Buffalo Rising Online

Not to mention Spot at the other end of the block. I'm confident that there are enough workers in this area to support all three.

This is the kind of economic development that creates good things! They know how many people drink coffee and eat donuts in this town.

Finally something to put in those windows and draw attention away from the "architecture". This building is simply heinous.

great!

Bout time we get some donuts downtown. I work on the Theatre District and would love to have some quick breakfast fix and coffee.

Its about time that two well known chains with excellant quality and reasonable prices opened up downtown. I am sick and damned tired of these rinky dink, high priced, mom and pop joints trying to monopolize every business area in this city. Both Tim Horton's and Dunkin Donuts will be a perfectly good fit for downtown.

If it ever gets cold....I look forward to some ice skating and Timmy Ho's

Not just Spot Coffee Edward Street but also the Starbuck's accross the street form it. So we have 4 coffee/doghnut stores in a couple block stretch-pretty sweet!

First time I've seen "mom and pop" equated with "monopolize". Bizarre.

By the way, as locally-owned franchises, both Tim Horton's and Dunkin Donuts are "mom and pop" operations.

Where's the McDonald's now? A downtown without a McD's is like... well, it's like modern-day Buffalo.

McD's can stay out. I forgot about Starbucks... I never go in it. Honestly I'll probably keep going to Spot, but getting chains downtown is a positive sign to other larger stores (retailers I hope). I can imagine that having Tim Ho's in Key Center will make life easier for people who work there.

these are nice baby steps toward getting actual retail downtown.

DJK complains too much. Welcome Dunkin Donuts.

With so many office workers in this location, donuts have always been missing from the conference rooms and kitchens. And has anyone had a Dunkin Donuts Breakfast sandwige and coffee? They are GREAT! and so cheap. Yes, where is McDonalds and Burger King, I miss them too.

will these places have hours comparable to their other locations...or will they operate like most other businesses downtown and close at 6 p.m... not opening the doors at all on the weekend?

Don't forget about the Subway and Jim's Steak Out on Chippewa St. It's too bad Subway keeps closing earlier and earlier. When they first opened a few years ago, they were open till 3am on Friday and Saturday nights. I have to wonder if there will ever be a Mighty Taco on or around Chippewa St?

EdStreet.- I hate SPOT, the employees are dirty and have way too many freakin piercings and weird things going on with them. Starbucks is a much higher quality product and environment, much more professional

ironically says mulletman

;)

I live at the end of Chippewa (where the shooting occurred). We constantly have Tim Hortons, Starbucks and Spot Coffee cups discarded on our lawn by office workers on the way to the I-190. Now we'll have even more Tim Horton's cups and additional Dunkin Donuts cups. Suburb folks - downtown is not your playground and dumping grounds!

Good news about the increased business!

Breaking news: Buffalo heart attacks on the rise, cause unknown.

Finally, we're starting to get a downtown that actually looks like a downtown with businesses filling in the vacant spaces. Trust me, you can't have too many options when it comes to food or coffee. Once I counted 13 coffee shops in a one mile stretch of Yonge St. in TO. Now, now I know we're not anywhere close to TO in terms of population and business but this is definately a start. Also, it's a good thing for all the new apartments, etc. opening up on Main.

peanut stick, even the dunkin donuts in bigger downtowns (philadelphia, boston) close after the office crowd goes home. i wouldn't expect them to stay open later here. not terrible, considering Spot is open till 11. i would think they would be open saturdays, potentially not sundays.

I've often wondered why Mighty Taco doesn't open up a place downtown? Even if they closed early, the money made from their lunch time business would be more than enough to keep it going.

Edward St...what is wrong with having a McDonalds downtown? At one time there was a John & Mary's, Burger King, McDonalds and Arbys all downtown within a stones throw of each other. Now all are gone. Not every restaurant has to be some trendy bistro. Sometimes people just want to grab a quick bite to eat.

Spot actually cleaned up their image. They listened to the complaints from the scared Suburbanites that the tattoo's and piercings scared them and made them think they were dirty. So they told the employees to try and curb the physical expressions of their independence.

Forget lunch time, what about a place for a late night snake on weekends for the bar-drinking crowd?

that is "snack" not "snake, doh!

I hope these new places will be open DAILY and LATE, unlike Vito's and Edrito's which is only open for lunch M-F. When Edrito's first opened, it was open for dinner. What happend? They didn't lack the customers, the patio was always full at night.

Ken -

No, not everything has to be a bistro. I wouldn't mind a Mighty Taco (in fact I'd love it), but McDonalds is akin to the devil. They are not good neighbors (in many ways.. built space, pollution, animal abuse, human abuse, gastrointestinal, etc). Just my opinion, but I wouldn't mind if McD's and Burger Thing were wiped off the face of the earth. I've got no problem with burgers, but if you think that's what you're getting when you order a Big Mac, you're sorely mistaken. And as far as built space goes... I used to work in a place that had a McD's across the street. and mostly what I saw was cars backed up into the street trying to get to the drive through, and then people tossing burger wrappers, paper bags, and fry boxes out of their windows as they left the drive through line or parking lot. I doubt that McD's would open a pedestrian only first floor of a multiuse building store here like they have in heavier populated (tourist) areas.

As for Spot and their staff... I love it, and liked it much more before they toned it down so as not to scare away the yuppies. It freaks me out much less than Starbucks or Tim Hortons uniforms and Starbucks' contrived attempt at "atmosphere" is awful. Despite the uniforms, Tim Horton's coffee is good though. For just plain old coffee I think Tim Horton's is better than Spot. But for a latte or espresso or some other drink and a place to sit and spend an hour talking or working Spot or Aroma are hands down the best.

Where did you hear the news about Tim's and Key Center? Last I heard, they were coming to HSBC Center. I hope this plan hasn't changed. Speaking for the entire building's population, we are waiting with bated breath. I'm not looking forward to crushing their hopes. Enjoying this discussion, and all other BR ones, very much!

MIGHTY TACO.....MIGHTY TACO.......Are you listening??? We need you downtown or on Elmwood. Come home to your waiting customers. 25-years ago I was one of your nightly customers on Bailey Ave. at 3:30 AM. You are neglecting a previously established demographic of your market. It's not all about drive threws...

Mighty Taco? Why? We already have some Mexican nearby. I use to love Mighty but since I've tasted Salsarita's on Delaware and Chippewa I just can't eat there much anymore.

Yes it's more expensive but very good. It's a locally owned franchise of a small but growing company. Ok... this probably belongs on the Yumi board.

Ken,

Good call on the mighty taco. I work downtown and have gone so far as to walk to my car and drive to the mighty taco up near the Austin St. exit of the 190 for a lunchtime Mighty Taco fix. Sure, Salsaritas is good, but sometimes you just need a $.99 bean burrito and a loganberry!

They have locations seemingly everywhere else in WNY, and I've always wondered why not downtown.

Someone should contact Mighty Taco headquarters and ask "Why not downtown?". I would luv to see them here too. I don't drive, so drive threws mean nothing to me, a nice Jims Steakout size Mighty Taco is all we need.

The Mighty Taco is also a locally owned and Buffalo born chain.

I was just talking to my wife a couple of weeks ago, wondering why there are no Tim Horton's downtown. They have, what, 100 stores in Erie County already?? The Double D and Tim's will have an abundance of customers -- this is definitely a win-win for the companies and downtown workers.

If McDonald's moves into a retail space on the bottom floor of an office building, how would that create a bad neighbor with an ugly building? It would create a small amount of jobs, perhaps boost ridership on the subway, and keep a few teens out of trouble and off of Channel 4 every night at 6.

Just my thoughts

laura, Tim Hortons is opening two locations. An outlet-style store in the HSBC Center and a full-scale restaurant in the Key Center. You can assure your co-workers that nothing has changed. As for the design of the building, I don't really mind it. It has glass, took up a parking lot, and, best of all, comes to the street!

I was back in Buffalo a couple years ago for a summer job and couldn't believe the lack of Starbucks, etc. and the lack of lunch options. Living in San Francisco, it was a bit of a shock to go back. I don't expect SF type options but the demand is certainly there as my coworkers also couldn't stand the few options available. Also, most of the lunch/coffee places close down in SF for the entire weekend and close down really early during the week too.

cool beans

Hey Edward Street, Starbucks is definately the best coffee in town, you should try it. Spot is all right but it cannot compare to Starbucks, no way.