The corner deli is a fact of life in cities, but so are complaints about those delis, especially on Buffalo's East Side. A meeting at Kensington-Bailey Neighborhood Housing Services brought together both sides in this long-running fight to talk about the problems.
Delis have been the subject of complaints for years. The problems have ranged from crime and sales of illegal materials, to outdated food. The Buffalo Common Council responded with a licensing system, which can shut down bad delis, and an inspection system in some Council districts.
University District Council Member Rasheed Wyatt said the license renewal process has pushed bad stores into improvements, and pushed some out of business. Wyatt says community groups want good delis.
"This form that we provide... really lends itself for us to weed those groups out, as well as give us support if we need to have them shut down," Wyatt said. "I have organizations, block clubs... a lot of different groups that are mobilized to make certain that we get quality delis in our community."
Another complaint is that delis don't sell fresh, nutritious foods. The owner of Urban Fruits & Veggies, Allison DeHonney, said her company can provide that food.
"We're right in the city, we are urban, we grow urban, so we are the closest to those stores," DeHonney noted. "I think that's very important that the urban farms service the urban stores."
Wyatt said there was a strong effort to get deli owners to attend the meeting, and some were there to defend their stores and the services they provide.
