A Closer Look At Philadelphia’s Food Desert

Downtown Philadelphia, aka Center City, once had a wide selection of delicatessens and fast-food restaurants. These food establishments served thousands of office workers in the city back then. Unfortunately, the pandemic and lockdowns put an end to all that. The George Floyd riots in 2020 also played a part in the downfall of the Philly food desert. Such unrest resulted in the destruction of a famous McDonald’s near Rittenhouse Square and the closure of a large WAWA on South Broad Street near City Hall.

Effects of the Pandemic to Restaurants in Philly

In the following months, several fast-food restaurants and cafés closed. It includes a popular Burger King at Eighth and Market Streets and another WAWA next to Macy’s. The said convenience store had become a sort of replacement for the closed eateries but ceased operations in late 2021 due to a shoplifting incident.

Small cafés and fast-food restaurants are now gone from Center City. Cities need various options, from hole-in-the-wall coffee and bagel shops to the overpriced fusion Martini restaurant. Tourists would find it hard to find casual eateries, especially in Philly’s Society Section. Even those looking for a simple hamburger must now consider the more expensive cost to get one.

However, it’s business as usual for fast-food outlets and cafés in the Philadelphia neighborhood. It seems that only the dining spots in Center City have been affected by the events in the last couple of years.  

The last remaining fast-food venue in Center City is a little Wendy’s tucked under a web of scaffolding and partly hidden by the Wells Fargo Bank’s signage. How it managed to thrive amidst the troubles of the last few years is still a puzzle. This Wendy’s branch is so popular that lines always form at the service counters. It also offers indoor seating, unlike the fast-food restaurants in the neighborhoods, which usually have take-out service only.

COVID-19-Related Protocols Ignored By REstaurants in Philly Food Desert

The city urged restaurants and other food establishments to require customers to wear indoor masks. In addition, the city had mandated that patrons should show proof of vaccination before dining indoors. But the requirement regarding proof of vaccination had an odd effect on Philly restaurants. For example, Wendy’s ignores the particular regulation and the always-crowded Café Ole in Old City.

Café Olé, with its complete lunch menu of organic cold and hot delicacies, is one of the few remaining cafés in the city, aside from Starbucks. Café Olé removed its indoor-mask policy more than a year ago, although there’s still criticism over this. The restaurant continues to do so today, deliberately ignoring the January 2022 order on indoor masks.  

Responses to the city regulations constantly vary according to the venue. Some events don’t require proof of vaccination but implement a hard-core mask mandate.

Mild panic over the Omicron variant caused major institutions like the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia to go back to Zoom meetings. Small private clubs have also followed suit, while the theatre operators have taken different methods. Some companies have been locked into online meetings since 2020. But big theaters such as the Merriam, the Forest, and the Walnut Street Theater are planning to slowly re-open this spring.

Street Eateries

The birth of so-called street eateries during the pandemic has helped restaurants survive. Sadly, these dining options stand empty during the winter months. Philadelphia’s city council needed to decide whether to allow the expanded street eateries to operate permanently, despite Center City’s narrow sidewalks. Council President Darrell Clarke opposed this idea. He introduced a bill that would extend the temporary outdoor dining only until June 30.

When it comes to pandemic guidelines, nothing is permanent in Philadelphia. In mid-February, the city announced eliminating vaccine passport requirements for restaurants. The news earned positive responses even though many restaurants announced that they would keep the vaccination requirement as a safety measure. And on March 3, the city finally lifted its indoor mask mandate, except on public transportation. But we can’t even tell what may happen in the future.

And for other news about Philly, read more here at Owner’s Mag!