Thursday, September 1, 2022

Why Panda Express isn't open yet on 14th and 1st

Photos by Stacie Joy

The incoming Panda Express (first mentioned in January) has seemingly been in a holding pattern here on the SW corner of First Avenue and 14th Street in recent weeks. 

It looks ready to go (mostly!), with workers milling about inside (though not in the photo below) ...
One of those workers told EVG correspondent Stacie Joy yesterday that the quick-serve restaurant was waiting for a license from the city to open. (The worker didn't specify what kind of permit.)

The Chinese restaurant chain launched in California in 1983 ... with more than 2,000 locations today (with a handful around NYC). 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish a Woorijip like on 32nd st would open in the neighborhood. quality , budget grab n' go Korean eats.
Or a real SF style taqueria.

Pinch said...

The photo shown is certainly a rare occasion when this corner is not a mess (garbage, mattresses, furniture, beer/liquor bottles etc.), particularly homeless people sitting on the ledges along both windows. Last week I called 911 as there was a man with a knife who was also swinging a metal rod, standing in front of a bus and other cars in the middle of the intersection, and throwing his clothes and other items all over the corner; two days ago the same man was lying on a mattress with a woman on the NW corner. It would be nice if this restaurant, and the Empanada Mama on the NW corner, will help to address the ongoing, and much talked about, multitude of issues that have plagued this intersection for years--but I don't hold out much hope given the lack of any meaningful and lasting progress at this intersection over the years.

Anonymous said...

at least it's not a smoke shop.

Anonymous said...

Fingers crossed that they don't just move on because getting a permit for anything takes forever nowadays.

Anonymous said...

14th & 3rd Ave is going to be a Korean restaurant (where 5 napkin burger uses to be)

Anonymous said...

Those 4 corners do get slammed, especially on weekends. I go out with gloves & bags, but it’s shoveling sand against the tide. On Sat/Sun evenings a sanitation crew comes & cleans the S/E corner. I thanked their maestro wearing green & gently mentioned the street people had occupied Panda Express across the Avenue. He said; ‘We’re trying.’