Coney Baloney

Could a 40-Year-Old Coney Institution Be Replaced By a Corporate Cafeteria Giant?

Valerio Ferrari of Zamperla tells Amusing the Zillion that not only is French multinational food-service giant Sodexo set to operate a sit-down restaurant at Surf Avenue and 10th Street, but it will help replace “some but not all” of the businesses being thrown off the boardwalk, including the 40-year-old Paul’s Daughter. Like any corporate giant, Sodexo has had its share of controversy (e.g., an $80 million bias suit, labor protests including one in which Danny Glover was arrested, and this summer, a $20 million suit brought by Andrew Cuomo for shortchanging New York schools). But what can be said about the food it services to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and military mess halls?

These Facebook groups might be an indicator: Sodexo Sucks, Sodexho SUCKS, Sodexo Sucks: Get Wells College Some REAL Food!, and People Who Hate Sodexo Food … . Sigh. Is this France’s revenge for the spread of McDonald’s in Paris? Of course, nobody comes to Coney for culinary creativity, even if it’s the fabled birthplace of the hot dog and frozen custard; but then again, we don’t go there to be fed by a corporate monolith, either (unless it’s a homegrown one like Nathan’s!). Why not install an Applebee’s while we’re thinking about a Ruby Tuesday? Apparently the latest one in Queens makes Jamaica “a fun place to be”! Or is someone taking “good in the neighborhood” a little too literally?

Meet Sodexo: Luna Park Coney Island’s Partner for “On-Site Service Solutions” [Amusing the Zillion]

Could a 40-Year-Old Coney Institution Be Replaced By a Corporate Cafeteria