Checkers - formerly gaseteria on empire blvd

anybody know whats going on with the gaseteria on empire between washington and franklin? walked by on tuesday and they were removing the sign, the overhead awning came down sometime last week..
i am hoping the lot has been bought and something new is coming, but i fear it will remain a boarded-wasteland...

construction is a promising sign. It's been surrounded in chain wire fence and signs advertising gas for $3.50 for something like two years.

43 Empire

it looks like it actually closed when gas was 4.17/4.29/4.41 i have a pic, but dont know how to post it!

The bulldozers have been busy, and this site is now a barren patch of earth.

Give the proximity of the park, and abundance of fast food nearby, I'm not sure what I would put in that space.

...it looks like something is going to be built.

the sign on the fence now proudly exclaims::

COMING SOON: Checkers!!

not certain how i feel about ANOTHER food chain at this intersection.
*shrugs* i guess it's jobs though...

that's a good location for a Checkers, they focus on mostly drivethru business.

When all else fails, give people the bad food they want.

I am pretty sure that the new place being built on the corner of Bedford and Sullivan is a burger joint too. I believe it's owned by "Bedford Avenue Burgers".

That's a lot of burgers in a 5 block area. Wendy's, Checkers, McDonalds....

Where is Burger King going to setup shop???

After huge delays, construction has now begun in earnest. As per my look over the fence, this place could be open mid-summer.

Checkers are mostly a grill surrounded by a parking lot, afterall.

Future:

Forty years ago, when I was in college, that spot used to be a Mobil station owned by a Greek guy named Steve. I worked for an auto parts place that was on Nostrand and Montgomery and delivered parts to him.

whynot_31 said:

Future:

Urban Blight! Build a stadium!

The Checkers I've seen have no indoor eating areas.

....which kinda sucks when you don't own a car and its winter.

Here is one from downtown. They do exist as eat-in types of places. There is one downtown Brooklyn.

My peek over the plywood fence makes me believe they will be pursuing drive thru technology, perhaps even DUAL drive thru technology. It will be a stand alone building.

As I remember the Checkers near where I went to college, it had dual drive thru technology AND a small eating area.

So, it can happen. But that may have been a super-sized Checkers, as a result of being so close to a college, and I do not think the Franklin & Empire lot is big enough for that.

Today's walk indicates that (for better or worse) Checker's is almost complete!

whynot_31 said:

Today's walk indicates that (for better or worse) Checker's is almost complete!

Huh? I ran by there a few weeks ago. They must have trucked that building in on a flatbed.

Perhaps.

If you look closely, you can see the lovely golden arches between the two trees in my photo and Jefferies':

ah, America. In a few weeks, the plywood will come down and this series will be complete.

Despite looking "done", this Checkers building has yet to open.

All it needs is some asphalt around it, some minimum wage employees, frozen burger patties....

This is a total guess... But i would think someone at DOT took a look at this project and realized it's a traffic nightmare waiting to happen.

I think Checkers is a drivethru chain and there is nowhere for cars to queue except for on Franklin, Washington or Empire (all major streets). This is already a busy intersection during rush hours and would be totally jammed up if lines formed for Baconzilla Fries.

There's a McDonald's drive-thru a block away. I doubt that's it. It just takes time to sort everything out.

As a result of Wendy's, McDonalds, Popeyes, Burger King and (soon) Checkers, being all located within a few blocks, it is amazing that anyone makes it to Western Beef to buy healthy food.

Damn, that's a lot of fat: http://www.nutrition-charts.com/checkers-drive-in-nutrition-information/

There's healthy food at Western Beef? Sure doesn't smell like it in there.

Healthy is often a relative term.

Wendy's and McDonald's have big lots compared to this place... I think it'll be a shit show with the traffic.

Dmiami, I agree. Both for the Wendy's and the McDonalds, there is enough parking that if you have 4-5 cars queued up, you always have the option of parking and walking inside to put in your order.

There's healthy food at Western Beef? Sure doesn't smell like it in there.

Ugh. I also dislike Western Beef, and I would never buy meat from there. Yet the current smell pales in comparison to the smell left by its immediate predecessor in the early 90s.

At this rate, I doubt that Checkers will open any time soon.

thecameralady said:

The Checkers site has some DOB violations (and fines) on it that are still open, but apparently no stop work orders. The street address for the site is apparently 43 Empire Boulevard, by the way.

As a result of being vacant for so long, it kind of amazes me that this site hasn't been vandalized, or had its brand new kitchen equipment removed in the middle of the night.

One could easily scale the plywood, and then use it to obstruct view of your work as you gain access to the building, and pre-stage it for a truck with a lift.