Penn Station Ousts Slew Of Fast Food Joints To Improve Image

[Renew Deal]

Sad underground train dungeon Penn Station's reportedly trying to be less of a local eyesore, and the first casualties of its self-improvement program, it seems, are the fast-food establishments. Last year, the station's realty company announced they'd be shuttering a number of eateries, including KFC, Pizza Hut and Tim Horton's, and yesterday commuters discovered quite a few such outlets had disappeared.

In May, landlord Vornado Realty Trust announced they'd be shuttering at least 10 fast-food establishments run by the Riese Organization, including KFC, Tim Hortons, Caruso's Pizza, Pizza Hut, and Haagen-Dazs. The plan was reportedly to replace the fast-food outlets, located near the Long Island Rail Road hub, with more upscale retail and eateries in hopes of improving the station's image as a cesspool of despair. "Everyone's first instinct is to get out of Penn Station," Jeff Gerlach, head of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Capital Planning, told Crain's in May. "It's claustrophobic; there's no natural light."
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http://gothamist.com/2015/01/17/penn_station_ousted_slew_of_fast_fo.php

This is getting some news. A lot of stores and restaurants were lost. The article mentions KFC, Tim Hortons, Caruso's Pizza, Pizza Hut, and Haagen-Dazs. Also lost are:

Fridays
The hot dogs and pizza at the newspaper outlet
Caribbean restaurant
Taco Bell which closed a few months ago
A Nathans that replaced it

Of course the craphole McDonalds that was nearby is still there. Some other good restaurants are nearby. I don't know if they are targets for closure in the future.

[msongs]

1. stations in singapore and tokyo have great local eateries at fair prices nt

[Renew Deal]

2. People say the same thing about Grand Central which is a few blocks away

I thought Penn Station was serviceable. It was fast if nothing else. Some of the spots were good. But there is nothing gourmet or high end.

[elleng]

3. Who would expect gourmet or high end anyway?

[LiberalElite]

5. Grand Central has better quality fast

food than Penn - e.g., Shake Shack. But - Gourmet and high end fast food? One of these things doesn't go with the other....

[BeyondGeography]

4. Was there ever a worse decision to tear something down in NYC?

https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/what-was-lost-when-we-lost-penn-station/

"Sad dungeon," and "underground cesspool," indeed.

At least no one ever took Robert Moses up on his plan to build an expressway over Canal St.

[LiberalElite]

6. They should just demolish it and start over nt

[oshma]

7. Trax is the best place in Penn Station

Push past the bar and sit in the back for a great selection of oysters; their ribs and burgers are quite good too.

[annabanana]

8. It's gonna take more than THAT to

class up the joint!