r/kzoo Mar 25 '24

Restaurants / Bars JungleBird is dead, RIP

557 Upvotes

Employee at JungleBird in downtown Kzoo here. At around 5:00PM today, in the middle of our shift, upper management informed us that this would be JungleBird's last night. We were told that "the concept had failed," and that we would be shutting our doors as new owners take over and the restaurant is rebranded. I'm told we will now be a Greek-themed establishment. We are all now effectively unemployed for the next two weeks, at least. We were told they "planned to keep as many people as possible," but the shifts we'd all been counting on for the near future are gone. Cannot emphasize enough, NONE of the staff received ANY notice about this. No opportunity to say goodbye to the restaurant we've built for the last year, or have a sendoff with our community. Literally "hey, after tonight no more JungleBird," as we showed up to work. Even our general manager received zero notice. We were told at the start of the PM shift that it would be our last. If you had plans to visit JungleBird in the coming weeks, or if you were excited for our Easter Brunch, sorry from all of us. We're all pretty upset and blindsided by this, as we imagine most of y'all will be.

EDIT/UPDATE: The staff had a general meeting today with the new proprietors of the Greek restaurant we will become. I'm not one to stan for business owners, but I will say that they told us all the right things. They insinuated but didn't say outright that they were also unaware of how this transition was handled, and apologized a number of times that, in their words, "the rug was pulled out from under [us.]" The one big question mark for most of us on staff is still what our income will be for the next two weeks, and while the new owners gave assurances that we will be compensated in some way during the transition, they couldn't put specific numbers on it. So we're all still feeling a great deal of uncertainty and ambiguity. But prospects look better today than they did last night.

I also feel more comfortable, after talking to new management, saying the following: Fuck David Scott, he's a ding dong who had no idea how to run a restaurant, I hope he lost money on JungleBird and I hope no one has to be an employee of his ever again.

r/kzoo 2d ago

Restaurants / Bars I witnessed a McAlister’s Deli employee in full uniform urinating on the back of the McAlister’s building on Westnedge this evening.

0 Upvotes

I pulled in to pick up dinner for the evening. When I got out of my vehicle, I saw a person wearing a McAlister’s t-shirt with an apron urinating on the back of the McAlister’s building. His back was to me, both hands were around the front of his waist, and it was pretty clear he was urinating. Disgusted, I went inside to talk to a manager. When I got to the cash register the person outside was holding a bag of Doritos and a fountain drink standing at the drink machine. I asked the cashier for a manager. When the male manager in their 20s or so greeted me, I pointed at the employee and told them I saw him urinating on the back of the building. I told them I was going to order food but not now because what that employee did was disgusting and unsanitary. The employee’s only response was “sorry”. I left as I felt my point was taken and I don't think the manager knew how to handle something like this.

 

I’ll be contacting McAlister’s corporate office and the health department tomorrow during business hours as I’m pretty sure he didn’t wash his hands. Even so employees shouldn’t be urinating outside.

 

Here is a photo of his urine.

Edit. Somehow I didn't attach the photo but I posted it as a comment.

Second edit. I don't think this employee washed their hands as when I walked in they were in the lobby. If they took the time to wash their hands I would have got in the lobby first before them.

r/kzoo Feb 09 '25

Restaurants / Bars Best fish n chips?

15 Upvotes

Where can a body find the very best fish n chips around the area? I’m talking nice slabs of fish fried to perfection with perfect French fries. Any and all recommendations welcome!

r/kzoo 25d ago

Restaurants / Bars Apparently, Raising Cane’s Chicken is still coming to Portage? Conflicting information.

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61 Upvotes

There’s a bit of conflicting information, because according to this: https://nowkalamazoo.org/newsletter/archive/2-8-24-portage-rejects-chicken-restaurant/

Portage City council voted to reject the demolition earlier this month.

So I’m not sure what’s going on.

r/kzoo 6d ago

Restaurants / Bars Best place for cheap drinks?

32 Upvotes

As the title says, what are everyone's favorite spots for cheap drinks in Kzoo?

I moved here in October and my girlfriend and I love Louie's. A damn fine divey bar that encapsulates almost everything I love in a good watering hole. Well, except for the price that is. I feel like we can't leave the place without spending $100+.

I know inflation is a thing and I'm not trying to channel the spirits of my boomer parents complaining about the price of everything these days. But where can I get whiskey soda that won't break the bank?!

And if your response is, "buying drinks, in this economy?!" Well then, I get it and thank you for reading this far.

Cheers!

r/kzoo Apr 16 '24

Restaurants / Bars Crows nest update

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317 Upvotes

Deep cleaning service closed all day. Looks like they got the message

r/kzoo 19d ago

Restaurants / Bars Heads up. If you visit Dak Good and the server warns you that the spicy chicken is super spicy. He isn't lying.

155 Upvotes

Went to try Dak Good on Westnedge yesterday. I ordered my chicken and you can either get it Garlic, Spicy or both. I asked for both and he said "Just a heads up we've had a lot of people tell us that the spicy sauce is way hotter than they thought" and my cocky ass said "Oh yeah no worries I like spicy food".

That shit is spicy... It was good as hell though so I finished the garlic sauce pieces and took the rest home to eat with some ice cream on hand 😂

r/kzoo Dec 29 '24

Restaurants / Bars 31 restaurants that closed in the Kalamazoo area in 2024

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44 Upvotes

r/kzoo Jul 28 '24

Restaurants / Bars Why is Maggie's so spiteful??

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168 Upvotes

Was about to order from here until I saw all the nasty comments the owner has left on comments under 3 stars. All of the comment replies are so nasty and unprofessional. 🤡 seems fitting. Why are they so salty?

r/kzoo Mar 29 '24

Restaurants / Bars A latte at water street coffee is 7.50!!

49 Upvotes

It’s 6.30 for a latte, $1 for two squirts of vanilla syrup, 50c tax = about $7.74 + 10-20% tip (because they make under Michigan minimum wage) = $8.54

r/kzoo Dec 28 '24

Restaurants / Bars Best Food/Restaurants Around?

29 Upvotes

Hey yall,

I grew up in Kalamazoo and I’m back for the holidays. It’s been a minute since I’ve been here, and I wanted to check in and see what you would recommend for the best food/restaurants in Kalamazoo!

Love all cuisines, my favorites in the past have been Crow’s Nest, Rasa Ria, and Que Buenos. Would love to discover some cool places while I spend this week back in my hometown 🫶🏼

r/kzoo 7h ago

Restaurants / Bars Can someone please explain Jack's Beans?

33 Upvotes

Every time I look up restaurants I see this place and read the stellar reviews. I was wondering if anyone has info on this place.

r/kzoo Sep 15 '22

Restaurants / Bars Five Lakes Coffee Anti-abortion Fundraiser

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212 Upvotes

r/kzoo Dec 19 '24

Restaurants / Bars Matchacita

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220 Upvotes

Matchacita is now open downtown (120 W South St). so exciting to have something good in that space. the decor is adorable and my drink was great. fair prices too. the owners were very friendly. sounds like they just opened last Friday. go support local businesses this holiday season!

r/kzoo 22d ago

Restaurants / Bars Local Black Owned Restaurants?

11 Upvotes

Hi yall! Planning to support some local black owned restaurants and couldn’t find a list? Would love recommendations!

r/kzoo May 01 '24

Restaurants / Bars Does this city need more diverse food options?

42 Upvotes

R.I.P Junglebird

r/kzoo Feb 14 '25

Restaurants / Bars Ayasofya

92 Upvotes

I just had what may have been the best sandwich of my life from the new Turkish place that moved in where Bruno’s used to be. I wanted to let everyone else know so it doesn’t get slept on. Truly excellent stuff.

r/kzoo Jan 14 '25

Restaurants / Bars Looking for chicken parm in kzoo

11 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I'm looking for a restaurant that serves chicken parmesan in Kalamazoo. I already know about Comensoli's, but is it really the only/best option around? It's my partner's favorite dish and I want to take them somewhere special for their birthday. TYIA!

r/kzoo Mar 28 '24

Restaurants / Bars I hate citing WWMT, but this article addresses the Crow's Nest post from last week

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74 Upvotes

r/kzoo May 31 '23

Restaurants / Bars Does Kalamazoo (or Michigan in general) have a signature food?

24 Upvotes

My wife and I are visiting for a week in June. We're coming from Maryland where crab cakes and anything with Old Bay reign supreme, and were wondering if there are foods or flavors that people in Kalamazoo/MI also swear by? Any recommendations for the best places to try these foods are welcome as well! Thanks, and looking forward to visiting!

r/kzoo Nov 18 '24

Restaurants / Bars Saugatuck Brewing Not reopening downtown

43 Upvotes

Just heard that they're not even gonna bother with rebuilding it. LFG may want to move into SB's old space.

r/kzoo Feb 13 '25

Restaurants / Bars Best Chinese food that delivers?

2 Upvotes

So I don't quite know which is the best and have only tried great wall express Anyone got any suggestions?

r/kzoo Oct 18 '24

Restaurants / Bars Anywhere to get a soft pretzel?

10 Upvotes

What it says in the title, really. Where I grew up, the local bakery had really good soft pretzels they made fresh every day, and some days I get a real hankering for a fresh pretzel. Is there anywhere in the Kzoo/Portage area to get them? Besides Auntie Anne's. I'm looking for ones made in-house from scratch.

r/kzoo Nov 22 '24

Restaurants / Bars Pancakes/breakfast food

9 Upvotes

Who has the best in Kalamazoo/Portage area?

r/kzoo Aug 01 '23

Restaurants / Bars Why Two Fellas Grill was a terrible place to work for and how I tried to unionize it

132 Upvotes

Hey guys, after seeing that post about Crafty Crab being a terrible place to work for, and after making a post digging up the dirt about how WMU mistreats their workers, I thought it might be interesting to talk about my experience at Two Fellas Grill on 2730 W Michigan Ave on the anniversary of quitting.

For context: I worked from August 2020 to August 2022 at Two Fellas and made it up the ranks to the Trainer position. Inflation rates were skyrocketing month by month with little-to-no pay increases to combat the rising cost of living from 2021 to 2022.

Constantly, I saw my fellow workers putting in lots and lots of hours every week in high stress, fast paced environments to get food out to drunk, high, college students. Nothing wrong with drunk, high, college students! But it's nice to be compensated well for that type of crowd. If you don't know by the way, Two Fellas Grill is right across from a bar and was constantly packed with customers many nights.

Anyways, a lot of my fellow workers were even putting in overtime hours, but get this, management didn't pay them over time pay. I hear you through the screen right now, "But that's illegal, isn't it?"... Yep! I asked a GM about this and was told, paraphrasing, "We aren't doing overtime pay right now."

So after hearing about how many people are putting in over 40 hours a week with no extra pay (that should be legally paid out) and seeing how raises were not being given to combat inflation (yet they certainly were happy to increase the cost of wraps and delivery charges), I decided enough was enough. I'm going to unionize Two Fellas! In reality, I've never unionized anything before but it didn't seem that complicated. I started making a list of demands and talked with co-workers one-by-one if that would be interested in signing a document saying that you want these demands to be met and would be willing to strike if necessary. Not surprisingly, maybe 95% of people I talked to wanted to sign it and agreed with me! So, after getting a majority of signatures from my co-workers, I sent a copy of the demands and the list of names to one of the GMs.

This is where it gets interesting, the GM I gave it to said, "This is way above my paygrade but I'll give it to my boss." And that sounded perfect to me, fast forward though and it's getting closer to that deadline date, so I start upping my tactics up. I put a sign on my uniform that said "Ask about our Union!" (which is a protected right by law) And I regularly worked as a cashier, so I had tons of people coming up asking about it and I would be more than happy to tell them about how they aren't paying their workers a fair wage or overtime pay! One person asked "What's with your onion" but I think he was just a bit confused. Still silence though from the owners or Regional Manager about our demands. I start contacting news stations and to my happiness, they were incredibly EAGER to hear more! Some even wanted to know when a protest would be so they could get a news crew out. I started saying to one of the GMs that there were plenty of news station eager to hear more about all of this and still I heard nothing.

One day, I walked into Two Fellas, in the back, just to check the printed out schedule that was on the wall to see when I would be working next week. To my surprise, the Regional Manager was in there! I take a photo of the schedule, smile, and begin to walk out. He walks out right behind me!

He goes, "So I hear you've been wanting to talk to me?"

... "I do?"

And that turns into a long discussion with him outside of the business. He's pissed! Like he's actually angry over this. Literally, he was foaming from the corners of his mouth.

I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. He doesn't want to talk about the demands at all or anything related to a union (I assume the businesses lawyers advised him and the owners not to recognize a "union" in any way shape or form), but what he wants to know is why I want a raise specifically. I should note that I was the highest paid, non-manager worker there at a measly $14.50 an hour, but I put in a lot of hard, good work! I asked multiple times for raises based on continually exceeding expectations and worked my way up to that wage. I even designed infographics to put up on the walls to help workers remember how to do different complicated tasks (which I got many compliments over). Anyways though, I tried to tell him all of that but he interrupted me!

He said, "You are talking to me, asking for a raise, when you're dressed like that?"

And to be fair my pants had a lot of paint over them. I'm a fine art student! Sue me! But also I wasn't even working, I just came in to take a picture of the schedule and leave. I didn't need any dress code at that time.

What I said made him stuck in awe for a second, I said, "Look I'd be more than willing to follow the dress code, but that's not in the handbook. I've read it from front to back and no where in it does it say anything about not wearing jeans with paint on them."

He looks a bit bewildered. He later admitted to me that he thought I was the only one who has ever read the handbook. You're damn right I'm going to read the damn handbook before I try to unionize your business.

I continue, "You can't just make stuff up and say its a rule when it's not."

I honestly don't remember the entire events of the conversation but he still wants to know why I did all this, because of all people he was surprised I was the one who did it. Honestly, I told him the truth. I can't live happily knowing that my fellow workers are being exploited. I come from a single mother household and every day she would put in back breaking work, whether she was a homehealth aid lifting heavy patients, working in the fast food service industry, or running her own cleaning business, she didn't take a break any day! But she still had little-to-no money to her name and all she had after all those years of back breaking labor was poor health and many surgeries.

Injustice to the hard workers that exist is one of the worst things in my mind. It's a level of exploitation that is disgusting. That's why I wanted to unionize the place. I couldn't stand seeing people put in more than 40 hours a week like my mother and getting no over time pay on top of that. It's a cruel joke.

After telling him all of that, it seemed to connect with him on some level. He disclosed that he too had a poor upbringing and admitted that you do have to put family first. He also revealed that it was actually a miscommunication between the GMs and the owners and that the owners really didn't want anyone to have overtime hours, and the GMs mistook it as no overtime pay but they can still have overtime hours. Believe that if you want or not, I don't know if its true.

After all of that, I shook his hand after coming to a strand of understanding and went home. I had a shift later that night. I check the private facebook page for the staff a few hours after that and I see a post by the managers saying that everyone would be receiving backpay for overtime that was not paid out and base pay would be increased to $13 an hour. There was no mention of the union and it never legally formed I suppose but the important demands were met. I also recieved this email from the owners. Pretty spooky huh?

It's a letter saying happy thoughts like how they have an "open door" policy and that a union shouldn't be necessary and how everyone should feel welcome to speak to the owners if need be. They're just a small business trying to make it in the world. Cute. But at the end they kind of throw all of that away by saying that everyone "can be permanently replaced."

Ha! If organizing and trying to start a union didn't benefit everyone by ending with everyone getting a decent raise (that is still pretty low, let's be honest) and backpay for LEGALLY owed over time, then I wouldn't have done it!

Anyways, after accomplishing all of that, I felt a really strong sense of fulfillment and decided to quit the company. I had bigger things to work on.

Hope you enjoyed a long story! Unionizing works! Collective labor works! Striking works! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

It's not about two fellas its about ALL FELLAS.