[Photo from Saturday morning]
The quick-serve chicken outlet is closing soon at 536 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. And it's not because of the usual reason for a closure — a rent hike.
EVG reader Jack, an East 14th Street resident, tells the story:
"Whether you liked its food or not, whether you made fun of its red/white Kentucky Fried Chicken-like awning, whether you were one of the drunks in line at 3 am wanting to feed your drunken stupor — Kennedy Fried Chicken has lost a court hearing brought by its landlady and must leave its 536 E. 14th St. location in three days. A dispute over repeated fines that the building's owner received from the city for non-compliance over recycling has forced the longtime East Village location to terminate its lease and vacate the rental property. Sad to see them leave. I will be curious to see who replaces them."
This article from the Times in 2004 has the rather interesting backstory of the Kennedy restaurants.