Posted by
Danica Li on Sunday, April 13, 2008 03:00 am
Alex Filippenko wins again for being a crazy, awesome dude, the Bear’s Lair prevails as Berkeley’s best bar, and Chez Panisse still owns everyone and their mother. Which of these does not belong?
You’ve voted (or turned up your nose and refused to have anything to do with the process — either way), and the results are out. The Best of Berkeley 2008 results are up, and everything that won really is just a flipflop shuffle from the Units.
But the real upset comes at the bottom of the campus category: the Daily Cal’s own arts editorial staff chose our blogging cohorts at the OTR over yours truly. Shock! Awe! Good on you, OTR. In the meanwhile, we’re just going to be in this here corner dabbing at our jealous tears with a lacy handkerchief.
Best of Berkeley 2008 [Daily Cal]
Oh damn, a sneaky counter-punch from the ASUC. We told you about the anonymous petition plea that requests students thwart alleged ASUC efforts towards putting chains in the Bear’s Lair area. Well, it looks like the big-business-backing ASUC auxiliary is “Setting The Record Straight.” We’re just surprised they had the balls to do it on the restaurant owners’ home turf. This is getting more heated than a bowl of Heavenly Healthy Foods pho.
The Clog found petitions (click for readable version) on the tables in the Bear’s Lair yesterday. We aren’t sure who put them out, but we suspect Bear’s Lair restaurant proprietors are responsible.
The petitions call for students to support these businesses and let the ASUC senators know that they don’t want chain businesses, such as Starbucks and Panda Express, to replace them. They cite this story from the November Daily Cal article about the Coffee Spot’s uncertain future in particular.
Now it appears more is brewing. The CoCo has a story on the petitions and the status on the issue.
bq. Permaul would not confirm that the school has been talking to Starbucks or Panda Express, but he did mention Jamba Juice as being popular with students.
bq. Permaul said student focus groups held in January and recent surveys show that students want “more variety and better options.”
Must we point out that there is a Jamba Juice across the street? This is hardly variety.
The owners seem very distressed with the impending increase in fees and possible increases in rents that loom.
bq. “Now they are putting us under the gun,” said [Coffee Spot owner Haitham] Alloun. “They have not told me how much my rent is going to be if I want to stay. But they are bringing in Starbucks and Panda Express, and they want us to match their offer.”
bq. “If I don’t want to pay double, they will take away my kitchen to use for Panda Express,” said [Healthy Heavenly Foods owner] Mylinh Vu. “If I pay double and Panda comes in somewhere else, I will go out of business.”
Chains forcing out eateries, owners say [The CoCo]
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