‘Rejects of society’: Posh Sydney suburb of Mosman is furious about a KFC opening nearby
A month after going loco over a Mexican fast-food chain’s plans to come to their suburb, locals in a ritzy Sydney neighbourhood are upset again.
An exclusive Sydney suburb is up in arms over plans by a fast-food chain to open an outlet near their ritzy neighbourhood.
A post in the Mosman Living group on Facebook about the imminent arrival of a KFC on their doorstep has sparked a flurry of comments – and some locals seem finger-lickin’ furious.
Concerns about everything from signage to the quality of the food have been shared, mirroring the similar kind of outrage that emerged over another cheap eats outlet late last year.
Popular Mexican chain Guzman Y Gomez lodged a development application with Mosman Council in December to open a 24-hour store on Military Road.
The vacant retail site, sitting between a chemist and a Lululemon shop, is within a Heritage Conservation Area – a factor opponents to the plan cited in their submissions with council.
One read: “As a Mosman resident I strongly oppose 24-hour trading of any sort in Mosman village – 6am to 10pm is appropriate but 24 hour is not – it is inappropriate for our community.”
Another wrote: “60% of reviews on TripAdvisor rate this company as 2-star or less out of 5. There must be a reason”.
Comments on Facebook were equally strong, with one local writing that “the reason people pay $5 million to $10 million to live in Mosman and Balmoral is NOT to attract those [people] looking for 24-hour eateries”.
The person argued “there should be no 24 hour anything” in the area.
While there were many on social media who welcomed the prospects of the Mexican chain opening in their neighbourhood, the overwhelming bulk of residents’ submissions to council have been negative in nature.
Now, news that KFC will soon open a new outlet at 67-69 Mount Street in nearby North Sydney has again divided opinion.
On social media, opponents expressed concern about the presence of another cheap eatery on the Lower North Shore, famed for its up-market boutiques, restaurants and cafes as well as multimillion-dollar real estate.
“Being overrun with EzyMarts is probably next,” one concerned resident commented.
Another implied that the type of clientele attracted might be undesirable, using a term that essential means ‘rejects of society’ to describe potential customers.
“The mark of a truly international city is late night venues offering quality food and/or fine dining. Guess we just don’t cut the mustard, which is sad. These fast food joints attract the flotsam of society, particularly late at night.”
Another took aim at the quality of the food on offer, saying: “If I eat something I haven’t personally made I require it to taste good, not of chemicals”.
One dubbed the chain “Kentucky Fried Cancer”.
Another local decried the reality that “no independent” retailers can afford escalating commercial rents in the area.
And one fairly bizarre remark likened the presence of the KFC to some kind of conspiracy, claiming: “The elites was us all sick [but] won’t get me”.
He clearly hasn’t tried their popcorn chicken.
“If people don’t like it, they can simply not buy it,” one fan suggested.
Plenty of others were in support of the chain’s arrival, with one remarking that he’ll now have somewhere to stop in “after a big night out”.
The two-storey dual sandstone buildings at 67-69 Mount Street were constructed in 1855 by the historic charity Grand United Order of Oddfellows.
The site, one of the oldest surviving structures in the suburb, has served many functions over the 168 years since, including as home to a grocer, a tailor and a bootmaker, but most recently housed a Hungry Jack’s restaurant until its closure during the Covid era.
An application lodged with North Sydney Council in late September sought permission to erect additional signage above what heritage conservation allows.
The standard practice “to limit signage to one instance per heritage item” had not historically been the case, the application noted.
Hungry Jack’s had multiple signs fixed to parts of the frontage, it argued, and “in light of the context [of being in] the North Sydney CBD … and the plethora of commercial signs in the vicinity of the subject place, the presence of more than one at the subject place is not unsupportable”.
The application seeks permission to erect a large square illuminated sign featuring the iconic white, red and black caricature of Colonel Sanders, on the upper floor of the building.
A decision is pending.
The ritzy Lower North Shore has not historically been a haven for takeaway fans, with only a smattering of famous chains in the area.
Several years back, plans to open a McDonald’s on Miller Street in North Sydney faced fierce opposition and never progressed.