8 Responses to “Bishop Richard Hall has a plan”

1. posted by Amy at March 18, 2008 10:57 pm :
   

   Best of luck to him. I can’t believe there was ever a KFC that small.

2. posted by Jim Jones at March 19, 2008 6:48 am :
   

   If a chicken joint didn’t make it on Church Hill will a coffee shop have a chance? I wish you luck.

3. posted by UnionHill RVA at March 19, 2008 9:33 am :
   

   Well, I think Mr. Hall has a pretty good chance of making this concept a profitable venture. He’s got plenty of off street parking, and all the services (fax, copy, wi-fi, coffee) he’s willing to offer are definitely in need here. He’s even got room for some outdoor picnic tables.

   I remember when the KFC was open, and folks thought it was pretty good chicken. As the population dwindled in this little hamlet of Union Hill, so did sales. The KFC no longer had the exorbitant cash flow needed to support an international franchise fee.

   This doesn’t mean Mr. Hall’s concept can’t be successful here. What Mr. Hall is envisioning is much more organic and neighborhood-needs driven.

   Fortunately for us, Mr. Hall isn’t owned by a national conglomerate (Pepsi-Co owns KFC) and won’t have the pressure of a publicly traded company for quarterly stock up-ticks.

   Lets face it, we all whined about how expensive Jumpin J’s was, when all we really wanted was a cup of coffee or a simple “to-go” sandwich (not something with 3 different sauces served open face and requiring a sit-down commitment). Je came to this neighborhood and couldn’t survive for a number of reasons, mostly because she offered a product which most of us felt we couldn’t afford on a regular basis.

   It sounds like Mr. Hall has a more realistic understanding of this community. He ‘gets it’: the basics are what people want. Therefore, I believe he stands a better chance of success.

   Best wishes to Mr. Hall and may we all meet over a cup of joe at the fax machine.

4. posted by jc at March 19, 2008 9:53 am :
   

   What’s a fax machine?

5. posted by garry at March 19, 2008 10:55 am :
   

   Reference to post 3, Pepsi-co hasn’t owned KFC for 11 years. KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silvers and A&W are owned by Yum!Brands. Pepsi-co spun them off in 1997 as a seperate company.

6. posted by itsa at March 20, 2008 7:28 pm :
   

   “What’s a fax machine?”

   One may not need it often, but when you need it, you need it. Ditto a doodad to scan and digitize a piece of paper. I would gladly trade all the hunks of plastic with wires everywhere in my homeoffice for a corner place where I could take care of my low-volume scan/fax needs over coffee and eats. Great concept.

7. posted by UnionHill RVA at March 20, 2008 10:20 pm :
   

   Garry, thanks for clarifying which multinational firm owns KFC now. Yum!Brands is publicly traded boasting 30,000 fast food franchise outlets worldwide (according to it’s website.)

   I’m glad Bishop Hall is an independent operator and will do his own thing…i doubt Yum!Brands would let him put the fax machine next to the coffee maker.

8. posted by Church Hill People’s News » Higher Ground still vacant, Sandra’s is gone - Richmond, Virginia at July 8, 2008 5:13 pm :
   

   [...] Richard Hall announced a plan in March to convert the Higher Ground Tabernacle into a coffee shop. It now looks like the property is up [...]

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