ALBANY – Kitchen 216, a neighborhood favorite known for its delectable soul food, is leaving 85 Central Ave. and resettling in a larger space with more parking at the Crossgate Commons Plaza in late November
Emrys Young, Kitchen 216’s co-owner and chef, is making the move in hopes of expanding her customer base and also to leave behind some of the quality of life issues she feels are impacting business at the current location. The restaurant previously operated out of what she called a “tiny hole in the wall” on Lark Street.
“The thing is, with the neighborhood that we’re in is, it’s – I don’t want to say it’s on its way down – but I feel like the crime in the area is on its way up,” she said.
Young has noticed more “panhandlers” in the area and people hanging around without patronizing the kitchen, something she no longer wants. She noted how the restaurant was forced to deal with third-party delivery services such as Doordash and UberEats because customers aren’t willing to come into the neighborhood to pick up takeout orders. The Crossgates Commons spot also has ample parking.
Staying on Central Avenue led her to feel as though she was putting the business in a box that stunted its growth. The move, Young said, will give her the chance to reach more customers.
Students from nearby universities “flooded” her restaurant for years but have limited mobility, she said. She figured she was already feeding just as many mouths as larger restaurants in the area, so why not move into a space that would accommodate the high volume and bring her closer to some of her student customers.
“Everybody loves our food not just people in the inner city, not just people in the ‘hood, everybody loves our food, so I would love to have that access,” she said. “It’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
While the challenges she’s faced at the Central Avenue location were enough to make her look elsewhere, Kitchen 216 has been an integral part of the neighborhood. Young has often used the restaurant to feed homeless individuals in the area and provide school lunch to scores of children during the pandemic.
Anthony Gaddy, chief executive officer of the Upstate New York Black Chamber of Commerce was not surprised to hear the popular Black-owned business will be leaving Central Avenue. He’s spoken with a number of businesses along the Central Avenue corridor that expressed similar frustrations, however.
Business owners are tired of navigating quality of life issues – loitering, double parking, panhandling and crime – to keep their businesses running, Gaddy explained.
“They’ve grown frustrated with essentially feeling as though their concerns and the issues that they’re raising aren’t really being heard, and properly responded to,” he said.
Gaddy said communities are a partnership between the municipality, business owners, residents, elected officials and law enforcement, with each branch having a role to play.
“If everyone’s not necessarily doing their jobs … there’s going to be gaps,” he said, and without accountability, business owners are more frequently finding themselves in a tough position.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the situation. Although Kitchen 216 is moving, in part, due to unsavory conditions in the neighborhood, Gaddy applauded the business for being so successful that it could scale up into a new space.
Young said Kitchen 216 might not be on the avenue much longer, but residents will still be able to find it within reach. She noted that her urban customers also frequent other businesses at Crossgates Commons such as Walmart and Home Depot.
