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Bluehensfan

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  1. ← Just so you know, the Board of Directors is made up of an interesting mix of people, half of whom are related in that they are also involved in the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, as is the Market Manager, Paul Steinke. These include Board Members: 1. William Blades 2. Rebecca Stoloff 3. Frank DiCicco So in that respect, at least some of the Board Members have something in common... And there is a different DiCicco (Christian I think) on SEPTA's board, so perhaps RTM is indeed related to SEPTA after all. Now watch and see, soon market will start charging you extra when you buy from more than one vendor on a single trip!
  2. I did order that exact sandwich (with provolone of course) for lunch today. It was indeed nirvana...alternating a bite of one half with a bite from the other, back and forth ultimately covering oneself in delicious pork juice at the neverending expense of trying to determine which half was better but ultimaltely being unable to answer the question. I guess more taste testing is in order.
  3. I agree, very well said Holly. It seems that the market is the exact opposite of SEPTA. While the latter won't fix something that's clearly broken, the former seems intent on trying to fix something that is running well. That was evident in my visits to the market today. Iovine's now has the old bag check station buzzing with three employees packaging produce. I am sure if Vinnie could swing a drive-through on Filbert St, he would do it. The line for the Dutch Eating Place for breakfast this morning stretched well in front of Beiler's Bakery, and at lunch Spataro's line went well in front of Earl Livengood's stand. Rick's Steak's seems to be eclipsing all previous sales records, as the entire open space (which has been three or four rows deep in the recent past) was completely full with people waiting in line to order. My point is, if it's not broken, why try to fix it? Is management intent on putting it's own "stamp" on the market to transform it into something it is not intended to be? This question has to be given serious perusal, since some say that the market needs to "gear up" against Whole Foods and the like. But that argument is partially fallacious, as the "average" market customer does not exist. Sure, there are locals who go for the inexpensive produce at Iovine's while others seek out the local and organic offerings at places like Fair Foods. Other locals go to the market get bread or buy fresh fish. On the other hand, there is an entirely different customer that breathes life in the market, the convention-goer looking for a bite to eat for lunch, a snack for later, or a gift to take back home. They care little about fresh fish, how many pounds of bananas you can get for a dollar, or, to a certain extent who is selling what where. Surely they generate a substantial portion of the market's revenues but they seem to be "forgotten" in the current scheme of things. With the convention center expanding, this type of customer will only be more prevalent in years to come. So, perhaps this desire to transform the market into a "new being" at the expense of those merchants who live and breathe life into the market every day and at the disregard of those conventioneers, who, like it or not, keep the market afloat to an extent, may not be such a good thing after all. Too many cooks does not make a good kitchen especially when the kitchen is running well.
  4. From one of Foster's RTM neighbors, Kitchen Kapers is looking into that site and loosing the demo area. ← I heard thhat they were looking into the site. Kind of odd considering they are a chain. But seeing what's been happening at RTM lately, not all that out of the ordinary. Hopefully that's the last thing associated with chains that will come to RTM.
  5. Now I've heard everything (from Philebrity)... Philebrity has learned today a whole slew of information regarding the Rick’s Steaks verus Reading Terminal Market versus Tony Luke’s controversy currently dominating local news. Earlier today, we heard from a source close to the situation that while much of the press regarding Rick Olivieri’s ousting from Terminal has pitted Olivieri against fellow sandwich-maker Tony Luke, no lease has yet been proffered or signed for Luke to open up a space. We called Luke’s publicist, George Polgar, who confirms this. According to Polgar, Tony Luke’s official involvement with the Reading Terminal at this time amounts to not much more than a letter of intent to review a lease on a space in the Market — essentially a legal document saying, “Yes, I will look at a lease when the time comes.” But like so much cold Cheese Whiz, the plot thickens: Polgar went on to tell us that the first Tony Luke had learned of Olivieri’s ousting was when the rest of us did, on the news a few weeks back. “Nobody at the RTM had brought up the situation with Rick,” says Polgar. Furthermore, Tony Luke didn’t think twice about sharing floor space with Olivieri: They already both have stalls at Citizen’s Bank Park. (It’s also important to keep in mind that, purported media wars aside, Rick’s is known for cheesesteaks, and Tony Luke’s is famous for roast pork, broccoli rabe, and so on; so while Tony Luke’s does in fact serve cheesesteaks, this is not the head-to-head war it’s made out to be. In fact, in preliminary discussion, the RTM told Tony Luke they would not have a space available for him until October.) So if free market competition is not at the heart of the Rick’s ousting, then what is? Same as it ever was: For years, Olivieri headed up the merchant’s association at the Terminal, going to mat for his fellow vendors. Keep in mind that the RTM is essentially run by the city, and like anything else run by the city, the RTM is a petty fiefdom run on the noxious fumes of patronage and ego wars. As evidenced by his standoff today, Olivieri apparently has brass balls and has surely pissed some people off. As for Tony Luke, Polgar emphatically states: “He’s not making a move until this [conflict between the Terminal and Olivieri] is resolved.” And what a resolution it looks like it’ll be: We are also hearing that none other than District Attorney Lynne Abraham will be brought in to mediate. Stay tuned with Philebrity as we continue to follow this utterly bonkers Piece Of Everything That Makes Philadelphia Great. http://www.philebrity.com/2007/08/01/phile...eesesteak-wars/
  6. First, Whole Foods is opening at 17th and Race. Not all that much closer, and not a draw for conventioneers. Second, there really is a win-win solution to this incredible (gross understatement here) PR fiasco for potentially all parties involved. All the market needs to do is offer the former Foster's stall to Tony Luke's if they absolutely must have them in the market. Limit them to making cheesesteaks only. Keep Rick's where it is. Then, should a kitchen product merchant ever materialize (they haven't been exactly waiting in the wings), erect a new space for them either near the Beer Garden or the Spice Terminal and be done with it. Rick wins because he gets to stay, Tony Luke wins because he gets a space in the market, and the Market wins because they get Tony Luke's and by showing that they indeed have a conscience, avoids further alienating the public. They could even make up some excuse that the Foster's space suddenly became available, and would come out smelling like a rose. Oh yeah, and the Amish win because they can have the Dutch Festival.
  7. I think that the Amish, particularly Junior, values their relationship with Rick as not only a fellow tenant but also as a friend. And so do I (granted I am not a tenant). And that is why I think that at least some of the people on here are very upset about Rick's eviction. Because the market, like it or not, is really like a large extended family where merchants look out for each others' interests. Sure there is healthy competition at the market, but many of the tenants look to one another as both friends and family. Remember a year or two ago when Alvin Beiler took up donations for the family of a worker at the Dutch Eating Place who passed away as a result of a horseback riding accident? This is just one of many examples of the good natured relationship between tenants and one of the reasons why Rick's situation is so hard to swallow. In a semi-related vein, here is the latest headline from KYW: http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/740482.php?co...ontentId=738829 Rick Steak's Staying Despite 'Illegal' Tenancy by KYW's Steve Tawa When Rick's Steaks opens as usual on Wednesday at the Reading Terminal Market, its owner will be told he's there' illegally.' The non-profit board of directors that manages the market told Rick Olivieri in late June that his month-to-month lease would not be renewed on July 31st. Olivieri believes he had an implied lease - an oral commitment. Management spokesman Kevin Feeley says they've tried to handle the Olivieri situation in a low key manner, and will not be heavy handed in pushing him out. But Feeley makes it clear they will remove him.: 'If he continues to occupy that space without benefit of a lease, after notifying him, we will take all appropriate measures to remove him from that space.' Management wants to replace Rick’s Steaks with another well known Philly style sandwich maker, Tony Luke’s.
  8. Location, Location, Location! Any seller of a decently made cheese steak will mint cash at that location. Rick makes a decent cheese steak, and it's obvious from how hard he's fighting that he doesn't want to give it up: it's a great business. No reason to believe that TL, or any other competent maker of cheese steaks, wouldn't do as well. ← consider the fact that he bailed out of penn because of a rent increase, though. hey i don't know, i'm just speculating, throwing stuff out there. you got one guy who does a good business there and has for 25 years, and you're booting him to bring in another guy who has opened and closed like six branches of his business in the last five. ← Face it, Tony Luke was in the right place at the right time (or couldn't say "no" to the caller at the other end of the line). I wonder how this PR nightmare would have played out if Tony realized all the negative publicity he would be getting and just declined the offer. You know what they say about hindsight being 20/20.
  9. Do you think it was just that Tony Luke wanted to pay more money than Rick or that the market really wanted Rick out? Because if the former were true, the market could have gladly accomodated Tony Luke in another section of the market and pocketed the change from both Rick's and Tony Lukes, or even sent one of the less successful business (i.e. probably nine tenths of the rest of the market tenants) packing. I smell a rat. But then again, I'm not the only one... http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_updat...e_to_court.html
  10. Holly, Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Tony Luke also the proprietor of a recently failed business venture that was opened (briefly) around Penn's Campus? http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2006-06-29/food3.shtml
  11. I think the problem with Braverman's was that: 1. He was not paying his rent in a timely manner and 2. Was selling food, some of which was not all that fresh. I vividly remember seeing leftover halloween cookies at Christmas time and conversely Christmas cookies at Valentine's Day. Vic did have some very good sugar cookies in dinosaur shapes, though. You just had to know when he made them and stock up accordingly.
  12. Dear Mr. Feeley, I am writing you today because I think it would be in the best interests of the market to not renew the lease for Bassett's Ice Cream whenever it comes due. Although I know that Bassett's has been a fixture at the market for over a hundred years now, I think that something a lot more hip and trendier like Capogiro do much better in the market because it would bring a new clientele into the market since everyone and their brother who is in their twenties and lives in the City of Brotherly Love just adores the gelato from Capogiro. Although Bassett's does make a good product and they do a steady business, it really would be a good idea to bring in a more famous name, since they are the rage these days. And while you are at it, I think Spataro's should get the boot too. Who has heard of Spataro's outside of our city? No unsuspecting tourist would drop any of their hard earned money at a place with that name. Bring in Geno's and put 'em in where Spataro's was. And while you're at it, bring in Pat's too. Better yet, put them right across the aisle from Geno's, just like in the Italian Market. Yeah, that's it! Put Pat's right where DiNic's is now. After all, who the heck need's DiNic's anymore sinec we have Tony Luke's anyway. Get rid of em all. Tell Pizza By George to take a hike and bring in Taconelli's. People know that name. Tell Mueller's they are next because John and Kira need to set up shop. And by the way, the Amish, they all gotta leave town too. Every one of them. Especially since they won't be doing the Amish Festival this year. But hey, paybacks a bit$% right? All that closed space half of the week in the market that could be bringing in more money. Close all those Amish merchants down, and bring in the big guns. Someone in town's gotta be capable of making soft pretzels seven days a week for all the tourists...don't want to send them home hungry. Mr. Feeley, while I'm sure I could list the rest of the merchants in the market and tell you who could do better there, I'm sure that you've already done your homework so there's no need to figure out what other changes need to be made. I would like to make one suggestion, though, when Susanna Foo opens up shop later in the year, I do think that she really should get a reserved parking space in the garage across the street. After all, the market would not want any more bad press if there should be another meter maid assault. Thank you for your precious time, since I know you are a very busy man.
  13. I do see that the Pennsylvania Dutch Festival is listed as an upcoming event on the Reading Terminal Market website. I suppose that could be interpreted as either a) a "premonition" that negotiations are going well or b) an "omission" that the website has not been updated to reflect the recent cancellation of the festival.
  14. You should feel lucky that you didn't get to become a member of SEPTA, the Best Public Transit System in Philadelphia (many years running err...crawling)... Count your blessings!
  15. Anyone hear how the meeting today went? I haven't read or heard anything about it anywhere. Hopefully I will not need to don my shirt in the near future. While I do understand both sides of the issue at hand, if change is going to take place, that is fine. Do it gradually...no need to drink the green juice. Just don't alienate/frighten the present merchants into submission, and make changes with new tenants as they arrive while preserving your relationship with those merchants who made the market what it is today, which, if I may say, is an institution that the city should be proud of.
  16. Well no Rick's Rally today (I went to the market today and all I got was these two lousy t-shirts...just kidding!) But, in a bit of good news that has gone unannounced thus far, for all of you broccoli rabe fans out there, DiNic's did a trial run of broccoli rabe on Friday and Saturday. Admittedly, I was caught off guard by the news since I was looking forward to the usual roast pork with cheese and greens sandwich, and could not decide which to try. The stomach overruled the brain so my party and I tried both. I was initially hesitant about tinkering with a new sandwich since broccoli rabe can be bitter or chewy. However, DiNic's was neither. We went back and forth trying one sandwich and the other trying to decide which we liked better and enjoyed both immensely (and had no problem finishing off both of them). If push came to shove, I would give the nod to the broccoli rabe one because I think that the flavor of the rabe enhanced the flavor of the roast pork, as opposed to the sandwich with the greens, as the spinach flavor tended to hide the flavor of the pork a little bit. Don't get me wrong though, both sandwiches were absolute winners. Just another reason the maket can do without an unnamed new prospective tenant.
  17. then, Tony Luke dropping out of the deal means Rick's stays. ← I think whether Tony Luke's bows out or not depends on how much he is worried about padding his pockets versus doing "the right thing." Remember, he did say in the past that he was "approached" to come in (likely when the board realized that Rick was nixing reporting revenues and opening on Sunday). If I were Tony Luke, I'd want no part of this mess because obviously the board has an axe to grind, and Tony Luke is being used as a pawn to help justify the board's actions when in reality they would probably be just as happy to have any new tenant with a name that would help to sweep Rick out the back door. Like I said, if the real reason was that they wanted Tony Luke, they would find another space in the market to accomodate him but not at Rick's expense.
  18. KYW-1060 actually mentioned that the Dutch Festival would not be held this year in protest. Admittedly I will miss the animals that were usually in the Festival (I will never forget the year a sheep got loose and was almost hit by a SEPTA bus at 12th and Market before it was corralled by the time it got to Chestnut or another year an aminal of some sort (a goat?) found it's way into the fountain at Love Park) but I was one of the select few that was never a fan of the warm donuts (sorry Alvin!)... Who knows, perhaps if the board at the market recants, the Festival can be held later on. I did take a close look at the merchants who signed the petition in the Daily News. It seemed like the vast majority of tenants chimed in but noticed a few tenants did not sign. Should we boycott them for Rick's sake? See you on Saturday...
  19. Next Saturday is Save the Market Day starting at 10:00 AM (from the Inquirer:) Breaking News Posted on Wed, Jul. 18, 2007 Reading Terminal merchants rally behind Rick's The Reading Terminal Market Merchants Association has designated Saturday as "Save Rick's, Save The Market Day" in support of the beleaguered steak sandwich vendor, Rick Olivieri. There will be a news conference at 10 a.m. at Rick's Steaks. Speakers include past and present merchants and members of FORM (Friends of Rick's and the Market), Olivieri said. On June 28, the market's management told Olivieri that, after 25 years, it would not renew his lease and that he must leave the market by July 31. Market officials said the move was to bring a new face to the market. Olivieri says his eviction is retaliation for years of lease talks when he served as president of the Merchants Association. "After 25 years in the building, and having one of the busiest stores in the market, [the eviction] came out of the blue," said Olivieri. T-shirts, hats and buttons will be sold to raise funds for Olivieri's legal defense. The Merchants are demanding a new lease with Rick's Steaks be negotiated, said Olivieri, the self-proclaimed "Prince of Steaks," and grandson of Pat Olivieri, who opened Pat's King of Steaks at Ninth and Passyunk in 1930.
  20. There is a tiny unoccupied space in the back of the market adjacent to the Beer Garden (does anyone go there anyway?...another thread perhaps...) that is now occupied solely by large posters depicting old photographs of the market in the earlier years. It's not used for much (sans Santa around holiday time and does not have the appeal of say Macy*s light show). Anyway, if the board absolutely has the irresistible impulse (and I've even been kind enough to use legal terms here) to attract Tony Luke's to the market, why not offer them the vacant space there? It's just big enough for them to serve up cheesesteaks (but nothing else thank you), and then Rick could stay in the market. I'd bet he'd even don a Santa suit at the appropriate time of year.
  21. The problem with your argument the way I see it is that both Salumeria and Carmen's offer a far wider range of products than DiNic's, as their "bread and butter" if you will is their roast pork. I don't think it's fair to all of a sudden tell DiNic's to say, sell more sausage sandwiches, to make up for Tony Luke's. While there seems to be a pretty good demand for DiNic's sandwiches, you don't see lines there three rows deep like at Rick's. Which would lead me to believe that if Tony Luke's must come to the market, there is sufficient demand for a vendor just selling cheesesteaks.
  22. As a frequent customer, I can vouch that DiNic's will honor ANY requests--and they always do so with a smile. No bun, check. No meat, check. Sandwich to go for boyfriend's father, check (we'll give you the bread and meat separately so it doesn't get soggy.) Joe and his father value each of their customers and their individual needs, which is a dying trend in today's society. ← Tommy and Joe, Don't change a thing...nothing needs fixing! (Unless you can get the market to have a dedicated table for us closer to your stand so we do not have to walk to our usual eating location) This actually reminded me of something last week, as one of our friends at the market (the older woman who works at the Pennsylvania General Store on Satudays) noticed we were indulging in DiNic's sandwich and hovered in for a closer look. She told me that you have been nice enough to make a sandwich for her and her co-worker with half peppers and half greens so they can split the sandwich. See, that's good service!
  23. Indeed. Such is the peril of taking other people at face value and not fact-checking. The visit to RTM included both a Rick's Steak and crepe from Profi's, and the former wasn't purchased by me. Pardon the mix-up. ← Not a problem, it's how I go through life... See, the steaks from Rick's are indeed pretty good. Not a cheesesteak fan all that much but I'd say Ricks's is the best I've tried thus far. Stay tuned, as more drama awaits...
  24. Good call on Tony Luke's. I enjoyed one of their sandwiches yesterday. Shame about them losing their lease. ← I think you meant that Rick's Steaks is the stall that is not having it's lease renewed? We had a DiNic's Sandwich this past Saturday and it could not have been any better. The sandwich (and us) were sopping from all of the pork juices. It was rather interesting and educational to find out that the spinach greens (picked out of part of the sandwich by my son) were as spicy as they were when eaten by themselves. I never noticed that before but then again have never dissected the sandwich but always ate it all at once. Needless to say, if Tony Luke's winds up coming to the market and is permitted to sell roast pork, out of respect to DiNic's, I will not be supporting Tony Luke's.
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