A handful of well-known chain restaurants are adding locations in Harlem over the coming months, but most of you don't want them, according to an Instagram poll conducted by TCU over the weekend.
When asked if you were looking forward to three chains currently renovating storefronts across the neighborhood—Chipotle, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell—a majority of you (58%) said you were not.
Direct messages that followed included statements like "Ugh," "Gentrification is on the rise," and "We need more affordable and healthy options."
Only one chain seemed to make a strong impression. Almost a quarter of responders—24%—said they were excited for the Chick-fil-A coming to 125th Street. "It's going to make mad money there," shared one voter in a private message.
The full list of chain openings mentioned in the poll is as follows:
• A controversial Chipotle is opening this summer at 165-167 E 116th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues in East Harlem—an area known for its mom-and-pop Mexican restaurants.
• A Chick-fil-A is "coming soon" to 216 W 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass Boulevards in Harlem—a first for the chain. It'll be joining an outpost that recently opened at 601 W 181st St and St. Nicholas Avenue in Washington Heights.
• A second Chipotle is replacing a McDonald's that closed a few years ago at 3410 Broadway and W 138th Street in Hamilton Heights, according to construction signs posted in the window.
• A Taco Bell looks to be opening at 3435 Broadway and W 140th Street in Hamilton Heights, according to workers in the space. It'll join another that just opened at 3924 Broadway between W 164th and W 165th Streets in Washington Heights, replacing Italian spot Antika (thanks to @jonearlier for the tip).
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