Big Mama's shuts down for good

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | 8/25/10 | Jeremy Boren

[raccoonradio]

'Big Mama' shuts down oven for good

Brenda "Big Mama" Franklin is finished frying chicken and cooking greens in her House of Southern Cuisine on Liberty Avenue, Downtown.

The Garfield woman closed her restaurant Monday and posted two hand-written notes on the front doors today thanking her loyal customers, praising God and excoriating the Pittsburgh Parking Authority for levying parking fines against her that she said sapped her restaurant's modest revenues.

"Due to parking issues beyond my control I am forced to close. However, I'll be relocating to another state," Franklin wrote. "I've been targeted by the Parking Authority, which makes it very hard for my customers to park."

Franklin has not been targeted by parking enforcement agents, said David Onorato, executive director of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority.

[raccoonradio]

Update to a June article that was posted on FR. The food was good and I enjoyed eating there (twice) during my cartoon convention. We had 3,000 people there and her place got quite a bit of business from us, though not enough apparently afterwards, etc. (That same fate was also what killed off the previous tenant, the beloved, by us, Steel City Diner).

They cooked breakfast just for us (normally weren't open) and the menu had an animal-related theme, including Pigs in a Blanket, Pepe Le Pew French Toast, and Big Porky sandwich. There was a bit of a Steelers and jazz shrine (she was a former jazz singer). I don't think we would have agreed on politics, though; a couple employees wore T shirts saying "Big Mama's For Obama".

[jessduntno]

When you go to cartoon conventions, are you in panels?

[IYAS9YAS]

I don't think we would have agreed on politics, though; a couple employees wore T shirts saying "Big Mama's For Obama".

Sadly, I'll bet she didn't learn anything from this, either.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Any city that has an “executive director” for parking meters needs to be turned upside down and shaken hard to remove the crud.

[muawiyah]

That's Pittsburgh ~ no doubt the Parking Authority targeted her because she wouldn't give their officers free stuff, or maybe even kickbacks.

Now you take a place like Detroit they no longer care.

[mbynack]

There were a lot of roadside farmer’s markets in my area several years ago. One of the local supermarkets found out that there was a law saying that they had to have so much setback from the road and got the cops to enforce it. Almost all of them had to close. Now they found out that some of them are selling produce other than that grown by the owner of the stand so they’re forcing them to get business licenses. They’re managing to put the rest out of business.

[dfwgator]

Don’t follow leaders, watch the parking meters...

[catman67]

Sorry to see my beloved hometown go so far around the bend!

[Frantzie]

Big Mama getting more of that Hope & Change.

[ExpatCanuck]

When you go to cartoon conventions, are you in panels?

The discussions were animated to be sure.:-)

[conservativeharleyguy]

"...When you go to cartoon conventions, are you in panels?..."

Only the immobile Tooners. The mobile ones have to meet in cels ;{)

[jessduntno]

“The discussions were animated to be sure.:-)”

How did you draw that conclusion?

[pnh102]

Yet another reason to shop in the burbs.

[Artemis Webb]

Deep fryer fried chicken or pan fried chicken?

I’m trying to find out of losing the business is simply sad or a total tragedy.

[jessduntno]

“Only the immobile Tooners. The mobile ones have to meet in cels”

Hahahahaha ... I can picture that ...

[raccoonradio]

There are various panels, though I only chaired one (about raccoons) once. In past years we had people like Walt Kelly’s daughter talking about Pogo, Rob Paulsen (voice of many cartoon characters including Honda’s Mr Opportunity), Dan
DeCarlo (Archie Comics/Josie), puppeteer Jim Martin, and so on. There’s discussion on art, writing, mascots, web comics,
etc.

[raccoonradio]

I mostly kept my car in the hotel lot but they had some parking lots nearby that weren’t too expensive. One attendee
got his car into the 11th and Smallman lot (nr the Heinz
History Center) after hours and didn’t have to pay for the whole 4 day period (lucked out). Of course here we’re
talking people parking short term, etc.

There’s a new “African American History Museum” across the street (not much there but OK for a few minutes). They built it, with corporate donations, etc., but now the money dried up and they’re moaning about possibly closing (after 1 yr!)

[jessduntno]

I loved Pogo ... “we have met the enemy and he are us.”

[raccoonradio]

I don’t know, I didn’t try the chicken.
What’s funny is on our discussion boards for the Con we had
people saying how great the place was during the Con but now when I mentioned this we got lots of “food sucked, service
sucked” people. I didn’t think it was too bad in either
category, myself.

Who knows, maybe someone will start a fast food place and
call it Pittsburgers.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

More’s the pity.
I always liked calling on customers in the Pittsburgh area...