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Residents living near Delaware Street and San Pablo Avenue woke up Wednesday morning to find fresh fliers on their windshields warning, “Neighborhood Alert!!” Popeyes, a chicken and biscuits fast-food chain restaurant would be coming to their neighborhood, moving into the unoccupied space where Rich’s Bulky Burger once operated. 

“San Pablo becomes the dumping ground for undesired businesses in Berkeley,” said Mark Woo, analyst for the California Budget Project who lives nearby. 

This new business would not be subject to a ban against so-called quick-service restaurants on San Pablo that the Planning Commission is proposing to the City Council. It is exempt because Popeyes purchased Rich’s use permit, but whether the business will open in the end is unclear. 

The project went before the Design Review Committee last week. Committee members asked the restaurant to make changes in its proposed plan, so that it would fit better into the neighborhood. At least 10 neighbors spoke against the project. Project manager Allen Hui postponed the Zoning Adjustments Board’s hearing and will propose a new design in another Design Review meeting in two weeks. Ultimately, the Zoning Adjustments Board will have to approve the plan for it to be able to operate.  

Until the city’s final determination, the locals have vowed to fight. At its annual neighborhood barbecue last week, 50 people signed up to join the battle. 

“We are trying to have a residential identity, and a national franchise restaurant doesn’t fit this plan,” said Cynthia Wooten-Cohen who held the barbecue. “We need a cafe in the neighborhood or a more pedestrian-oriented restaurant for families to come over to eat, rather than trash food.” 

“Popeyes will bring more traffic on Delaware street and less parking for the residents,” said Deborah Brown, who lives next to the site. The residents are also concerned about litter and noise.  

“We are fearful about the odors of the deep fryers coming into our houses and yards,” said Mark Woo. 

Not so, said Kevin Stong, Popeyes’ architect. “There won’t be any smells or noises coming from that establishment. It’s the city conditions for getting the use permit, but we already designed the place with a good filtering system.” 

Project manager Hui said the neighborhood can be convinced. “I hope they can understand that we are a business, but we are also over there for them as much as they are for us.” 

Hui said a Popeyes would mean jobs. “We will be hiring workers from the neighborhood,” she said adding that they would target teen-agers involved in work study programs and mothers who want part-time work. She said the chain would also mount charity drives at Christmas for the community.  

Residents aren’t impressed. The new business will have only four employees, they said. 

It’s not that the neighborhood is completely opposed to restaurants or insistent on one that serves good food. The main objection seems to be to be the genre known as fast-food. 

Rich’s Bulky Burger closed last year and John McBride, an art books salesman and resident of the area described it as a quiet place. “They served breakfast and lunch; mediocre food for a small clientele of workers and seniors.” 

McBride was unclear why it closed, but he doesn’t want Popeye’s to replace it.  

“I don’t want to smell fried chicken for the rest of my life,” he said. “One of my pleasures is to read a book with open windows to get the breeze. I don’t want this to be changed.” 

But Hui argued that the restaurant might be the best they could get. “If it isn’t Popeyes, it will be a different restaurant. Because we are a chain we have higher standards than others.”