The Subway restaurant near 46th and Baltimore has closed along with several other spots owned by the same franchisee.
The restaurant, which became a focal point of controversy in late 2011 and early 2012, was one of four Subway locations that will close. But that doesn’t mean Subway is gone. The corporation that owns Subway is looking for another franchisee for the Baltimore Avenue location, according to Barry Grossbach, chair of the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee.
The zoning committee initially supported Subway’s plan to open on Baltimore Avenue, arguing that it would provide a stable tenant. Nearby residents complained that it would increase traffic in the nearby alley. Others complained that a franchise was out of place on a commercial corridor that was largely made up of locally owned businesses.
In early 2012, Subway signed a 10-year lease on the storefront at 4533 Baltimore Ave., which has churned through businesses over the last several years.
– Mike Lyons, Andrew Foronda
December 5th, 2014 at 3:31 pm
Nearby residents complained that it would increase traffic in the nearby alley.
So, did this ever pan out? Did it become a race track back there? what about the children?
December 5th, 2014 at 5:33 pm
I’ve seen absolutely no increase in traffic there. Frankly, I thought the uproar over having a Subway there was ridiculous.
I’ve gotten food from there a lot, and it never seemed to be doing a whole lot of business. I don’t know why this is. It was a clean, well-kept place. Maybe it had more take-out business than sit-in-the-place business. Maybe it’s the location: I know of two other business that went under quickly at that spot.
But I do know that the owner asked me if there was some kind of boycott of the place going on. I’m not aware of any; the closest I know of was a lot of mailing-list chatter about chain stores and how they’re responsible for the Holocaust, or something equally evil. And I can think of other businesses more deserving of a boycott.
December 5th, 2014 at 5:52 pm
Brian, you’re free to eat at Subway if you like but I think I might be able to explain why a Subway in West Philly wasn’t doing business. This is Philly. There are dozens and dozens of places where a person can go and get a real hoagie or deli sandwich and not have the person making it stop to weigh the ingredients before putting them on the bread. We invented hoagies in Philly. No really. You can look it up.
People from New York don’t go to Pizza Hut. They get real pizza. People from California don’t go to Taco Bell. They go to a taco stand. I have no problem with someone opening a Subway in West Philly or anywhere else. I feel for the person or persons who opened the Subway there because they’re clearly just trying to make a living but they picked a bad spot and this is the result.
December 5th, 2014 at 8:03 pm
They have a 10 year lease, but they are looking for a different location. What am I missing?
December 5th, 2014 at 8:36 pm
@JP: There are 16 Pizza Huts and 70 Dominoes in NYC. There are 964 Taco Bells in California.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5488396
http://commercialobserver.com/2013/12/why-dominos-soars-in-nyc-while-pizza-hut-plummets/
December 5th, 2014 at 8:39 pm
I appreciate Brian’s reporting & agree with JP’s analysis. If I were in the middle of Indiana, off some godforsaken interstate, I would gratefully eat a Subway sandwich; it’s the best of a bad deal when it comes to cheap food in the commercial heartland.
In Philly, though, I can’t imagine any combination of circumstances that would reduce me to ordering a sandwich at a Subway. It would be like eating casserole stuffing when you had the option of eating turkey-baked stuffing instead, right at your fingertips.
December 5th, 2014 at 10:13 pm
I live less than a block from the Subway, and I was semi-regular there for a year or so till they closed. I found the food good (to my mouth and my health both), the servings large, and the prices quite reasonable. True, they didn’t offer the rich variety of other restaurants nearby, but their menu had a fair bit of breadth, and they were dependable and convenient for a good solid take-out(-type) meal.
December 5th, 2014 at 10:17 pm
Oh, and I never saw any troublesome traffic in the alley on Subway’s account.
December 5th, 2014 at 11:53 pm
As a neighbor on the block, I was against it from get go. National chain, out of town franchise owner. Of course a chain can offer cheaper prices, McDonalds is pretty cheap too. Um, corporate chains taking an interest in west philly is not what the neighborhood wants. Neighborhood voiced pretty clear opposition to it opening: meetings many of us went to hearings. board voted it down, follow up secretish vote to approval. Shouldn’t an organized movement hold more sway than out of town $? Isn’t that democracy? There were a few times cars parked in the alley blocked my leaving. Thankfully, it was a ghost town, because of reasons above. Good riddance.
December 6th, 2014 at 3:50 pm
We need a neighborhood hardware store and a pc repair shop since the other guy closed last year.
December 6th, 2014 at 3:56 pm
I agree 100% with JP… this establishment was totally out of place in West Philly. I was so pleased that it was a ghost town in there whenever I walked past. The only folk I would ever see inside, honestly, were UCD bike patrol staff stepping in out of the weather.
While anyone is free to put absolutely whatever they want into their bodies, the “feel” of a neighborhood changes dramatically when national chains roll in. It feels plastic, fake, and cookie-cutter.
Also, what the hell are people doing eating at Subway when Fu-Wah and Koch’s are both minutes away?!? Do folk just have something against deliciousness? 😀
December 6th, 2014 at 3:58 pm
Heh, honestly, I think we can all agree that no one tops Jim Gaffigan when it comes to Subway… http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/82757877/ 😛
December 7th, 2014 at 1:20 am
The shop did not increase traffic since no one really ate there! Fiesta is across the street if someone wanted an actual hoagie. I didn’t object to them, but I don’t think they offered anything the neighborhood has plenty of.
December 8th, 2014 at 1:21 pm
Subway did not meet the market test. People did not want to go there so they voted with their dollars. That’s the way it should be and should have been. I didn’t think it was a good location for a Subway. Maybe over by UPenn sure, but tucked away on a corner of Baltimore? Bad location.
December 8th, 2014 at 1:23 pm
^ one other thing, I had no problem with them moving in a like a lot UCity persnickety micro-managing corksniffers. I just didn’t think it was a good location for the franchise.
December 8th, 2014 at 5:42 pm
Agree,
Bad location for whoever decided to put it here. Better for a locally owned business, that’s what Baltimore is all about. And yes, they voted by not patronizing that establishment. And yes, this is more appropriate for 34th and Walnut next to the starbucks, not across the street from Gojos, a family owned business that has been there for decades. Hopefully subway negotiates a way to get out of their lease so that someone else can open something worth while and appropriate in this location. There is a lack of available storefront on Baltimore. Which brings up 4610 cedar, which is a beautiful location, stifled by local politics, which should be, on the other hand, open to locally owned businesses, regardless whether or not they have a view on center city out their window which might be compromised by allowing a business leader and member of the community to rightfully use their property for a valid, appropriate use (this is the property at 46th and cedar where cedar splits off of Baltimore) Anyway, I’m getting a little off topic, hopefully subway goes away.
December 8th, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Indeed, the 4610 cedar situation is a travesty. I used to live on that block. It is the block captain (Delores?) who is using her clout to keep that building vacant for reason that have never been adequately explained.
I’m glad to have moved further West now.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:16 pm
I couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly that the situation at 4610 Cedar is a travesty. From what I hear, several businesses have attempted to seek permit to setup shop and every time have been shut down due to the individuals who live on that block and have the unique ability to prevent anyone from doing anything with the property. How does Delores do this? Is it true that there is some unique zoning requirement that allows the people of the block to pick and choose what can occupy the space?
December 10th, 2014 at 1:25 pm
I wouldn’t want to have misspoken about who is actually holding up the works, or get her name wrong. I have maybe 75% confidence in those details.
Still, i do know that with about 99% certainty that, as you put it, “individuals on the block” is the correct way to describe the hold-up. Anyone who walks into Fu-Wah can ask David or his family about it. They own the property and have wanted to do something useful with it for ages.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:34 pm
i would be interesting in hearing more 4610 cedar. are people worried about noise? parking? i would love to see a nice byo restaurant with big glass windows that overlook the adorable little garden. what’s to stop the restaurant owner from taking over that parking lot altogether and perhaps even expanding the size of the garden. perhaps a few more tulips, bachelor buttons and epigaeas along with a nice fence that the neighborhood kids design on their own. OH and i love love elderflower.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Regardless of who is holding things up on 4610 Cedar, it’s probably safe to suggest that something is preventing development of the location. All I had to do was google the property address and was able to find an article indicating that Dominoes as well as an Ice Cream shop were interested in doing something the property. How do we free up the area so that something can be done
December 10th, 2014 at 1:39 pm
I found another link that everyone should check out on the Cedar Park Neighborhood blog that sheds light on the situation:
https://www.westphillylocal.com/2011/12/14/ice-cream-shop-proposed-for-cedar-ave-52nd-street-development-to-be-discussed/
“The reason Dominos and at least 6 previous interested parties have all been shut down at that location is because immediate neighbors oppose any usage for food related business, including a grocery store or produce market. Hard to imagine how their opposition is going to be any less for Philly Flavors than it was for Rita’s Water Ice several years ago or Domino’s just the other week.
Don’t count on this going through.”
December 10th, 2014 at 1:41 pm
Here is more from the same site
“Don’t understand it myself. But considering they have already said no to a half dozen restaurants, a produce market operated by Mr. Kim who ran the produce stand in the old Firehouse Farmer’s Market, and more recently a Rita’s Water Ice, its really hard to imagine how free samples are going to change the minds of those particular sticks-in-the-mud. Pity for the economic development of the nieghobrhood generally, pity for us the neighbors, pity for the city that misses the tax revenue and then turns to the rest of use for higher property taxes, etc., etc.”
December 10th, 2014 at 1:42 pm
what if we made a special arrangement with the city of philadelphia to have the garbage picked up on 46th and cedar on an hourly basis.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:42 pm
Last one, since I think it perfectly summarizes my position on the matter courtesy of David
“There should be way to temper the opinions of nearby residents with those of others Cedar Park residents. Especially when it is a site along the commercial corridor. This should also be about the vitality of our commercial district not just the opposition of those living on 4600 Cedar.”
December 10th, 2014 at 1:44 pm
it seems the issue here is a fear of garbage and parking woes which is why the block is exposed to food related establishments. what about an airport or a department store specializing in yarn.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:49 pm
Garbage pickup on an hourly basis? You’re more likely to see Gibraltar Campion in your “garden” then get a regular garbage pickup. From the online literature it appears that there is nothing that can be done until there is some movement in the neighborhood.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:52 pm
Ooohhh. It would be so terrible to be exposed to a food related establishment. The horrors. That means people, probably those up to no good, will come to the neighborhood from some far reaching area and spend their money. That would make the neighborhood more attractive and increase the tax base. We absolutely don’t want that.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:23 pm
what about an underground utility passageway to carry away all garbage and recycling directly to waste management facilities throughout the city? then there would be no need to have garbage pickup day.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:24 pm
and a noice cancellation device to keep things quiet:
http://weburbanist.com/2013/11/24/dial-it-down-noise-cancelling-device-for-city-street-sounds/
December 10th, 2014 at 2:37 pm
what about baskin robbins. i love chocolate chip.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:43 pm
The underground utility would be an interesting idea but I still don’t think it would help out.
Does anyone have any direct knowledge of what the zoning process is for that piece of land? Is it true that a small set of people have complete control over what can and cannot be put into place? If so, why is there such a unique dispensation for this plot of land? And most importantly, how do we as a community undo this? Everyone should have a say in what goes on 4610 Cedar. Power to the people!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 10th, 2014 at 2:45 pm
Putting a Baskin Robbins in place would be hilarious. Much of this neighborhood is anti-franchise to I think it would just stoke the fires of discontent. That being said, I would love an Ice Cream shop, any ice cream shop at that location. If they go with a BR I would jump all over the mint chip.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:47 pm
Would anyone out there but a shirt or slacks that says “Free 4610 Cedar Avenue”?
December 10th, 2014 at 2:49 pm
Free 4610 Cedar Avenue
December 10th, 2014 at 2:51 pm
There’s one person. Who else is in?
December 10th, 2014 at 2:55 pm
I’m in. Free 4610 cedar now.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:58 pm
It’s been said before but, 99>1
December 10th, 2014 at 3:14 pm
Frankly, I’d love to see something like an artisan cheese shop. Could you imagine if Madame Fromage (https://twitter.com/mmefromage) had a small shop and tasting room there?
December 10th, 2014 at 3:27 pm
a cheese shop would be wonderful.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:33 pm
i’m a real fan of washed rinds and raw goat’s millk from southern spain.
December 10th, 2014 at 4:38 pm
I would rather have anything in the spot other than an empty lot
December 11th, 2014 at 8:27 am
I’m in too. Free 4610 Cedar!!!
December 11th, 2014 at 9:38 am
Tell your friends a family. We’re going to need more people to free this parcel of land.
December 28th, 2014 at 1:18 am
With any food establishments…even the five star…comes rodents and possible odors from any venting hoods. A friend of mine is currently dealing with these issues in another part of the city. So if this is a major concern for the residents…I get it. Maybe a non-food related business?
January 12th, 2015 at 11:40 am
So where do we put food related businesses? This seems like a NIMBY response if you ask me.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:55 am
Well obviously anybody opposed to living near food based businesses should be barred from keeping pets (dog and cat food attract rodents) and cooking in their house (ditto), you know, just to be safe.
January 13th, 2015 at 1:15 pm
You all are nuts! Where the hell am I going to park my Humvee if you take away my blighted property?!
January 13th, 2015 at 2:08 pm
I would like a T-shirt.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:34 pm
I’ve heard the Delaware Tribe has purchased the property and will be opening the Lenapehoking Native Casino, with slots and table games.