'That's when I decided it was time to close' fast food chain owner says after 'dangerous' crime proved to tipping point | 9AL0319 | 2024-05-11 19:08:01
A FAST food chain owner said he was forced to close one of his stores due to crime in the area.
Todd Johnson, the owner of Strip's Chicken, promptly shut one of his Kansas City, Missouri spots.
Johnson opened his 420 W. 85th St., in the Waldo neighborhood of the city, branch three years ago but listed it as closed at the start of May.
The business owner said several factors influenced him but crime tipped him over the edge, according to The Kansas City Star.
"I had eight break-ins in two years, and the only reason we haven't had any since last summer is because we stopped taking cash," he said.
Johnson owned and operated two other Strip's Chicken locations in Kansas.
He said crime has not been an issue at his other spots.
"My store in Olathe's been open for eight years with no burglaries," he said.
"It's very easy to see that Kansas City has a major problem when you just can drive 15 miles away and we don't deal with any of this."
His Strip's Chicken locations in Olathe and Merriam have remained open.
He shared that a recent incident at his Waldo store made him consider closing.
Johnson recalled that the store had to call the police after a woman was supposedly in the bathroom doing drugs.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> The business owner said his staff was hesitant about cleaning up the toilet as they were worried about fentanyl poisoning.
"And I thought about it for a second and I said, 'You're right. That is dangerous. You shouldn't have to do that.'
"And that's really when I decided it was time to close the restaurant."
Johnson also complained that rising crime had greatly increased his insurance costs in Waldo.
<p class="article__content--intro"> BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain's affected. </p> </div> </div> "I've never even submitted a claim," he said.
"In two years, the insurance on our building in Waldo has gone from $9,000 a year to $16,000 a year to now, if I would have renewed in June, $22,000 a year."
He added that his other locations were hit with slight insurance increases but alleged an agent told him why Waldo was hit hardest.
"In Olathe and Merriam, we've gone up, too, but only by like 10 or 15% a year," Johnson said.
"The agent told me it's because of all the crime in the area.
"I talked to two other insurers who said they won't even write policies in this neighborhood anymore."
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Kansas City Police Department for comment.
The business owner in also said crime had led to a rise in his insurance costs[/caption]
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