I remember reading the original chicken shop article with some scepticism - I’ve no objection to people feathering their nest but I was surprised to learn that you could earn £100k just by selling a recipe. The fact you can have a chicken shop that apparently turns over £45k a week, only accepts cash and whose ownership is “shrouded in secrecy” - leaves a lot of unanswered questions - I’m not suggesting fowl play but it would be interesting to know more about the eggonomics of that business.
The implication in today’s article that the complaints in Chorlton are down to nimbyism (and probably racism from those lazily stereotyped Guardian reading hypocrites) - is for the birds. Chorlton is rammed with quality chicken shops - Rounders, BRD, Zaxxfried, Bunzilla - and other fast food places from a whole host of culinary and ethnic backgrounds. These shops don’t generate anything like the same level of complaints and seem to do a brisk trade in home delivery services - perhaps Miami Crispy could reduce their queues by also putting poultry in motion.
The fact is people in Chorlton are complaining about exactly the same issues that have ruffled feathers (and let’s be honest have left some people clucking annoyed) in Burnage for years now - litter, illegal parking, traffic. Do they have to wait for the rats and the seagulls to arrive - as they reportedly have in Burnage - before concerns are taken seriously? Surely local residents should be higher up the pecking order than that.
The traffic situation in Chorlton was bad already as the council have just put cycle lanes in and removed a chunk of on street parking - so it’s not an ideal location to have people flock to. Given the owners must know the type of demand they are going to attract - high volume, eaten immediately, lots of waste - why not go for a retail park or somewhere else with adequate parking and waste disposal facilities instead of being cooped up on an established high street.
I don’t think the article really acknowledges or attempts to explore why the business opened a Chorlton branch without the correct planning permission. Were the owners just winging it? I’m also surprised you apparently didn’t seek a comment from the business owner or Chorlton franchisee. Instead you’ve just recycled a comment from the MEN. I didn’t think they ruled the roost round here any more.
All that being said, it’s good to hear the owners are changing their shop to respond to the concerns of local residents and also opening a takeaway nearby. I wish them all the best with the business and really hope they can pullet off. Looking forward to sampling some cheep eats when they reopen.
I work near the Chorlton Miami Crispy and agree with this analysis - though there is a little bit of tutting when another chicken shop opens in Chorlton (as BM21 says there are plenty of quality ones, as well as cheap and cheerful ones) the real concerns were parking/traffic and litter.
Perhaps the more interesting story is why and how Miami Crispy has so successfully reinvented the drive-in/drive-thru restaurant (completely ubiquitous in the USA) in two sites completely unsuited for them.
They're not entirely the first, Manchester's first(?) viral burger chain Archie's had the same problem at the original branch on Oxford Rd, with parked cars regularly blocking the bus lane until the council came down on them.
I’d like to be proved wrong but I would expect the relaunched version to be essentially the same thing - a takeaway but now with some chairs in it. There’s no reason why we should expect the owners to change a highly lucrative business model, as opposed to implementing some cosmetic changes to comply with planning requirements. And no particular reason to expect consumers to start using the business in a different way that doesn’t cause issues for people living nearby. We’ll find out soon enough.
The local residents and businesses are right to be concerned about the parking. I regularly pass the Burnage shop and the parking is unbelievable! Cars everywhere, right up against the traffic lights, sometimes hazard lights are flashing but not always, people have just stopped their cars and got out. It’s dangerous, inconsiderate and extremely infuriating. And I have to say I have never seen police or traffic wardens anywhere near the place at any hour of the day. Also infuriating!.
You're not wrong - it's definitely a problem and not something which people are making up or exaggerating. It's really annoying for people who live nearby. As is the litter.
Haven't lived in Chorlton for years, so when the article suggested it had Unicorn for a neighbour I thought you were speaking in general terms. Checked Google Maps and right enough...
The current location is a mad place for a busy takeout. There's a long stretch of chicken shops and takeaways, doing varying levels of trade, literally just round the corner on Wilbraham Road, between Four Banks and Morrisons, and I imagine that's where they're looking for the second site. Not that you'd put it in your licensing application since it's technically trespassing, but the car park at the latter will also help avoid completely blocking up a trunk road.
If people in Chorlton didn't (and still don't) want MC it's because they are well aware of the problems in Burnage. There are already a lot of takeaways in Chorlton, and these already create parking and litter issues - so there's no reason why people would welcome another one whose business model is clearly premised on the creation of anti-social behaviour problems for people living nearby (whether or not that is the intention of the owners).
Yes class has nothing to do with it. The issue is the behaviour of some of their customers and the scale of their operation which means there are a lot of them.
Speaking as a **** from Chorlton, living just round the corner from MC, I really didn't care about it being there. Seemed like a better fit in Wilbraham Rd near the other chicken shops, but whatever maybe it was a great deal. What did annoy me were the overflowing bins in the local park, but this is a problem for all takeaways on a Friday & Saturday, and I'd look to the council for a solution (better regulation?) if it weren't for them being underfunded and overstretched.
Does the episode smack of classist nimbyism? Maybe. More than that, though, it highlights the problem of public spaces made unpleasant by rubbish and traffic generated by business who don't seem to care for their local area.
Chorlton has its own vibe to protect it seems, and a low budget chicken takeaway shop does not quite match the surrounding vegan or veggie or sourdough purveyors. Not sure why race should be a factor as any food shop has to have a target customer base in mind to thrive. Being a fan of spicy Korean BBQ chicken which I can only taste in Central Manchester I would be keen to visit this restaurant when it sorts out its paperwork and parking issue. Didsbury already attracts a food crowd from afar so Chorlton could take over as a food destination.The article was a little negative to me but it could be read in an upbeat vein as showing that there are interesting suburban alternatives to high cost centrally located eating places.
The most “chorltonite” thing I’ve heard is bringing up race and class when it was never even mentioned or referred to. People are allowed to not like another fried chicken shop being in their area. There are already 7 around the corner on Wilbraham Road.
I remember reading the original chicken shop article with some scepticism - I’ve no objection to people feathering their nest but I was surprised to learn that you could earn £100k just by selling a recipe. The fact you can have a chicken shop that apparently turns over £45k a week, only accepts cash and whose ownership is “shrouded in secrecy” - leaves a lot of unanswered questions - I’m not suggesting fowl play but it would be interesting to know more about the eggonomics of that business.
The implication in today’s article that the complaints in Chorlton are down to nimbyism (and probably racism from those lazily stereotyped Guardian reading hypocrites) - is for the birds. Chorlton is rammed with quality chicken shops - Rounders, BRD, Zaxxfried, Bunzilla - and other fast food places from a whole host of culinary and ethnic backgrounds. These shops don’t generate anything like the same level of complaints and seem to do a brisk trade in home delivery services - perhaps Miami Crispy could reduce their queues by also putting poultry in motion.
The fact is people in Chorlton are complaining about exactly the same issues that have ruffled feathers (and let’s be honest have left some people clucking annoyed) in Burnage for years now - litter, illegal parking, traffic. Do they have to wait for the rats and the seagulls to arrive - as they reportedly have in Burnage - before concerns are taken seriously? Surely local residents should be higher up the pecking order than that.
The traffic situation in Chorlton was bad already as the council have just put cycle lanes in and removed a chunk of on street parking - so it’s not an ideal location to have people flock to. Given the owners must know the type of demand they are going to attract - high volume, eaten immediately, lots of waste - why not go for a retail park or somewhere else with adequate parking and waste disposal facilities instead of being cooped up on an established high street.
I don’t think the article really acknowledges or attempts to explore why the business opened a Chorlton branch without the correct planning permission. Were the owners just winging it? I’m also surprised you apparently didn’t seek a comment from the business owner or Chorlton franchisee. Instead you’ve just recycled a comment from the MEN. I didn’t think they ruled the roost round here any more.
All that being said, it’s good to hear the owners are changing their shop to respond to the concerns of local residents and also opening a takeaway nearby. I wish them all the best with the business and really hope they can pullet off. Looking forward to sampling some cheep eats when they reopen.
I work near the Chorlton Miami Crispy and agree with this analysis - though there is a little bit of tutting when another chicken shop opens in Chorlton (as BM21 says there are plenty of quality ones, as well as cheap and cheerful ones) the real concerns were parking/traffic and litter.
Perhaps the more interesting story is why and how Miami Crispy has so successfully reinvented the drive-in/drive-thru restaurant (completely ubiquitous in the USA) in two sites completely unsuited for them.
They're not entirely the first, Manchester's first(?) viral burger chain Archie's had the same problem at the original branch on Oxford Rd, with parked cars regularly blocking the bus lane until the council came down on them.
I’d like to be proved wrong but I would expect the relaunched version to be essentially the same thing - a takeaway but now with some chairs in it. There’s no reason why we should expect the owners to change a highly lucrative business model, as opposed to implementing some cosmetic changes to comply with planning requirements. And no particular reason to expect consumers to start using the business in a different way that doesn’t cause issues for people living nearby. We’ll find out soon enough.
Probably agree. Let’s hope you’re wrong!
Eggcellent!
The local residents and businesses are right to be concerned about the parking. I regularly pass the Burnage shop and the parking is unbelievable! Cars everywhere, right up against the traffic lights, sometimes hazard lights are flashing but not always, people have just stopped their cars and got out. It’s dangerous, inconsiderate and extremely infuriating. And I have to say I have never seen police or traffic wardens anywhere near the place at any hour of the day. Also infuriating!.
You're not wrong - it's definitely a problem and not something which people are making up or exaggerating. It's really annoying for people who live nearby. As is the litter.
Haven't lived in Chorlton for years, so when the article suggested it had Unicorn for a neighbour I thought you were speaking in general terms. Checked Google Maps and right enough...
The current location is a mad place for a busy takeout. There's a long stretch of chicken shops and takeaways, doing varying levels of trade, literally just round the corner on Wilbraham Road, between Four Banks and Morrisons, and I imagine that's where they're looking for the second site. Not that you'd put it in your licensing application since it's technically trespassing, but the car park at the latter will also help avoid completely blocking up a trunk road.
Also I wish I'd had me tea before reading this.
If people in Chorlton didn't (and still don't) want MC it's because they are well aware of the problems in Burnage. There are already a lot of takeaways in Chorlton, and these already create parking and litter issues - so there's no reason why people would welcome another one whose business model is clearly premised on the creation of anti-social behaviour problems for people living nearby (whether or not that is the intention of the owners).
Strange to bring class into it, considering the level of food waste their Burnage branch brings to the working class community around them.
Yes class has nothing to do with it. The issue is the behaviour of some of their customers and the scale of their operation which means there are a lot of them.
Speaking as a **** from Chorlton, living just round the corner from MC, I really didn't care about it being there. Seemed like a better fit in Wilbraham Rd near the other chicken shops, but whatever maybe it was a great deal. What did annoy me were the overflowing bins in the local park, but this is a problem for all takeaways on a Friday & Saturday, and I'd look to the council for a solution (better regulation?) if it weren't for them being underfunded and overstretched.
Does the episode smack of classist nimbyism? Maybe. More than that, though, it highlights the problem of public spaces made unpleasant by rubbish and traffic generated by business who don't seem to care for their local area.
Chorlton has its own vibe to protect it seems, and a low budget chicken takeaway shop does not quite match the surrounding vegan or veggie or sourdough purveyors. Not sure why race should be a factor as any food shop has to have a target customer base in mind to thrive. Being a fan of spicy Korean BBQ chicken which I can only taste in Central Manchester I would be keen to visit this restaurant when it sorts out its paperwork and parking issue. Didsbury already attracts a food crowd from afar so Chorlton could take over as a food destination.The article was a little negative to me but it could be read in an upbeat vein as showing that there are interesting suburban alternatives to high cost centrally located eating places.
The most “chorltonite” thing I’ve heard is bringing up race and class when it was never even mentioned or referred to. People are allowed to not like another fried chicken shop being in their area. There are already 7 around the corner on Wilbraham Road.
In the deputy leader piece - it's Joanna Midgley not Joanne Midgeley