After a recent post regarding a letter to City Hall on behalf of The Peachtree Restaurant I was fortunate enough to get a call from Peachtree Restaurant owner Vera Willis.
We talked about a lot of things but best of all she took time to chat about a great many misconceptions regarding The Peachtree Restaurant's P&L District move.
First of all, the Peachtree didn't move DIRECTLY from 18th & Vine to the P&L District. However brief, there was a bit of time that passed between the Willis decision to move her restaurant to the Kansas City Downtown Destination. Believe it or not, Willis has faced challenges from a few members of Kansas City's African-American Community regarding the move with even a few murmurs regarding boycotts that thankfully never managed to take hold.
A great many problems in the 18th and Vine District persist but Willis was able to put those challenges in perspective and claims that her move wasn't a matter of preference but simply survival. Sadly, water problems that drove the Peachtree out have lingered and now threaten a new crop of businesses.
Not-so-surprisingly, a few of the same problems that plagued the Peachtree at 18th & Vine have also threatened the family restaurant at its current location.
CHECK THE MONEY QUOTE FROM MS. WILLIS: "IN A LOT OF WAYS THE P&L DISTRICT IS A LOT LIKE 18TH AND VINE."
Problems with the space, disputes about her light bill and an overall feeling of neglect mark the current Peachtree feud with Cordish.
Willis isn't sure if she's going to renew her lease agreement at The P&L District . . . Ironically, the new contract for Willis came right after the initial TKC post.
What remains unchanged is that The Peachtree is once of the most authentic, family owned and RATHER AWESOME local restaurants in Kansas City. A possible Peachtree departure would be a loss for everyone in this town . . .
Developing . . .
What about the buffet?
ReplyDeletePeachtree is delicious, but Mrs. Willis is impossible to deal with. She's crazy as hell. If she leaves the P&L, I can almost guarantee you that her next landlord will also be accused of "neglect" and that there will be a feud there too. At some point, the problem isn't with the landlord - its with the restaurant owner.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, no! There's nothing here but unfettered racism....
ReplyDeleteTrue dat.
ReplyDeletethe problem is the high priced fried chicken. tiny little dishes of veggies high priced deserts
ReplyDeleteDid they offer chocolate malts?
ReplyDeleteWhat next Landlord, I bet my life the Willises will never rent from another landlord in their life. After six years in the underdeveloped 18th and Vine and Racially charged Power and Light District.
ReplyDeleteI guess Mrs. Willis, created the dress code at Power and Light, stole all the money at 18th and Vine and caused other businesses such as Lous Kitchen, Tarieq's Deli, Red Vine and Harpers Restaurant to fail.
ReplyDeleteThat's right blame it all on Mrs. Willis.
Cheap scapes stop sucking up the ambiance and live entertainment without wanting to pay and take your cheap ass to KFC.
ReplyDeleteWhen you can't control a person then they are crazy as hell!
ReplyDeleteI agree who did steal all the money at 18th and Vine?
ReplyDeleteNow I understand why 18th and Vine recent recruitments were non for profits
ReplyDeleteHigh Price Fried Chicken I agree. Bring down the damn prices
ReplyDeleteRight On, Right On, to a strong black female who definitely tell it like it tissss
ReplyDeleteThe same individuals at 18th and Vine serve on the downtown board such as Sean Beard, Peter Yelorda and Troy Nash to name a few.
ReplyDeleteOrchestrating the same problems at a distance.
Racism and Haterism at it's finest you wil pay for that bland nasty food at strouds but complain about paying $7.99 at the Peachtree.
ReplyDeleteI dined at the Peachtree yesterday and the Fried Chicken was $7.99 and I believe they are the only restaurant that doesn't charge for live entertainment.
Exactly.
ReplyDeleteSo this turned out to be an interesting post. Not from Tony, someone actually talked to him so he paid her back by calling her eatery 'awesome' and basically doing a commercial for her... since she whined and bitched in his ear as he scribbled quick notes or just recorded her on the phone to write his story.
ReplyDeleteBut the REAL story came from comments because TEE didn't do his homework and make any followup calls. He just runs people's bitches verbatim and lets his readers do the homework. TV does that too... too understaffed to actually practice 'journalism'.
Anyway, sounds slightly like the Peachtree owner wanted to sick TKC on Cordish. Not the first time a publisher's been used as a private weapon.
People sick the press on other people all the time. fact is, thats probably half the tips reporters get... people with an axe to grind.
So... who stole money at 18th & Vine, how come the place never grew? Was it supposed to be like a Harlem entertainment district that never happened? Were the developers too greedy? Too high priced? Not enough security? Bad location from the west? I dunno. We went, like Once and it pretty much centered around alcohol.
Only a couple places to go in the mid evening, not worth the drive, I'd say.
Oh well. Guess if we can't have any fun at 18th& Vine, or at KCP&L, we should maybe go WILDING on the Plaza some Friday night.
The Peachtree, is the most affordable business in the Power and Light District.
ReplyDeleteRadio Man, as a friend of the family I don't beleve the family is angry with Cordish nor did they recruit Tony to attack Cordish.
ReplyDeleteThe family wants Cordish and the City Council to understand that they were innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire betweeen the Community, Cordish and City Hall.
It's hard to run a profitable business when you get boycotted by people who have no stake in your operation, but, since they fancy themselves big-time players, want to tell you want to do and maybe get a piece of the action.
ReplyDeleteAnd the deathly silence at lunchtime at 18th and Vine is really too bad. Some nice spots for lunch and good conversation, but mostly empty rooms. And the same old names exercising their egos with taxpayer money as another post listed.
KCMO just has to change the way they do things.
Amen, Amen
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much the taxpayer's have forked out to the 18th and Vine district up to now.
ReplyDeleteWhy are city hall, and because of them, the taxpayers, in the restaurant business? These squabbles should be between private parties who could be suing each other while the city fixes the streets.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's right; the city doesn't fix the streets!
Well sounds like Tony missed 2 money quotes in one day. If what you say is right, 5:25 and 6:35, then Tony buried the lead.
ReplyDeleteThat some blacks got down on her case because she moved from 18th and Vine to KCP&L?
THERE seems to be the story... but Tee doesn't criticize minorities for being stoopid.
Thank god for Comments!
Have you seen my baseball?
ReplyDeleteOh Oh someone is trying to spin this story.
ReplyDeleteYou didn,t hear it froM me.
Wonder who RADIOMAN is working for Cordish or 18th and Vine. Sounds as if he resents Mrs. Willis and TKC conversing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree referring to minorities as Stupid he definitely has nerve. Radioman, is on crack or someones payroll.
ReplyDeleteI know all of you can't really be this dumb. These are some of the most ignorant comments I have read. If everybody that has commented is a minority, then yes majority of you all do make us look very stupid.
ReplyDeleteLet's be realistic for just one minute here. Anytime you have so many failed businesses you have to blame yourself. Yes, it would be nice to push the blame but as a business owner it becomes your personal responsibility to make sure your company succeeds.
Once a company gets large enough that is when your suppose to become a smart business owner and invest in the right team it takes to run your business effective and efficiently.
With black owned businesses we mess up when we try to help friends and family with employment and we let them run our business into the ground cause were to nice to fire them cause they're family. The PeachTree has had some of the same employees and careless managers since 18th and Vine that moved to Lee's Summit and once that closed they moved to Power and Light and now they're at the buffet. Anytime your attitude is "fuck it" about your employer it's time to move on.
The food prices were awesome giving the area that your in. Your downtown, high rise restaurant, live band, ambiance, and full service. People will never be happy with prices until it's free. My mother always told me "If you think a restaurant is too expensive, go home and cook your own shit." Chances are majority of the people commenting never ate there or couldn't afford to eat there.
It would be nice to blame it all on Cordish but what happened to reading your contract? What happened to financially planning for the worst? When your making severe changes to your company you need to make sure you have all angles covered. Did Cordish own the Lee's Summit? No. There is enough blame to go around. In order to be successful and grow you must claim your mistakes.