This fall, expect to see plenty of silver spandex-wearing hipsters slurping milkshakes and chomping onion rings downtown: Bedford Chickenburger owner Mickey MacDonald plans to open up a second Chickenburger just off Spring Garden Road, in the lot beside American Apparel on Queen Street.
Bernard Smith, of the Spring Garden Road Business Association, says he welcomes construction of a new Chickenburger, as he thinks the restaurant has the potential to attract business downtown. But the new Chickenburger opens amidst some controversy, as some expected the site to become a free studio/gallery space for local artists.
“It all started as a good deed,” says MacDonald, who had been donating space in the lot’s original building to Connections, a local non-profit organization. The IMF (which stands for Intelligent Mother Fuckers), a local rap crew including Mike Mcguire (AKA Hermitofthewoods) and Coast freelancer Michael Kimber, were working with Connections in hopes of creating a place for impoverished artists called “The Spot.” Connections staff declined to be interviewed about losing the space.
“I always try to work with the kids and try to create environments where the youth can be constructive, and that’s what I was trying to do there,” says MacDonald. “I don’t know who’s fault it was, but a window was broken and left open and a pipe broke and unfortunately ruined the building, and the building had to be torn down.”
MacDonald says he was unable to get the full value of his property back from his insurance company and the funds weren’t available to build a new spot for The Spot. “We lost quite a bit of money on that property,” he laments. Though MacDonald’s not actively working with Connections anymore, he says he will continue working to improve the lives of youth at risk through donations to Capital Health and an after-school program at his Gottingen Street boxing club Palooka’s.
This article appears in Jan 14-20, 2010.
Why not get IMF to rap at the new Chickenburger? Something to satisfy both parties.
It could go a little something like this…
OK, not now, it’s too late, but I can come up with something clever later after I think it through a bit more I promise. I would suck at a proper rap battle, I know.
Looking forward to the new CB!
A new CB would be a welcome addition to SGR.
Hopefully a new restaurant will mean a new direction for CB in general. The quality has nosedived in recent years, and they need to pick it up, lest it just become a tourist trap.
Awesome, I loved the food, hopefully it will change the feel of fastfood downtown.
I always have found the Chickenburger to be tasteless mush, but the shakes are OK.
In my humble opinion, there needs not to be another Chickenburger. The Innes’ probably could’ve expanded 100 times over, but didn’t. Some things don’t need to be bigger to be better. Mr. MacDonald should concentrate on keeping The Chickenburger as top notch as it was before he owned it, and leave that area of downtown to what should be there: A new library, local commerce, and maybe even a performance/arts venue. Downtown has enough food choices.
oh, the ‘poor’ art community. Always down on its luck and looking for handouts. Go hit up The Fountains.
Am I allowed to eat there if I’m not a “silver spandex-wearing hipster?”
Wha…? No free hang out space for the “artists’ and “rap crews” (?) to party in, get high and break stuff…I can’t believe it!
What kind of message does this send to our youth?
See, society doesn’t want us to make art, man, they think we should have to get, like, um, jobs and shit! They want to oppress my art, man…how can I do art if I gotta get up early?!
Makes me so mad, bro’….I think I’m gonna make some art right now, where’s my spray paint!?
Oh, man! Ned spilled ink all over my poems. He’s a real flat tire, I mean a cube, man. He’s putting us on the train to Squaresville, Mona!
Ugh, the classic “we already have enough of X!” attitude. Why do people feel like they can personally speak for everybody else and know details about how businesses will operate and how they will perform? I’d love a new Chickenburger downtown. An arts centre would be okay too, but the building was ruined and expecting this guy to shell out cash for a replacement that will generate zero revenue for him is just not fair.
Once again The Coast wows us with half-baked ideas based on information from sources who haven’t been involved with the “art centre” project for more than half a year. Journalism fail.
sniffy…if you’ve got the cash to pay, I’m willing to bet on you being able to eat there, spandex or not !
I think free art sucks. People should always have to pay for art. Please start forcing people to pay to read this website.
Christ….must we bring over-hyped chicken burger slop to the downtown? Retro-chic interiors do nothing to mask to gristly tasteless food.
bluegreenred says “maybe even a performance/arts venue.” there already is one on SGR, it’s the bums asking for spare change.
People bitch about starbucks/mcdees/timmies and then bitch about local independent eateries. Halifax should just fall into a black hole, we deserve it.
What can you say? Money talks and socialism walks. You want a free art studio you gotta come up with the cash or else set up a both on by the gardens like all the other struggling artists. That just happens to be the world we live in.
chickenburger sucks! the last thing the downtown needs is more mediocre greasy food choices! capitalism sucks!
halifax fails AGAIN.
Why is it that artist are the only “hard-working” (somewhat laughable) people who think they should be given things for free. As an example, do you ever here young farmers complaining that they should be given land and barns for free. No. They bite the bullet, work their ass off and eventually buy what they need. For the love of god, I love the arts in all its forms, but if you folks want a stable, long term venue for your hobbies (note hobbies) then maybe you should form a co-op, work like stink for a few years and then own something that no one can take away from you. Shit, if anyone can name one piece of art that has ever actually made a significant, progressive political difference I’ll consider changing my opinion. But as it stands, art is fun and important only to those individuals who partake – it is not a significant political act! I agree that capitalism, sucks, but, until we’ve achieved some form of proletarian revolution we’ve got to be realistic about how the world works, and that means nothing’s free.
Young Farmer & Musician
the chicken burger is an institution!
that is, where it is. nowhere else.
fact however, the food does suck. frozen fries. boiled chicken. soggy buns. the shakes are alright but nothing about the food is special. it’s the destination. the drive. the feel. the vibe. the show of all the action with 20 people too many behind the counter always keeping busy.
much of this has changed BTW since it’s sale.
IE: not as clean. not as many staff. computerized. smaller portions.
bottom line. there is no way it is going to work for the long term downtown. it will be sad to see it 3-5 years down the road empty and losing money (not that the owner will care much but long time it will be a money pit) or it will be having to change its menu in order to adapt to the customers. selling cappuccino’s – smooothies – and salads. That’s not the Chicken Burger.
Hopefully he’s not stupid enough to try to franchise it.
We’ll just have to see.
WTF? Mickey Big Bucks wants to put a Chicken Burger on Spring Garden and people are complaining? I say go for it Mickey. It will be a hell of a lot better than some of the slop we’ve got down there now? Donairs and the Pizza Corner… Gag !!
I liked the Chicken Burger model – always have. If he pulls this off it will be a really unique Halifax experience. Personally, I think the Big Palooka is a one-hit-wonder and doesn’t have the balls or the smarts. Bring it Mickey… let’s see what you’ve got Old Dog.
Unless he builds a second Chick, tearing down the original, which is on some fairly primo land, will catch more static.
The few times I went to the chicken burger I wasn’t impressed and I remember a burger crumbling into pieces…
However, i will give this new one a chance at least.