectable as far as mass-market fast food chains go and is probably the best Chinese mass-market fast food chain in the country (sort of like being the tallest midget), I have to agree with bb that Zach’s championing of Panda Express is strange and inconsistent with the general ethos of MidtownLunch. I could understand getting excited about Panda Express if you lived in Kansas, but Zach, if they opened up next door to Hing Won, would you actually set foot in there? And why trash Chipotle while lauding Panda Express. Imho, Chipotle is a better Midtown option for “Americanized burrito” than Panda Express is for “Americanized Chinese food.” (Granted, Chipotle is pricier.) More importantly, chains are blog-unworthy not because they are bad, but because everyone already knows about them. (Baja Fresh is blog-worthy only because a lot of East Coasters don’t know about it.)
That said, I understand where Zach is coming from: nostalgia, plain and simple. And it’s his website, so he can say whatever the fuck he wants.
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I guess Zach answered my question: He’d go to Panda for the orange chicken. Like they say, there’s no accounting for taste. (I’ll grant that the first bite of Panda orange chicken is good. But the 10th bite?)
Minor point: Zach’s criticism of GMDs seems less valid for Chipotle (and many other chains, including McDonalds, etc). They don’t survive just because people are lazy. I also disagree that New Yorkers are too lazy to go get good food. It’s more about being too busy. In any case, I’m sure that the same principles that keep GMDs in business also keeps many carts in business, too.
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I have no problem w/ taste. My issue is w/ the mallification , if I may coin a word, of NYC. I understand most of the people that post here, are probably not from here and think having chains bring quality and consistency, but at what cost? In 10 years, you wont be able to tell the difference between Manhattan and Los Angeles, or worse yet, Cleveland..
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you ever been to cleveland dubbinbklyn?
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Dubbin, well said east coast is one long strip mall……
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Having been to Cleveland, St. Louis, Memphis and a host of other cities around this country, and, being a born and raised NYer, I have to agree with Dubbin. NY (and midtown manhattan) feels far more generic than it used to be. Not sure if we could actually turn into Cleveland though…
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you just gotta know where to look.
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@ Dubbinbklyn,
You think most people who comment here don’t live here? Why the hell would anyone who doesn’t work in midtown ever go to this site? Maybe a tourist or visitor, but who would go read about cheap, often mediocre quality food of a city they don’t inhabit? If you are one of these people, speak up and let us know how much time you have on your hands.
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Dougiec…i do
Then again im revelvant.
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cleveland does have hot sauce williams – that’s different…
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….Poor cleveland…the essex of the colonies.
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Dougiec, I was talking about born and raised Ny’rs. You know, the ones that would probably never wear a Brooklyn Industries tee. :-). Yes, I’ve been to Cleveland. The person that penned the Drew Carey show’s theme show is a bloody liar!
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cleveland, like pretty much any other city in the states, has plenty of good eateries, you just gotta know where to look.
but alas, to each their own. -
i remember the Bourdain Cleveland show….cinamon in chilli?
Sick…sick evil bastards.
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If Cleveland is Essex does that make Detriot Billericay ?
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@ Dubbinbklyn – I don’t know about Cleveland- but I agree with you about how all NYC is being overrun with chains, and eventually it will look the same as any city USA. Despite my constant begging for my favorite chains to come to NYC, I would much prefer a place like Hing Won or a brick and mortar version of the El Rey del Sabor to occupy these empty spaces. But the sad fact is large companies are the only ones that can afford to rent the empty spaces in Midtown at their current rents (even in this horrible economy).
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Detroit is….let me think…industrial depravation..social problems…racial tensions……yes, Detroit would be Knightsbridge. :)
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@DougieC
I haven’t be on the island of Manhattan in 2009, I’m just here for the dessert.
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1) Panda Express orange chicken is divine, and not just generic Chinese/chain food!
2) I’ll miss Wendys–there aren’t enough around. I just pulled my forst Wendy Train yesterday (the Wendy’s version of the McGangBang) and it was awesome. Everything was perfectly balanced. Now there’s one less spot to score this tasty treat. :^(
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Ok I didn’t realize Zach is from LA. Not to start another debate, but I lived in Socal for years and in my experience Panda Express was one of the few tolerable Chinese places, so things make a lot more sense now.
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@bb – just an FYI. I’m not from LA, I just lived there for 2 years before moving to NYC.
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Whoa. I wasn’t born and raised here in NYC, so I had better stop reading this blog. I don’t “count” according to dubbinbklyn. Then again, I live and own property in Manhattan, and I think that anyone living in Brooklyn doesn’t “count” as being from NYC. So there.
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So you’re a NY poser too, stevie.
I’m not surprised.
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Nah, I’m a “poseur.” Just taking advantage of NYC (high salary, real estate profits) before I move on to greener (literally) pastures. Works for me.
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I agree Stevenp, just because I wasn’t born in BK doesn’t mean I want chains in Manhattan (where I live now).
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Sorry about the misstatement. I just think living in Socal period can definitely skew your perceptions of Chinese food. Rubios, La Salsa, and Baja Fresh will skew you while you live there too. I promise I’m not a hater. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t appreciate the blog.
How is Panda Express better than any of the million fast Chinese places in Manhattan? Panda Express is mall food. Are you hoping for a two-story Sbarro’s too?