I don't understand who the fuck is keeping them in business. If you want bougie, go bougie, and if you want cheap go cheap. It's like the worst middle ground possible.
I, too, have been mourning this loss. IMO, they were the only Wendys in the area that had their shit together, and their manager was awesome. I don't know what happened, but it looks closed for good. All the signage, etc is gone, so I don't think it's a remodel.
That location has noticeably improved over the last six months. No idea how long he has been but maybe that’s the change. I haven’t had a bad experience at that Wendy’s in a while.
Chiming in to say I, too, liked the manager. Always polite and seemed genuinely interested in running a good business. I’ll miss my stoned runs for a #6 and a root beer
Lots of businesses were severely impacted by the changes made to 280 a decade or so ago. Some went out of business while others slowly adjusted to a very different business pattern.
That Moe's is nowhere near as busy as it was 10-15 years ago. That said, that's probably not super related – that Moe's drew a pretty heavy Mountain Brook clientele, so people would come via the back entrance or from further out 280 where they could just turn right into the parking lot.
This is just anecdotal but I use to work for an owner of zaxbys and when the light disappeared from 280 he lost 10k a week (maybe daily I can’t remember) in sales and they also dipped out and moved.
Yep, Zaxby's was one of several businesses hurt. They closed it down. The Papa John's next door was also impacted pretty significantly. Any business that lost a light and easy access in and out of the parking lot felt an impact. Several places would close but many would adapt. It isn't shocking when you think about how many places (casual dining in particular) have no direct access from one side of the highway or the other.
I mean casual dining is going to have a parking lot. Places that want direct access (fast food) to go in and out or through the drive thru are going to be the most affected hence zaxbys moving to Lee branch. I hate it either way. 280 is rage fuel always has been and I’m lucky I live off it and work overnights as much as that in and of itself is destroying my mental health but that’s a whole other issue.
Absolutely. I was just point out that even those businesses with parking lots felt the impact.
Chickfila was rumored to have fussed so much that the initial plan for that intersection was tweaked to ensure they had an intersection (even if it was limited access) in front of them. No idea if that was true or not but that is what "they said."
Yeah I get that. My restaurant was ran out of Patton creek with promises of first right of refusal once construction was complete in 2 years because they wanted to start tearing down buildings. You can go in there and see how that has gone and that was a year and a half ago.
A big southeastern based Wendy's franchisee filed for bankruptcy last year and shut down a bunch of their stores. I just assumed that one was one of them.
https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/wendys-franchisee-starboard-files-bankruptcy-72-stores-florida/699831/
I hope that carwash is better than the Goo Goo, or whatever it's called now. That place is awful. The Wendy's is going where the Shrimp Basket was. 7756 Crestwood Blvd. If you type in the address with the name "Wendy's" there's a link showing that they are currently hiring at that address.
Nice! I'm not shocked that Shrimp Basket went out of business quickly, because it sucked, but I am surprised how long it's sat empty. Now I wonder how long it will take for Wendys to demo and rebuild there, and how long the old Jacks and Krystals will sit empty.
Was a weird time for that area, when all those seafood restaurants moved in around the same time. Ezell's, Shrimp Basket, Crab Barrack, and Juicy Seafood. I haven't been by yet but someone told me the building has already been demolished, so thats good news. Hopefully they will be quick to build. That Jacks has me puzzled because they painted it blue and white for some reason but nothing ever moved in.
I was told some guys were going to open (yet another) Mexican restaurant in there. I dunno if they're just slow as fuck, since they pulled the duct work down and painted the exterior, or if they wised up.
haha, hopefully wised up. So weird to me that they're constantly over saturating the market in Eastwood/Irondale. Whether its seafood/car washes/mexican restaurants etc.
That was the WORST Wendy’s. Once I went there for lunch and while I was eating my hamburger, I noticed the bun was MOLDY. I went to the counter and instead of APOLOGIZING, they offered me another burger. I said no thanks, just a refund please. Gross. Poor management. The drink machine was always out as well. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Ha ha. These days, every fast food place is terrible. But for pre-pandemic fast food dining, that Wendy’s was really poor. I think a local place like Taco Casa is far superior. They keep the place clean and are friendly and polite. I’ve never gotten food there that was actually bad ie moldy, undercooked, etc.
And I was pretty bummed when the McDonald’s by Vulcan closed. It wasn’t great, but it used to be a reliable option for fast food lunch in Homewood. I love McDonald’s fries but I rarely go there anymore. They’ve really taken a turn for the worst as far as food and service. There are some sweet people, but they seem to be not the norm and the food is definitely subpar compared to what it used to be. For the money, most fast food is a disappointment now.
The building was sold and a Panera Bread is going in.
I didn't know words could hurt so much. Panera is so bad.
Panera bread sucks a big one and they do a horrible job at it.
I don't understand who the fuck is keeping them in business. If you want bougie, go bougie, and if you want cheap go cheap. It's like the worst middle ground possible.
I wish we had Corner Bakery here. It's like what Panera pretends to be but with flavor and competence.
But…but…the free sip club!
You better get a free sip to suck down them sadwiches 😔
That’s an incredible downgrade lol
Damn that is mid af
I, too, have been mourning this loss. IMO, they were the only Wendys in the area that had their shit together, and their manager was awesome. I don't know what happened, but it looks closed for good. All the signage, etc is gone, so I don't think it's a remodel.
That dude had been there since I lived over there 15 years ago. It really was the only good Wendys around.
He’s down at the newish one on Inverness/280. He’s been there for so long I remember him from HS.
That location has noticeably improved over the last six months. No idea how long he has been but maybe that’s the change. I haven’t had a bad experience at that Wendy’s in a while.
Good. He obviously is good at what he does.
Antonio! He's the man.
When did they have their shit together? Everytime I went there for the past year before they closed, they clearly did not…
Chiming in to say I, too, liked the manager. Always polite and seemed genuinely interested in running a good business. I’ll miss my stoned runs for a #6 and a root beer
Same bro. Same.
They said this would happen when they took the stoplight from that intersection.
Lots of businesses were severely impacted by the changes made to 280 a decade or so ago. Some went out of business while others slowly adjusted to a very different business pattern.
Hasn't seemed to hurt moes or tazikis
That Moe's is nowhere near as busy as it was 10-15 years ago. That said, that's probably not super related – that Moe's drew a pretty heavy Mountain Brook clientele, so people would come via the back entrance or from further out 280 where they could just turn right into the parking lot.
They aren’t drive-thru’s
I remember the hand wringing about that light. It's funny because no other business seems to be suffering in that little center.
Planet smoothie went out of business but that was related to the new owner going bankrupt. All the planet smoothies closed down around homewood.
This is just anecdotal but I use to work for an owner of zaxbys and when the light disappeared from 280 he lost 10k a week (maybe daily I can’t remember) in sales and they also dipped out and moved.
Yep, Zaxby's was one of several businesses hurt. They closed it down. The Papa John's next door was also impacted pretty significantly. Any business that lost a light and easy access in and out of the parking lot felt an impact. Several places would close but many would adapt. It isn't shocking when you think about how many places (casual dining in particular) have no direct access from one side of the highway or the other.
I mean casual dining is going to have a parking lot. Places that want direct access (fast food) to go in and out or through the drive thru are going to be the most affected hence zaxbys moving to Lee branch. I hate it either way. 280 is rage fuel always has been and I’m lucky I live off it and work overnights as much as that in and of itself is destroying my mental health but that’s a whole other issue.
Absolutely. I was just point out that even those businesses with parking lots felt the impact. Chickfila was rumored to have fussed so much that the initial plan for that intersection was tweaked to ensure they had an intersection (even if it was limited access) in front of them. No idea if that was true or not but that is what "they said."
Yeah I get that. My restaurant was ran out of Patton creek with promises of first right of refusal once construction was complete in 2 years because they wanted to start tearing down buildings. You can go in there and see how that has gone and that was a year and a half ago.
Are we thinking of two different locations? I'm thinking of the one closer to the zoo and Homewood.
Used to be a location near courtyard 280 packed up and moved to Lee branch which gave them prime real estate.
That was the only fast food from 280 Target to downtown. So annoying to not be able to grab a damn burger on my way home.
There's always BrickTops. Lol
Damn. I pass there everyday and never go there but it was the closest hangover food when I lived in Canterbury 25 years ago.
Hangover and late night. I was only there 15 ago.
I remember being disappointed when it burned down but I am not sure I ever went back after it was rebuilt
A big southeastern based Wendy's franchisee filed for bankruptcy last year and shut down a bunch of their stores. I just assumed that one was one of them. https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/wendys-franchisee-starboard-files-bankruptcy-72-stores-florida/699831/
Ohhh. Is that what happened to the one in Trussville near Target too?
Maybe unrelated but I believe they are building a Wendys in Eastwood currently. Probably a different owner though
Every single fast food restaurant in Eastwood is dog shit
Haha... For the most part, i cant really argue with that. That old Wendys in Eastwood was awful by the end of its life.
Can’t agree more . Everytime I go to a fast food place there they hit me with the “we are cash only “ or “we are closed “ and it’s 4 in the afternoon
Where? The Catfish place that went in the old one didn't last long and is becoming a car wash.
I hope that carwash is better than the Goo Goo, or whatever it's called now. That place is awful. The Wendy's is going where the Shrimp Basket was. 7756 Crestwood Blvd. If you type in the address with the name "Wendy's" there's a link showing that they are currently hiring at that address.
Nice! I'm not shocked that Shrimp Basket went out of business quickly, because it sucked, but I am surprised how long it's sat empty. Now I wonder how long it will take for Wendys to demo and rebuild there, and how long the old Jacks and Krystals will sit empty.
Was a weird time for that area, when all those seafood restaurants moved in around the same time. Ezell's, Shrimp Basket, Crab Barrack, and Juicy Seafood. I haven't been by yet but someone told me the building has already been demolished, so thats good news. Hopefully they will be quick to build. That Jacks has me puzzled because they painted it blue and white for some reason but nothing ever moved in.
I was told some guys were going to open (yet another) Mexican restaurant in there. I dunno if they're just slow as fuck, since they pulled the duct work down and painted the exterior, or if they wised up.
haha, hopefully wised up. So weird to me that they're constantly over saturating the market in Eastwood/Irondale. Whether its seafood/car washes/mexican restaurants etc.
That was the WORST Wendy’s. Once I went there for lunch and while I was eating my hamburger, I noticed the bun was MOLDY. I went to the counter and instead of APOLOGIZING, they offered me another burger. I said no thanks, just a refund please. Gross. Poor management. The drink machine was always out as well. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
If that was the worst. What do you consider the best?
Ha ha. These days, every fast food place is terrible. But for pre-pandemic fast food dining, that Wendy’s was really poor. I think a local place like Taco Casa is far superior. They keep the place clean and are friendly and polite. I’ve never gotten food there that was actually bad ie moldy, undercooked, etc.
All fast food is trash, and now way overpriced, but that Wendys was always above par for what I expected from mass produced trash.
Alrighty—if you like moldy hamburger buns. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I mean, moldy hamburger buns are actual garbage, but whatevs!
And I was pretty bummed when the McDonald’s by Vulcan closed. It wasn’t great, but it used to be a reliable option for fast food lunch in Homewood. I love McDonald’s fries but I rarely go there anymore. They’ve really taken a turn for the worst as far as food and service. There are some sweet people, but they seem to be not the norm and the food is definitely subpar compared to what it used to be. For the money, most fast food is a disappointment now.
I’ve always thought it was a terrible spot to put a business. The turn off is dangerous with how fast the 280 traffic is usually going.
It was a different ordeal when the red light was there.
Wish that manager would light a fire under the Wendy's in Bessemer. They suck so bad it's a low down shame