Wing Stop, a multinational chain of aviation-themed restaurants specializing in chicken wings, opened here in late April.
A resident who lives behind the fast-food establishment in the A Building at 425 E. 13th St. shared this photo of the Wing Stop's industrial ventilation system, which "is blowing the smell of fried chicken into roughly 50 condominiums."
"We are getting blasted all day, every day," said the resident, who's doing outreach for the building's board. "I've lived here for 14 years — it's literally unbearable."
The resident said the new management at 426 E. 14th St. has not been responsive.
Condo reps have been in touch with the Wing Stop corporate office. (The company is publicly traded, and while many locations are franchises, this location is corporate-owned.)
After multiple calls to the corporate office, the resident received an email from the company in late June:
We appreciate you reaching out to us in regards to our restaurant NY New York — E. 14th Street.We discussed this with our VP of Construction and Operations and we are within our rights per the terms of our lease.We suggest that you reach out to your landlord to discuss your concerns.
The resident and others facing Wing Stop, which has daily hours of 10:30 a.m. to midnight, say they are at a loss over what to do now.
"Since Wing Stop opened, we are unable to use our balconies, open our windows or even use our AC systems because the ongoing smell of fried chicken and/or french fries is blasted directly into our homes," the resident said. "It comes so quickly without warning and continually throughout the day, so there is no way to mask the smell because you don't realize it until it hits you. Then you feel like you're wearing it — it's truly disgusting."
