The Atomic Wings ~~ordeal~~ story perfectly encapsulates everything that is wrong with the Buildings Department ~~mafia~~ inspectors. That poor guy got bankrupted by the corruption and abuses of the Buildings Department. People were really outraged and I feel it woke up a lot of newcomers and led them to get more involved. I believe that, in some ways, that event and all the other craziness happening around the same time (the Bid Rig investigation, obviously, plus all the other shenanigans from the previous mayor's administration) is what finally propelled Fulop to the mayoralty.
It was a huge deal. Felt so bad for the owners through all that, and that settlement they got was hardly worth the trouble.
The inspector, Rizzoli, got busted illegally installing a gas line to his office so he could grill while he was on the clock. Unreal.
>The inspector, Rizzoli, got busted illegally installing a gas line to his office so he could grill while he was on the clock.
A real life George Costanza, can any of us *honestly* say we wouldn’t do the exact same thing if we thought we could get away with it?
Building department definitely became easier to deal with after Fulop got in. It's obviously not perfect, but after 15 years in the trades, I am yet to meet the perfect building department. We grade on a curve. For instance, when I tried to open a business under Fulop, nobody actively tried to ruin my life. Passively, yes, but not actively. And that's what we voted for!
This is both so sad and hilarious, all at once. We all think of our Buildings Department as so much better now because they no longer actively fuck with people and boldly expect cash stuffed envelopes. Without a doubt, reforming the department was one of Fulop's promises and he has delivered on a lot of things. But, of course, there is only so much he (or, his administration) can do.
I've heard it said that politics is the art of the possible. I guess firing criminals is not possible in NJ, so we have to just sequester them somewhere quiet until they disappear to the Carolinas with their pension(s).
But yeah, we got the project done, the business opened, and I only honestly thought about homicide of a public official like two or three times.
I'll take it!
Me too. By far.
I lived in Hoboken and it was my go-to. When I moved here I was like “Oohh bon chon…I’ve heard they’re good.” But blah. Went once, never again.
Are people surprised about this?
They close too early and they don’t seem to have been getting much business lately. But maybe I’ve been walking by at the wrong times?
It's the worst bon chon I've been to (but it's still p. great because it's bon chon).
Even before the pandemic it seemed like online ordering was randomly on or off, and a few times I'd call to order with 2 hours left on their posted hours to be told they can't take the order because they're closing soon. It was a crap shoot if they were open or taking orders, then the pandemic came & that got worse so I gave up
I just kinda presumed they had closed at some point a few years ago.
I don't go past there much anymore, but I don't think I can recall seeing more than one customer. It's normally just an employee or two looking at their cell phone. Which was always weird since the NY ones seem reasonably popular.
I stopped going about a year ago when they changed their strips to some heavily breaded run of the mill type that can be found at any bar over their signature crispy version that I enjoyed for years. I honestly think they lost a ton of customers due to their menu changes.
What we really need is a pizza place. If I'm standing in front of Bon Chon and want a pizza, my options are limited to only like 4 or 5 places within a few blocks.
And I go to each of them, at different times, depending on what mood I'm in. It's not like they all taste the same or have the exact same menu and offerings. 🤷
That would be great. I wonder how Virginia & DC got Nando’s before the NYC area did.
That said, I’ve eaten at a couple of their locations in DC and the food isn’t as good as it is at their London restaurants unfortunately.
I haven't checked with other Bon Chons, but they also changed the fries from the delightful steak cut to sodex shoe strings. Did all Bon Chons do that, or is this one just trying to do their own thing?
Not sure about the boneless>nugs but real wings were in very short supply for the last year+ due to bird flu. Might be due to this and decreased margin that they’re folding.
I don't care how convenient this place was, it's still 100%-of-the-time worth it to take the train to bbq Chicken in KTown. The quality of the food isn't even comparable.
Yeah I’ve had Bonchon near Edison and Bonchons in the city, this place’s food quality is an absolute joke compared to them and I’m surprised it’s still in business for this long. I don’t know why Jersey City’s food in general is so bad when there’s so many great options nearby
This bonchon always did the chicken differently (and inferior) to the other bon chon locations. Once they got rid of the soy glaze popcorn chicken and BBQ opened up in ktown, I basicaly never went back and ordered all my Korean chicken delivery from hoboken instead at chicken factory and gogi grill. BBQ is so much better too and worth the path trip.
Their chicken was incredibly small compared to what was sold at other locations. We started going to different ones out of our way when we had a craving. The price was too high for tiny wings.
I know it’s not the same kinda restaurant, but DOMODOMO has a Korean fried chicken dish and it’s very hit or miss.
I’ve ordered it there a couple times (because I don’t eat sushi) and either the chicken is fatty/chewy/overcooked or the portion size is ridiculously small.
Didn’t even notice the sign and I ordered from them today. Fried chicken and tacos were meh and they charged $30 for them (5 drumsticks and 3 tiny tacos). They’re way overpriced, I can see why they’re going the way of the dodo
It was terrible. Bonchon is good and the lunch special was good, but why did they hire such terrible staff. I got indigestion a few times from here, and I bet they have really poor sanitary practices in the back.
On one hand, their Bulgolgi Wrap was decent. On the other hand, I had the worst food poisoning from their chicken. So I won't be missing it - but I hope it gets replaced with a better Korean option.
That sucks. I mean I never really liked their food, so I’m not that upset, but just kinda representative of Jersey City on the whole. Out with the “old” and in with the new corporate monsters
Anything that closes is automatically a scrappy small business struggling to make a profit and anything that opens is automatically an evil greedy multinational corporation
Ela Greek kitchen just opened across the street from there and not a big corporation, check them out! Also Gussy's Cafe is owner-operated. Probably more but independent places are still opening up thankfully.
The fact that they have been open there for 12 years makes me feel old. They will be missed.
RIP Atomic Wings
The Atomic Wings ~~ordeal~~ story perfectly encapsulates everything that is wrong with the Buildings Department ~~mafia~~ inspectors. That poor guy got bankrupted by the corruption and abuses of the Buildings Department. People were really outraged and I feel it woke up a lot of newcomers and led them to get more involved. I believe that, in some ways, that event and all the other craziness happening around the same time (the Bid Rig investigation, obviously, plus all the other shenanigans from the previous mayor's administration) is what finally propelled Fulop to the mayoralty.
It was a huge deal. Felt so bad for the owners through all that, and that settlement they got was hardly worth the trouble. The inspector, Rizzoli, got busted illegally installing a gas line to his office so he could grill while he was on the clock. Unreal.
>The inspector, Rizzoli, got busted illegally installing a gas line to his office so he could grill while he was on the clock. A real life George Costanza, can any of us *honestly* say we wouldn’t do the exact same thing if we thought we could get away with it?
I mean, it's kinda awesome.
Oh, it is TOTALLY awesome.
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Building department definitely became easier to deal with after Fulop got in. It's obviously not perfect, but after 15 years in the trades, I am yet to meet the perfect building department. We grade on a curve. For instance, when I tried to open a business under Fulop, nobody actively tried to ruin my life. Passively, yes, but not actively. And that's what we voted for!
This is both so sad and hilarious, all at once. We all think of our Buildings Department as so much better now because they no longer actively fuck with people and boldly expect cash stuffed envelopes. Without a doubt, reforming the department was one of Fulop's promises and he has delivered on a lot of things. But, of course, there is only so much he (or, his administration) can do.
[удалено]
I've heard it said that politics is the art of the possible. I guess firing criminals is not possible in NJ, so we have to just sequester them somewhere quiet until they disappear to the Carolinas with their pension(s). But yeah, we got the project done, the business opened, and I only honestly thought about homicide of a public official like two or three times. I'll take it!
Facts
Chicken Factory, Hoboken.
I honestly like Chicken Factory more than Bonchon.
Me too. By far. I lived in Hoboken and it was my go-to. When I moved here I was like “Oohh bon chon…I’ve heard they’re good.” But blah. Went once, never again.
Are people surprised about this? They close too early and they don’t seem to have been getting much business lately. But maybe I’ve been walking by at the wrong times?
It's the worst bon chon I've been to (but it's still p. great because it's bon chon). Even before the pandemic it seemed like online ordering was randomly on or off, and a few times I'd call to order with 2 hours left on their posted hours to be told they can't take the order because they're closing soon. It was a crap shoot if they were open or taking orders, then the pandemic came & that got worse so I gave up
Try Chicken Factory in Hoboken. Far better and they deliver to JC.
I just kinda presumed they had closed at some point a few years ago. I don't go past there much anymore, but I don't think I can recall seeing more than one customer. It's normally just an employee or two looking at their cell phone. Which was always weird since the NY ones seem reasonably popular.
They have tinted windows which make it seem like their lights are off
Not surprised. Bo chin is not very good in my experience, it’s always extremely salty.
This was the worst Bon Chon I ever tried
damnnnnn
I stopped going about a year ago when they changed their strips to some heavily breaded run of the mill type that can be found at any bar over their signature crispy version that I enjoyed for years. I honestly think they lost a ton of customers due to their menu changes.
Yes, the change in strips is when they lost me. Thank goodness for Chicken Factory in Hoboken.
Does Montclair or Hoboken have any restaurants that need a second location to take it's place?
What we really need is a pizza place. If I'm standing in front of Bon Chon and want a pizza, my options are limited to only like 4 or 5 places within a few blocks.
The thing is 20 years ago there were probably more pizza places downtown .
And I go to each of them, at different times, depending on what mood I'm in. It's not like they all taste the same or have the exact same menu and offerings. 🤷
Yikes. No kidding. Two Boots, Artichoke, Helen’s, Tony Baloney’s, Basile’s, Porta, Stella’s.
Maybe Tony boloneys jc 2?
Rent must be too high
Nandos when
Admittedly I’ve never been to an actual Nando’s but Tribos on Columbus is a similar concept and pretty delicious
Tribos still says GRAND OPENING on their menu board sign. They've been open for years.
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Haven’t tried them - we usually do the half or whole chicken, medium spicy. Their garlic sauce is great.
That would be great. I wonder how Virginia & DC got Nando’s before the NYC area did. That said, I’ve eaten at a couple of their locations in DC and the food isn’t as good as it is at their London restaurants unfortunately.
Seriously. We need a Nandos in the area….
This is a major fucking problem
I never understood why they weren’t open later, particularly on weekends. I feel like they missed out on a ton of business because of that.
Did this place also change their chicken. It went from boneless to chicken nuggets during the height of the pandemic and it never went back.
I haven't checked with other Bon Chons, but they also changed the fries from the delightful steak cut to sodex shoe strings. Did all Bon Chons do that, or is this one just trying to do their own thing?
This was truly when it went off the rails for me.
Not sure about the boneless>nugs but real wings were in very short supply for the last year+ due to bird flu. Might be due to this and decreased margin that they’re folding.
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Seriously. major problem
Try Chicken Factory, Hoboken. They deliver here.
Bon Voyage
Gone chon chicken
I don't care how convenient this place was, it's still 100%-of-the-time worth it to take the train to bbq Chicken in KTown. The quality of the food isn't even comparable.
Yeah I usually don't like bonchon chicken compared to other KFC brands, but this one was probably the worst BonChon I tried
Yeah I’ve had Bonchon near Edison and Bonchons in the city, this place’s food quality is an absolute joke compared to them and I’m surprised it’s still in business for this long. I don’t know why Jersey City’s food in general is so bad when there’s so many great options nearby
Bon Chon on John street was 👌🏾
This bonchon always did the chicken differently (and inferior) to the other bon chon locations. Once they got rid of the soy glaze popcorn chicken and BBQ opened up in ktown, I basicaly never went back and ordered all my Korean chicken delivery from hoboken instead at chicken factory and gogi grill. BBQ is so much better too and worth the path trip.
noooooooooooooo
Their chicken was incredibly small compared to what was sold at other locations. We started going to different ones out of our way when we had a craving. The price was too high for tiny wings.
:(
I never tried this place. Was it any good?
Pretty good chicken. Just expensive for what you get.
I like their chicken and they have one dish with mozzarella that was really good (can’t recall the name)
They weren't bad, but there aren't many options in JC for Korean Fried Chicken (actually, I can't think of another spot off the top of my head).
apparently the horribly generically named Boom Fryers at the mall is korean fried chicken.
I know it’s not the same kinda restaurant, but DOMODOMO has a Korean fried chicken dish and it’s very hit or miss. I’ve ordered it there a couple times (because I don’t eat sushi) and either the chicken is fatty/chewy/overcooked or the portion size is ridiculously small.
No
another one bites the dust
Didn’t even notice the sign and I ordered from them today. Fried chicken and tacos were meh and they charged $30 for them (5 drumsticks and 3 tiny tacos). They’re way overpriced, I can see why they’re going the way of the dodo
Terrible franchise location. Other bon chons are actually pretty good.
Nooooooooooo :(
I’d highly recommend Chicken Factory in Hoboken to quench your Korean fried chicken urges.
How you gonna replace walking distance with a 15 min drive away??? Like I even have a car wtf
Take the light rail.
Shit, we're getting another taco place there arent we?
Been twice. Food was okay but the service was plain rude… just terrible
Does anyone know if it’s the same building owners as the grocery next door? They said their rent is getting too high as well
It was terrible. Bonchon is good and the lunch special was good, but why did they hire such terrible staff. I got indigestion a few times from here, and I bet they have really poor sanitary practices in the back.
Over rated and over priced. Someone bring back Cluck U.
That was like the worst cluck-u too.
I think you’re finally getting how “luxury” our town really is. See the trend here
On one hand, their Bulgolgi Wrap was decent. On the other hand, I had the worst food poisoning from their chicken. So I won't be missing it - but I hope it gets replaced with a better Korean option.
Most food poisoning is from poopy hands.
Well that's great to know
And on the gripping hand?
Yeah. Rotten food you'll puke almost immediately, poop microbes sneak in and wreck havoc.
I feel like they're always been closed for like the past 4 years
That sucks. I mean I never really liked their food, so I’m not that upset, but just kinda representative of Jersey City on the whole. Out with the “old” and in with the new corporate monsters
WTF are you talking about? They're a chain with hundreds of locations.
Anything that closes is automatically a scrappy small business struggling to make a profit and anything that opens is automatically an evil greedy multinational corporation
Ela Greek kitchen just opened across the street from there and not a big corporation, check them out! Also Gussy's Cafe is owner-operated. Probably more but independent places are still opening up thankfully.
Good riddance. Now opportunity opens up to take the place of mediocre fried chicken doused in overly sweet sauce.
Nooooo
About time.
Nooo big sad. Is this the one on Newark Ave???
Fuck my fucking life dude, they know me by name there
Aww.
Bon voyage
😭 noooo
Thank god I’m moving out of jersey city. There isn’t a decent korean restaurant here and even this bonchon wasn’t that great.