BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY October 6, 2019 4
Bronx Checkers ‘Franchisee of the Year’ was lured by fries
Assemblyman Benedetto proposes oyster shell buyback bill
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MEMBER:
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The Bronx is offi cially
home to the most successful
Checkers franchise of 2019.
The fast food chain announced
that franchisee Vijay
Ghei’s four locations in
the south and west Bronx
were some of the best in all
of its over 900 locations nationwide.
Ghei, who hails from
Westchester and previously
Queens started his career
in electronics, selling
phones and other tech paraphernalia
for 30 years before
jumping the board and
joining Checkers in 2009.
“Honestly I joined because
of Checkers’ fries,”
Ghei laughed over, saying
that his admiration for
the chain’s famous season
fries actually played a role
in convincing him to open
his first location at 379 E.
Fordham Road.
Since then, Ghei expanded
by opening other
locations within fi ve years
at 1058 Southern Boulevard
in Longwood, 1203 Jerome
Avenue in Highbridge, and
711 E. Tremont Avenue in
Crotona as well. He employs
over 100 residents at
his Bronx locations.
“It really has been something
exhilarating and
exciting,” Ghei said, mentioning
how much of the
business hingers on being
personable.
“Joining has really become
one of the best things
to ever happen to me,” the
franchisee of the year winner
added.
Since his time growing
Checkers locations,
Ghei has also opened a
Taco Bell on White Plains
Road and also kicked off a
Westchester Popeyes expansion
in his hometown of
Yorktown Heights too.
“Now I just want to keep
growing and growing I love
so much of this,” he said.
“Plus getting to have
more fries is something I
certainly look forward to,”
Ghei joked.
Another Checkers, located
in Bay Plaza, was recently
razed to make room
for a Shake Shack. Ghei
said he was not involved in
that franchise, which was
partially owned by the mall
developer.
Ghei being awarded the ‘Franchisee of the Year Award’ by Checkers.
Courtesy of Vijay Ghei
Ghei poses with a panda mascot outside his Fordham Checkers location.
Courtesy of Vijay Ghei
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The ‘jewel of the sea’, oysters,
are in short supply in the borough’s
waters and it’s effecting
Long Island Sound’s water quality,
studies show.
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto
has proposed a bill that
would turn this marine challenge
into a ‘shell of its former self’ on
Friday, September 27.
Benedetto introduced legislation
that would establish an oyster
shell buyback program which
would reimburse participating
New York seafood restaurants ten
cents for every pound of recycled
shells set aside for the program,
maxing out at $1,000 per business.
The recycled oyster and clam
shells would then be placed back
into shallow water where they
would constitute a shell reef that
oyster larvae could adhere to and
develop into oyster clusters; as of
date, the empty shells end up in
landfi lls.
“Why waste what could make
a tremendous environmental impact?”
Benedetto said.
By revitalizing oyster populations
our environment will be
equally improved, he noted.
Oysters fi lter harmful nitrogen
from salt water, while emitting
oxygen and other helpful
agents that keep water sources
clean, which the Bronx are struggling
to handle.
“We have failing water grades
as it, is,” Benedetto said, noting
that his initiative comes at no cost
to participating restaurants and
that one oyster fi lters 50 gallons of
water per day.
“One cubic foot of oysters
would fi lter 2,000 gallons of water
per day. Imagine what they it
could do to for the Bronx shoreline,”
Benedetto said mentioning
his interest in expanding the program
to Throggs Neck in addition
to other sections of the borough
and the city.
“We are trying to encourage
marine life growth,” he said during
the press conference set in
a parking lot a few feet from the
City Island waterfront.
Benedetto announced that
he’s set aside a $2,000 NYS grant
to jumpstart the City Island Oyster
project.
Showing their support for the
legislation were representatives
of the City Island Nautical Museum,
restaurant owners and
Captain Mike Carew of Mike’s
Diving School as well as the oyster
project.
This project was inspired by a
larger bivalve initiative in Manhattan
called the Billion Oyster
Project, which follows a similar
buy back and re-release procedure.
The micro level version on City
Island would create a sea corridor
for fi sh migration that would bend
around the east Bronx shoreline
headed in the direction of Throggs
Neck.
“It would also help a great deal
with storm surge and fl ooding,”
said City Island Civic Association
vice president, Barbara Dolensek.
She shared with the press conference
attendees that City Island
had a long rich history of harvesting
oysters in the eightieth and
19th centuries, explaining that collecting
oysters was once a primary
trade on the island.
“This program is just about regrowing
the population, these oysters
aren’t for consumption,” she
explained.
“Though, if things go according
to plan and the waters do become
cleaner, then we could be harvesting
our own oysters for City Island
way down the road,” Dolensek continued.
The bill is expected to garner
bipartisanship in Albany next
session, Benedetto said. He sees it
passing through with ease and getting
approval by May of next year.
Assemblyman Benedetto joins City Island restauranteurs and residents to announce
the oyster buy back bill. Schneps Media/ Alex Mitchell
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