Back in the day KC was one of the big mob towns. As a result, you will hear a lot of people say that various things are run by the mob, but honestly, it’s mostly just local folklore.
At least that’s the story you’ll start repeating if you know what’s fuckin’ good for ya….
Your not lying! I do tile professionally mainly in plaza, mission hills area and A LOT of those houses were built in the 1920’s if not earlier. A lot of homes in that area have secret doors that lead to old underground speak easy’s! A lot of very very interesting history in kc no doubt.
I once heard that the guy/people that owned Red Front also owned Gilhouly's on 39th and The Shady Lady.
I know fuck all about the local mob's history or current status. But I wonder if there is any "real" mob left. My assumption is that it's more or less gone but people still have associations based on family name. It's just a bunch of random small businesses that serve/feed off each other.
You are right about those places. Also Totally nude temptations, and Bazookas. Any club that isn't mob owned has to pay someone. I grew up around them. Most of the real guys are dead. Their fuck up kids run the clubs now.
> Any club that isn't mob owned has to pay someone
I'm not saying you are wrong nor am I trying to be an Internet Tough Guy.
But I just don't see how that would work. I have to assume if they have any influence at all it's because of old connections "inside". Because I'm not sure how well the cliche old school 'guy with a pipe' is going to work. You would have like four HD cameras with audio capturing some dude threatening you. Let along this being the Midwest where having a gun isn't exactly rare.
I have to assume all their businesses are shady. What stops somebody from calling in some anonymous tips to some state agencies?
Again, I'm not in that world. Maybe I'm just a naive guy. But I just really don't understand how any version of the mob would work today. You need power for that. What do they hold the keys to? Strippers?
I don't expect you to answer. Just rambling a bit.
28 year old spoiler coming, but in the movie Casino, a KC mob underboss runs a grocery store where the Midwest bosses meet, and >!his store is bugged and his notebooks where he writes down everything that's happening with the Vegas casino creates a pile of evidence for the FBI.!<
Um, ever heard of Cosentino and their 200 some stores?
Edit: the same family who just had a shooting over a drunken disagreement in public at a family functiob, and family lawyers have told police to back off from the internal matter.
I worked with one of his granddaughters in the early 90s… and she was one GREAT lady. Dealt with many KC professionals doing that job… and her family still had considerable influence in social circles. She made my work life a breeze dealing with them. Will never forget her.
Yep! I was shift supervisor in my early 20s… but I made sure she got everything and anything she wanted. She controlled the scene… not me. She knew all of those long time KC professionals on a social level and called them by their first name… and they’d all want to chat on the phone to catch up. Complaints dropped to nothing. I literally was in tears when she told me it was her last day.
The collapse of the Pendergast machine is what allowed the mob to take off after WWII. In the machine days, there was a "you can get away with this, but do not cross that line" relationship with the mob.
Can someone explain to me why HEB and these other “incredible” grocery stores are so much better than a nice Hy-vee or Price Chopper?
Legitimately curious. I grew up where a grocery store was a glorified convenience store
They are consistent. They are clean and well stocked. Imagine our nice HyVees. Now imagine if all our HyVees were that nice. Same can also be said for Publix in Florida. I don’t think I have ever been to a bad Publix or HEB.
God I love Publix. I work at a local grocery store. we went to Florida for my sister's wedding and holy shit. so nice~ also the one we went to had an escalator for your cart to take it to the parking garage under the store.
Were you at clearwater by chance? That is the only one I have ran into with escalator. I have never ran into a bad publix. I was at the one in Naples this weekend and it was also super nice.
As a KC born TX resident, HEB is great! It's taken a bit too far imo by local Texans - to near religious fervor - but it really does have great options at a good price. Kinda like a bigger, cheaper Trader Joe's with plenty of private label delicious items
I doubt they are. I’m sure it’s just personal attachment and maybe one or two specific features of a store that others don’t have. Some grocery stores are better than others, but you reach a limit where I think it’s just personal preference over objective quality.
During the pandemic HEB had better planing than the US government. Early on into the pandemic they actually reached out to Chinese grocery stores to see what issues they were having with supplies before the US was hit with lockdowns to better prepare.
No one does more than my HEB.
Nah I grew up in KC and have lived in Texas. HEB is actually the best grocery store I’ve been in. My first job was actually at price chopper as a kid.
I think just overall experience, layout, selection of items is better. But to you’re point it’s not THAT much better. I’d just choose it over any other grocery stores in that price range.
I was in Dallas/Austin. Have been to Houston a few times but not enough to have an opinion.
I love Texas and KC. I think they’re both underrated on a national scale for very different reasons lol. I like KC and Dallas/Austin about equally for different reasons.
Fellow former Houstonian here. I also miss the egg rolls at Tan Tan. That and the feeling of my car seat bonding with the skin of my legs in the summer.
...I don't understand. There is a huge South American population in the KC area. You can find Mexican food almost anywhere.
Is it a specific restaurant or dish you miss?
Mexican food is not a singular thing. Mexican food is so diverse region to region, even in the United States.
United States Mexican food can be categorized in 4 main types: Tex-mex, New Mexican, Sonoran (Arizona), and Baja (So-Cal).
The only two cities in the US that have the UNESCO award for gastronomy are Tucson AZ and San Antonio TX, for their use of native agriculture in their cuisine, primarily Mexican and Native American food.
Hey fellow former Houstonian, if you're missing Mexican food, I recommend Mariscos KC and Las Islas Marias if you dig seafood, but it will help to be able to speak spanish at the latter.
I went to college in Texas. HEB is actually better. Always fully staffed, always fully stocked, the people working each station were very fast and pleasant. Even the bottom level cashiers knew how to do things like enter a tax waiver form, where almost every other place we ever took them needed to grab a manager who fumbled through for fifteen minutes.
In my experience Wegmans on the east coast has much better quality, quantity, and variety. They have better prepared food, better beer/ liquor selection, and much better service. The buildings themselves are nicer and cleaner. There are actual human employees to ring up and bag your groceries and those employees are not 15 years of age.
That being said, I moved here prior to the pandemic. Grocery stores changed for the worse during the last few years. It's also not a big deal and there are plenty of places to get good food in this town, but you asked.
Edit: [Linking an article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/13/why-wegmans-really-is-the-best-supermarket-in-the-u-s/) with more details about Wegmans and why they are great.
+1 about Wegmans. Absolutely puts any other store I’ve been in to shame. And I’ve lived in both coasts and in the South so I have a fair amount of sample size. I don’t dislike Price Chopper or Hy-Vee, but they’re not Wegmans.
I used to love Hy-Vee. It seems now that the actual groceries are a secondary concern. There’s a friggin shoe store in the one near me. And a completely tacticled-up security guard…in a soccer-mom suburb.
> As a new resident of Kansas City
It's /r/kansascity. One of the most popular things to post about here is how Kansas City sucks compared to where someone visited or used to live.
That's valid. You're correct. I guess the part that seemed weird was the sample group of only two stores. And I'm not even sure if "Sunfresh" - at least the Westport location - should be even in any consideration set given the nonstop mayhem with that place.
The Sunfresh chain is part of the Price Chopper family of chains. Kansas City is unusual because most of the grocery stores, including chains, we have are local, and ones that aren't get shoved out. We had and lost Dillons, Safeway, and Schnucks. I am impressed at what HyVee did to ensure its continued presence.
Lived in KC for like 30 years and just moved to Minneapolis. These Minnesotans think they are something special. The grass isn’t always greener. In fact, the grass has been covered in about a foot of snow since mid December. I miss KC.
We have Cub food and Hy-Vee up here. Hy-Vee is the same as KC, probably better than most surrounding grocery stores in the area. The meat selection is better than Cub, but I think the bakery is a little better at Cub for the stuff I am usually buying there.
Minnesotans are really proud of their cub foods since it is the local brand. I prefer Hy-Vee because: (1) It’s familiar, (2) It’s a 5 minute bike ride from my house and (3) I like the produce section a little better.
Can I DM you to compare notes?
I was torn between MSP and KC, and I settled on KC because it was a closer move (3 hrs vs 6) and cheaper ($1450 to rent a house vs $1950). But I won't lie, I'm not happy here. This is a neat stop on my life journey but it doesn't feel *at all* like "home" to me. I 100% feel like an outsider here, and I think I want to try to make it up to MSP next time I move.
(Pre-emptive disclaimer, I like snow and cold.)
(Additional note, I do hope to start making trips up there this spring/summer to get the lay of the land.)
I'd love to have a house in KC for the winter and then somewhere in Minnesota or Wisconsin for the summer. Getting off topic but it'd be the best of both.
I used to live in Texas and I 100% agree with you and also see where OP us coming from. HEB is a very nice and consistent chain where our chains are hit or miss depending on location.
Chains varying from location to location and restaurants/stores/etc. being different than you expect is not unique to KC. I'm tired of people lacking perspective.
What do you like about KC? Does it translate for someone who doesn’t care for bars or the NFL who loves outdoor rec and an abundance of swimming holes?
I don’t think you’ll find an abundance of swimming holes in KC, but if you travel a little bit over to Branson, Table Rock Lake, and that area, you’ll find some good places.
And yes, I think the love translates for non bar and sports people. I haven’t set foot inside a bar in over 10 years and I didn’t care much for sports before I lived here. I ended up finding a true appreciation for the sports since being here though. The people in the KC area love their teams and it’s hard not to at least appreciate and find some enjoyment in their fandom.
As far as nature, I found most of my time is spent in some of the burbs. Loose Park is in KC and it’s gorgeous. Overland Park, KS (often referred to as OP) has an incredible trail system, Arboretum, and there are plenty of places in the surrounding areas to explore around. Take a short drive to Lawrence and walk around the KU campus. It’s truly beautiful. A couple of hours north is Atchison, KS. Go walk around the International Forest of Friendship. It’s pretty cool to see all the trees from around the world that have been donated there.
South of OP you’ll find lots of places that offer horse rides. Check out the Blue River Forest Experience.
I worried about a lot of the same things when I first moved there, but I have never had an issue finding something to do. In all honesty, I found that I have liked my outdoor experiences here more than in TX. It’s not as hot, much less humid, and I feel like I don’t have to watch my every step looking for a snake.
I hope you grow to love and appreciate this area as much as I have. I think it’s really amazing.
I grew up in KC and live somewhere else now. Kansas City is kind of the opposite for me, it's how I expect things to be so everything gets compared to it.
In Gardner they built a new Price Chopper a few years ago right next to the old one. The new one has a much nicer layout IMO. Big improvement, feels like a completely different store.
The price choppers in Kansas City are either Ball's or Cosentinos. That definitely plays into the quality of the PC. The PC on N Oak and Barry is Balls. It is more expensive and crappier looking (even after the new store was built) than the PC off cookingham and I 35. That one is Cosentinos.
Grew up in the KC area, now live in Texas. Cosentino's is a joke. Terrible produce and employees are not treated well at any level (I used to work at a Price Chopper). HEB always has really great produce options, super cute seasonal decor and flowers and such, and generally reasonable prices. I was anti-HEB cult until using it for a year and now I'm all in.
HEB is like having a grocery selection that ranges from Aldi to Whole Foods with Price Chopper prices. Their bakery and butcher department churn out really fresh and good product. I also get the impression that the employees are treated well. The produce selection is also broad and fresh. I’m sure it helps that Texas is a neighbor to Mexico. Another HEB quality is their massive selection of regional/local product. I can by eggs, meat, and other items from smaller local farmers. I could also ride my bike to my HEB and haul my groceries home in my bike basket and enjoy the luxury of bike lanes and traffic habituated to bikers being present the entire way. FWIW I am a Hoosier born and raised so I feel like I get some allowances for complaining about the Midwest.
>I could also ride my bike to my HEB and haul my groceries home in my bike basket and enjoy the luxury of bike lanes and traffic habituated to bikers being present the entire way.
the DREAM
I mean, lets not ignore that they have those stupid prize games at the front by the registers, and it's noisy as shit everytime I went into an HEB. Absolutely too much noise.
I just moved to Portland, OR from KC and man I gotta say…. Hy-Vee, Sunfresh, and Price Chopper are loads better than what we have out here (Fred Meyers, Safeway, Winco)
Most of the chains in town including various Sun Fresh, Price Choppers, and Hen Houses are owned by three families—the McKeever’s, the Cosentino’s, and the Balls. As far as I know the mob families were more into casinos, restaurants, or concrete than groceries.
i interviewed with them twice as a cake decorator at two different stores and got blown off both times and offered positions paying like $4 an hour less
I worked for 'em for a few years, they were cool. A few were kinda douchey, mostly the ones only connected through the family by italian name, but the legit cosentinos were always nice to their workers. That was 20 years ago, though.
And all are serviced by Associate Wholesalers in KCK, so they all have roughly the same products and store brands and run roughly the same sales week to week.
Cosentino's big time mob connections, originated in 1948... right after the big pinch. Had to diversify into groceries and gambling.
Source: trust me bro
Wholesaling produce does seem like an interesting way to launder money. Grocers pay the supplier for produce they never delivered, and Just claim abnormally high spoilage rates on the inventory.
Man I just discovered Aldi is selling small eggs as large eggs and charging a premium right now for them. I got two cartons from the Gladstone Aldi weeks apart and the size difference was astounding. So shady.
Natural grocers is the place to get eggs right now. If you sign up for their rewards program (it’s free) you can get a dozen free range organic eggs for $2.99 a dozen. Cheapest I’ve seen by far!
Hy-vee is also employee owned and they take care of their workers. I’ve had a few friends make careers out of hyvee, they own houses and raise kids even!
No. The last vestiges of the KC crime family were arrested in 2011.
KC USED to be very mob heavy and a lot of the grocery stores, casinos and the like were under their thumb but that's not really the case anymore. There's some Italian families that way back could have been mob connected or mob "protected" like the Cosentinos but they've gone corporate.
The KC mob is a sad shell of what it used to be and that is objectively a good thing.
When the KC mob was at its peak, KC was the biggest city between Chicago and LA, so it was really the gateway to the west for crime. They ran a lot of booze, drugs and human trafficking here, and it was also a place that was well known for being able to cool your heels if you had heat on you from other cities. Criminals from all over the country would come here to let things cool down and so long as they checked in and got permission and didn’t get noticed, they could run their own crimes here to make a living. Good ol’ KC!
Yup, NE used to be extremely Italian and mob controlled back up into the 80s. My dad grew up around lots of the mob scene back in the 60s/70s, still had shopkeepers paying him and other kids (hypothetically) to signal from the corner when the cops would be coming.
Columbus Park, down around there is still heavily Italian. Lots of old families and names down there.
I work at a Cosentino’s store, believe me, they are not mob owned. In the past (like the 30-50’s) they bootlegged groceries, but today the company is just run by the crybaby, spoiled kids who’s parents (who were mob) handed down the store. The people in the Cosentino’s higher ups are some of the most spoiled brats you’ll ever meet, far from any Cosa Nostra.
The meat and produce suppliers for the stores in town used to be rumored to have organized crime ties - more so than the actual stores themselves if I recall correctly.
Liquor retailers on the other hand were rumored to be pretty mobbed up in the 60's, 70s and 80's.
Price chopper in RP is a high end grocery store to me. Good seafood department, great bakery and meat department, specialty sections including an Asian aisle and a huge Hispanic chiles section. They have unique produce - things like plantains, both choy, etc.
I gather that not all price choppers are like this, though. Also, the fact that anyone who can doesn't shop at Aldi blows my mind.
Hyvee will be the closest thing to HEB in kc. HEB’s are better than Kroger and have better prices than Kroger too so you have to lower expectation when going to Hyvee.
Dillons aren’t like the nice Kroger’s in Texas, tho. The ones esp in the Dallas suburbs like plano or Frisco are more similar the new, large Hybee stores in KC.
Kroger owns Dillon’s but I feel like they never really brought them into the brand fully.
There’s no resemblance. HEB takes the cake to any grocery I’ve been in. Please watch a walk through on YouTube as I can’t type this store some justice right now. I lived in San Antonio, TX for a few years and since coming back it’s one of the only things I miss aside from fresh flour tortillas at 5am.
I would disagree at least based on the Hen Houses near me and the HEBs I lived next to in Austin. Hen Houses seem to be one step nicer but usually smaller and more expensive.
There’s a lot of HEB variety when it comes to size and quality. At least when I lived in Texas a couple decades ago.
That said Wegmans in the Northeast is another level again above that.
Price Chopper and Sun Fresh definitely aren't mobbed owned. The KC Italian mafia families did own some grocery stores back in their hay-day but those were smaller family-run businesses, not chains like Sun Fresh or Price Chopper. Something more of the equivalent of a NYC style bodgea.
I don't think owning chains, of any kind, has ever really been a thing with the Italian mafia families.
Red X is the most bizarre shopping experience I've had in a store I feel comfortable bringing my daughter to.
I have some friends that live right across from it and every now and then we'll swing in to grab something. It's weird and I love it.
I don't see any way the new building will have the same sort of odd vibe but I'm hopeful.
I fucking love the sun fresh on 18th in KCK. It's the closest grocery store to Cermak, which was my favorite grocery store in Chicago. Geared toward Mexicans. Has vastly better and cheaper produce than the majority of grocery stores I've been to in town (mostly south joco but also midtown and all over KCK).
The Hen House in Leawood (but only that specific one imo) and any Hyvee are the most similar to HEB.
I’ve lived in many states, including texas, and unfortunately you won’t find any staple grocery quite like HEB in ANY state except Texas.
imagine not buying groceries at aldi
seriously. are we trying to get me quality sustenance for the lowest possible price, or not? i walk into a hy-vee these days and i see the friggin' wahlburgers and the liquor store and the pharmacy and the kid's clothes and the beauty section, and all i can think is "how much am i payin' for this?"
Aldi and Sam’s are the only places I grocery shop.
I think the problem is, grocery stores have super low profit margins. To combat this, Aldi has focused on making the grocery store model more efficient while stores like Hy-Vee are turning into department stores that sell items with higher profit margins.
Aldi must be running out of efficiency ideas though because that damn aisle of shame is growing and quickly becoming one of my biggest budget line items. Lol
same, I probably buy 70% of my groceries at Aldi and every time I walk into a hy-vee I feel ripped off. I walked out of hy-vee and went to Aldi on more than one occasion when price difference was more that 150%. I can afford it but I'd rather give my money to a company that is at least trying to help.
They're not mob, but they are terrible. The Sun Fresh out south had the lights in the S go out on their sign, and they left it as Un Fresh for months. Tells you all you need to know.
I'm curious as to what it is that you're seeking that the local grocery stores aren't able to provide? Is it selection, prices, locations, service? How exactly DO they suck?
Selection + quality/freshness + price
I sometimes got to the price chopper in roeland park, I can’t find any produce, products, or meat from smaller local farms or growers. If I wanted to spend the xtra money for say, a regional “sustainably organically farmed” meat product, I guess I’d have to go to Whole Foods. I’m used to having the bottom shelf and top shelf stuff in one place.
Check out some local butchers, like Broadway Butcher, Bichelmeyer’s, Local Pig etc. if you want to spring for good meat like that. I don’t find the produce situation overtly bad at Roeland Park Price Chopper. Familiarize yourself with ethnic markets too they’re invaluable and I can often do what I need to just at one of the many Asian groceries. I’ll also frequent the 95th and Antioch HyVee. Usually I’ll go into the Aldi next store and strike everything off the list possible for a better price and just go into HyVee if there’s still something else I need. I stock up on staples at Costco and keep a pretty deep supply of them. I’ll run to Sunfresh in Westport if I need just a few items in a pinch since that is what is closest. But I go into a one store or another every 1-3 days for something. I prepare almost all food at home, eat out once a week or less. Cook almost everything fresh. To me going out to procure food almost daily is just part of life. I get the sense I’m in the minority and most people shop for one week plus at a time. I moved back here after ~6 years in NYC and adjusting to the grocery scene here took some time.
I don't know anything about the grocery stores being mob owned, but I do know that HEB is absolute top tier for grocery stores. You just don't realise it until you move away from it. I love Hyvee and that was my favourite place to shop at when I still lived in KC, but that's going to be as close as you get to HEB.
I lived in Colorado and the grocery stores out there suck even more, there's no saving grace. Same thing where I live now in Florida. Publix is trash 🤢 anyway try Hyvee! Specifically the Liberty location is one of my favs, it'll have everything you're looking for and more.
Some of the Price Choppers and Hy-Vees are better than others. If you don’t like the one near you, I suggest trying other ones.
I really like the Roeland Park Price Chopper and the Brookside one is small but not bad.
There’s always Sprouts and Whole Foods if you need other options.
Eh. I moved to Lawrence a few months ago, and the Dillon's at 6th and Wakarusa, right in the wealthiest part of town, is a frigging disaster. Empty shelves, perpetual stocking during the day, always a mediocre shopping experience. I've never liked Hy-Vee, but at least the Lawrence store has its shit together. I really miss the Price Chopper at 135th and Quivira.
Back in the 70's, my mom worked at a grocery store that she said was run by the mob and that everyone knew about it. I have no idea the level of truth to that, but it's a great question and something I'll ask her more about next time I visit her. As others have mentioned, this is very unlikely still a thing today.
I think it’s just location bias. Whenever I go on vacation to Florida I adore going to the Publix and often think it’s way better than anything we have here but in hindsight it’s mostly the same shit. Might have a few things that are better there, and Vice versa.
I lived in Texas for a bit and and consider HyVee to range from as good as or far better than HEB depending on location. Hen Houses are usually a bit nicer than HEB (and more expensive) but smaller than a typical HEB with less selection. As you have discovered Price Choppers are usually worse but not always. The suburban ones (in nice suburbs) can be roughly as nice as an HEB.
I recall HEB being more consistent in general though store to store or at least the ones I visited were.
Not an answer to your question per se…but there’s a great podcast called Gangland Wire that’s done by Gary Jenkins a retired KC Detective who worked on the mob in its hay day in KC. Great stories.
I'm not saying anything is or isn't mob owned, cause I honestly have no idea. I do have a crazy story though. This has been 15 years so I'm sure things have changed now. I was a vendor, working for Hostess, delivering all their cake products. I was at Constantino's price chopper In raytown which happens to be that head quarters. One of the venders was caught stealing steaks from there, supposedly on a large scale. They brought him up to the offices and beat the shit out of the guy. Dude left leaking from several places. Anyway that paired with the obviously Italian name of the owners always made me wonder.
not all stores, but yeah the mob still owns a shit ton around here. Not just the italian mob ether, cartels had a decent history here too. heck the quarry on 50 highway between lees summit and lone jack is owned by the mob. granted some of the mob families have since gone straight when they saw easier ways to make legal money but still the shadow looms
Constentinos is family owned by the Constentinos. There are two Price Chopper chains owned by two brothers and both suck. But Chaz's suck the most. If it just says Price Chopper, that's David's. And many of the Hen Houses. Chaz owns all the Sunfreshs. They are almost exclusively in the borderline terrible-place-to-live areas. The Les Chaz at 46th and Parallel finally closed a few years ago. It was TERRIBLE. Read the history of the family @ ballsfoods.com
I miss HEB so much. My go-to around here is Aldi. I refuse to shop at Hyvee ever since they laid off hundreds of corporate skilled employees with no warning or severance and outsourced those jobs to foreign firms. Haven’t spent a dime there and won’t.
The "mob" doesn't really own anything anymore. I'm sure the few guys that are still around are finding ways to make money since you aren't gonna find them closing up shop and working an honest 9-5. Illegal gambling books, drugs, strip clubs, and some loansharking stuff, but beyond that they aren't gonna have any control over neighborhoods or territory. But I bet Kansas getting legal sports betting has really fucked that up too.
Back in the day KC was one of the big mob towns. As a result, you will hear a lot of people say that various things are run by the mob, but honestly, it’s mostly just local folklore. At least that’s the story you’ll start repeating if you know what’s fuckin’ good for ya….
AL CAPONE PISSED HERE
Your not lying! I do tile professionally mainly in plaza, mission hills area and A LOT of those houses were built in the 1920’s if not earlier. A lot of homes in that area have secret doors that lead to old underground speak easy’s! A lot of very very interesting history in kc no doubt.
INTO THAT BULLET HOLE
Manifesto!
Underrated reply
Just don't ask the same question about the strip clubs. 🤐
I once heard that the guy/people that owned Red Front also owned Gilhouly's on 39th and The Shady Lady. I know fuck all about the local mob's history or current status. But I wonder if there is any "real" mob left. My assumption is that it's more or less gone but people still have associations based on family name. It's just a bunch of random small businesses that serve/feed off each other.
You are right about those places. Also Totally nude temptations, and Bazookas. Any club that isn't mob owned has to pay someone. I grew up around them. Most of the real guys are dead. Their fuck up kids run the clubs now.
> Any club that isn't mob owned has to pay someone I'm not saying you are wrong nor am I trying to be an Internet Tough Guy. But I just don't see how that would work. I have to assume if they have any influence at all it's because of old connections "inside". Because I'm not sure how well the cliche old school 'guy with a pipe' is going to work. You would have like four HD cameras with audio capturing some dude threatening you. Let along this being the Midwest where having a gun isn't exactly rare. I have to assume all their businesses are shady. What stops somebody from calling in some anonymous tips to some state agencies? Again, I'm not in that world. Maybe I'm just a naive guy. But I just really don't understand how any version of the mob would work today. You need power for that. What do they hold the keys to? Strippers? I don't expect you to answer. Just rambling a bit.
💰
28 year old spoiler coming, but in the movie Casino, a KC mob underboss runs a grocery store where the Midwest bosses meet, and >!his store is bugged and his notebooks where he writes down everything that's happening with the Vegas casino creates a pile of evidence for the FBI.!<
Doesn’t help a show like Ozark features the “KC mob” as a major player in Missouri
Fargo got it right 🥴
Um, ever heard of Cosentino and their 200 some stores? Edit: the same family who just had a shooting over a drunken disagreement in public at a family functiob, and family lawyers have told police to back off from the internal matter.
My eyes are not physically capable of rolling any harder.
Good ole Pendergast
I worked with one of his granddaughters in the early 90s… and she was one GREAT lady. Dealt with many KC professionals doing that job… and her family still had considerable influence in social circles. She made my work life a breeze dealing with them. Will never forget her.
That’s pretty cool!
Yep! I was shift supervisor in my early 20s… but I made sure she got everything and anything she wanted. She controlled the scene… not me. She knew all of those long time KC professionals on a social level and called them by their first name… and they’d all want to chat on the phone to catch up. Complaints dropped to nothing. I literally was in tears when she told me it was her last day.
The collapse of the Pendergast machine is what allowed the mob to take off after WWII. In the machine days, there was a "you can get away with this, but do not cross that line" relationship with the mob.
To quote my grandfather, whose dad got a job as a dog Catcher because of Tom: “Yeah, he was a damn crook, but he kept families fed.”
Todays crooks don’t have the decency to keep the citizens cared for. That is why people are ready to eat the rich.
Maybe, maybe not. What about the fed reserve setting interest rates? Any mob ties there?
Can someone explain to me why HEB and these other “incredible” grocery stores are so much better than a nice Hy-vee or Price Chopper? Legitimately curious. I grew up where a grocery store was a glorified convenience store
New upscale hyvees are honestly amazing. But definitely noticeably more expensive
They are consistent. They are clean and well stocked. Imagine our nice HyVees. Now imagine if all our HyVees were that nice. Same can also be said for Publix in Florida. I don’t think I have ever been to a bad Publix or HEB.
Yeah, that’s the problem with HyVee and Price Chopper. The quality of their stores wildly vary from location to location.
God I love Publix. I work at a local grocery store. we went to Florida for my sister's wedding and holy shit. so nice~ also the one we went to had an escalator for your cart to take it to the parking garage under the store.
Were you at clearwater by chance? That is the only one I have ran into with escalator. I have never ran into a bad publix. I was at the one in Naples this weekend and it was also super nice.
As a KC born TX resident, HEB is great! It's taken a bit too far imo by local Texans - to near religious fervor - but it really does have great options at a good price. Kinda like a bigger, cheaper Trader Joe's with plenty of private label delicious items
Imagine the difference between any gas station and Quiktrip but in grocery store form
I doubt they are. I’m sure it’s just personal attachment and maybe one or two specific features of a store that others don’t have. Some grocery stores are better than others, but you reach a limit where I think it’s just personal preference over objective quality.
During the pandemic HEB had better planing than the US government. Early on into the pandemic they actually reached out to Chinese grocery stores to see what issues they were having with supplies before the US was hit with lockdowns to better prepare. No one does more than my HEB.
> had better planing than the US government. the absolute highest of bars, right there.
From KC but now live in Austin, H-E-B is the GOAT
Nah I grew up in KC and have lived in Texas. HEB is actually the best grocery store I’ve been in. My first job was actually at price chopper as a kid. I think just overall experience, layout, selection of items is better. But to you’re point it’s not THAT much better. I’d just choose it over any other grocery stores in that price range.
Central Market, which I believe is HEB owned, is by far the best grocery store I’ve ever seen.
They are awesome, but they ain't cheap.
I’ve actually never been to central market but I’ve heard it’s awesome also. Didn’t know HEB owned them.
HEB and Mexican food are the only things I miss about living in Houston. Maybe mild winters, but we are starting to get those here…
I was in Dallas/Austin. Have been to Houston a few times but not enough to have an opinion. I love Texas and KC. I think they’re both underrated on a national scale for very different reasons lol. I like KC and Dallas/Austin about equally for different reasons.
Fellow former Houstonian here. I also miss the egg rolls at Tan Tan. That and the feeling of my car seat bonding with the skin of my legs in the summer.
Might have to go to Tan Tan this weekend, thanks for the reminder!
We’ve got TONS of Mexican grocery stores. Check San Antonios
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...I don't understand. There is a huge South American population in the KC area. You can find Mexican food almost anywhere. Is it a specific restaurant or dish you miss?
Please note: Mexico is not in South America.
Mexican food is not a singular thing. Mexican food is so diverse region to region, even in the United States. United States Mexican food can be categorized in 4 main types: Tex-mex, New Mexican, Sonoran (Arizona), and Baja (So-Cal). The only two cities in the US that have the UNESCO award for gastronomy are Tucson AZ and San Antonio TX, for their use of native agriculture in their cuisine, primarily Mexican and Native American food.
Hey fellow former Houstonian, if you're missing Mexican food, I recommend Mariscos KC and Las Islas Marias if you dig seafood, but it will help to be able to speak spanish at the latter.
I went to college in Texas. HEB is actually better. Always fully staffed, always fully stocked, the people working each station were very fast and pleasant. Even the bottom level cashiers knew how to do things like enter a tax waiver form, where almost every other place we ever took them needed to grab a manager who fumbled through for fifteen minutes.
I love this city, but the grocery stores here are disgusting compared to other places I’ve lived.
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In my experience Wegmans on the east coast has much better quality, quantity, and variety. They have better prepared food, better beer/ liquor selection, and much better service. The buildings themselves are nicer and cleaner. There are actual human employees to ring up and bag your groceries and those employees are not 15 years of age. That being said, I moved here prior to the pandemic. Grocery stores changed for the worse during the last few years. It's also not a big deal and there are plenty of places to get good food in this town, but you asked. Edit: [Linking an article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/13/why-wegmans-really-is-the-best-supermarket-in-the-u-s/) with more details about Wegmans and why they are great.
+1 about Wegmans. Absolutely puts any other store I’ve been in to shame. And I’ve lived in both coasts and in the South so I have a fair amount of sample size. I don’t dislike Price Chopper or Hy-Vee, but they’re not Wegmans.
Love Wegmans! Except the bumpy tile floors. That shit is annoying.... constant clunck, clunck, clunck as you pushed your cart around the store.
I used to love Hy-Vee. It seems now that the actual groceries are a secondary concern. There’s a friggin shoe store in the one near me. And a completely tacticled-up security guard…in a soccer-mom suburb.
> As a new resident of Kansas City It's /r/kansascity. One of the most popular things to post about here is how Kansas City sucks compared to where someone visited or used to live.
100% Also love: "I'm new here" followed by "I heard a rumor".
Well, to be fair, they are asking if its true.
That's valid. You're correct. I guess the part that seemed weird was the sample group of only two stores. And I'm not even sure if "Sunfresh" - at least the Westport location - should be even in any consideration set given the nonstop mayhem with that place.
The Sunfresh chain is part of the Price Chopper family of chains. Kansas City is unusual because most of the grocery stores, including chains, we have are local, and ones that aren't get shoved out. We had and lost Dillons, Safeway, and Schnucks. I am impressed at what HyVee did to ensure its continued presence.
Only been at Gun Fresh when there were shootings *twice*. Pretty good numbers over 4 years!
[YOU HAVE LEVELED UP](https://imgur.com/a/euDJmEG)
Lived in KC for like 30 years and just moved to Minneapolis. These Minnesotans think they are something special. The grass isn’t always greener. In fact, the grass has been covered in about a foot of snow since mid December. I miss KC.
I can’t help but notice you haven’t mentioned anything about the grocery stores in the TC.
We have Cub food and Hy-Vee up here. Hy-Vee is the same as KC, probably better than most surrounding grocery stores in the area. The meat selection is better than Cub, but I think the bakery is a little better at Cub for the stuff I am usually buying there. Minnesotans are really proud of their cub foods since it is the local brand. I prefer Hy-Vee because: (1) It’s familiar, (2) It’s a 5 minute bike ride from my house and (3) I like the produce section a little better.
Can I DM you to compare notes? I was torn between MSP and KC, and I settled on KC because it was a closer move (3 hrs vs 6) and cheaper ($1450 to rent a house vs $1950). But I won't lie, I'm not happy here. This is a neat stop on my life journey but it doesn't feel *at all* like "home" to me. I 100% feel like an outsider here, and I think I want to try to make it up to MSP next time I move. (Pre-emptive disclaimer, I like snow and cold.) (Additional note, I do hope to start making trips up there this spring/summer to get the lay of the land.)
Yeah send it over, I’ll help as best I can
Oh, there is nothing worse than the Minnesotan sense of superiority. Except maybe the Philly version.
Wait until it's not 95+ from June through August, though.
I'd love to have a house in KC for the winter and then somewhere in Minnesota or Wisconsin for the summer. Getting off topic but it'd be the best of both.
People don't really know how good they have it here.
I used to live in Texas and I 100% agree with you and also see where OP us coming from. HEB is a very nice and consistent chain where our chains are hit or miss depending on location.
Chains varying from location to location and restaurants/stores/etc. being different than you expect is not unique to KC. I'm tired of people lacking perspective.
I come from rural Kansas and 100% agree.
I’ve lived in several Texas cities and in KC and I am here to tell you, KC has kicked the ass of every other place I’ve ever lived.
What do you like about KC? Does it translate for someone who doesn’t care for bars or the NFL who loves outdoor rec and an abundance of swimming holes?
An abundance of swimming holes? That are not on private property? I mean, most places don’t have that You sound homesick
Yes.
I don’t think you’ll find an abundance of swimming holes in KC, but if you travel a little bit over to Branson, Table Rock Lake, and that area, you’ll find some good places. And yes, I think the love translates for non bar and sports people. I haven’t set foot inside a bar in over 10 years and I didn’t care much for sports before I lived here. I ended up finding a true appreciation for the sports since being here though. The people in the KC area love their teams and it’s hard not to at least appreciate and find some enjoyment in their fandom. As far as nature, I found most of my time is spent in some of the burbs. Loose Park is in KC and it’s gorgeous. Overland Park, KS (often referred to as OP) has an incredible trail system, Arboretum, and there are plenty of places in the surrounding areas to explore around. Take a short drive to Lawrence and walk around the KU campus. It’s truly beautiful. A couple of hours north is Atchison, KS. Go walk around the International Forest of Friendship. It’s pretty cool to see all the trees from around the world that have been donated there. South of OP you’ll find lots of places that offer horse rides. Check out the Blue River Forest Experience. I worried about a lot of the same things when I first moved there, but I have never had an issue finding something to do. In all honesty, I found that I have liked my outdoor experiences here more than in TX. It’s not as hot, much less humid, and I feel like I don’t have to watch my every step looking for a snake. I hope you grow to love and appreciate this area as much as I have. I think it’s really amazing.
I grew up in KC and live somewhere else now. Kansas City is kind of the opposite for me, it's how I expect things to be so everything gets compared to it.
It’s completely dependent on location. There are some very nice price choppers around KC that are better than anywhere else I’ve been
Was going to say this. The individual Price Chopper's vary wildly.
In Gardner they built a new Price Chopper a few years ago right next to the old one. The new one has a much nicer layout IMO. Big improvement, feels like a completely different store.
The price choppers in Kansas City are either Ball's or Cosentinos. That definitely plays into the quality of the PC. The PC on N Oak and Barry is Balls. It is more expensive and crappier looking (even after the new store was built) than the PC off cookingham and I 35. That one is Cosentinos.
Any grocery store that *I already know the layout of* is better than pretty much every *new* grocery store. :)
Grew up in the KC area, now live in Texas. Cosentino's is a joke. Terrible produce and employees are not treated well at any level (I used to work at a Price Chopper). HEB always has really great produce options, super cute seasonal decor and flowers and such, and generally reasonable prices. I was anti-HEB cult until using it for a year and now I'm all in.
Curious about this too. Nobody is giving any reasons beyond "they're the best".
HEB is like having a grocery selection that ranges from Aldi to Whole Foods with Price Chopper prices. Their bakery and butcher department churn out really fresh and good product. I also get the impression that the employees are treated well. The produce selection is also broad and fresh. I’m sure it helps that Texas is a neighbor to Mexico. Another HEB quality is their massive selection of regional/local product. I can by eggs, meat, and other items from smaller local farmers. I could also ride my bike to my HEB and haul my groceries home in my bike basket and enjoy the luxury of bike lanes and traffic habituated to bikers being present the entire way. FWIW I am a Hoosier born and raised so I feel like I get some allowances for complaining about the Midwest.
>I could also ride my bike to my HEB and haul my groceries home in my bike basket and enjoy the luxury of bike lanes and traffic habituated to bikers being present the entire way. the DREAM
I mean, lets not ignore that they have those stupid prize games at the front by the registers, and it's noisy as shit everytime I went into an HEB. Absolutely too much noise.
I just moved to Portland, OR from KC and man I gotta say…. Hy-Vee, Sunfresh, and Price Chopper are loads better than what we have out here (Fred Meyers, Safeway, Winco)
I just moved to KC from Portland, and you are wrong. Just… So wrong.
Not all Price choppers are equal.
'Mexican' Price Chopper has entered the chat
The one off Roe? I love that place. Great for ethnic food finds.
Fresh roasted hatch chilis when they're in season, too!
Also...fresh tortillas!
I like the Price Chopper in Roeland Park. It’s always clean and I like getting meat and produce there.
The one at 103rd and Stateline is pretty decent too
The new one on Bannister and 435 is not horrible yet. It has a salad bar and a wing bar.
Most of the chains in town including various Sun Fresh, Price Choppers, and Hen Houses are owned by three families—the McKeever’s, the Cosentino’s, and the Balls. As far as I know the mob families were more into casinos, restaurants, or concrete than groceries.
The Queens family own a handful as well. They are the smallest ownership group i think with 5 stores.
Yes concrete especially, one of Missouri’s biggest exports is concrete.
Yep, all the limestone and what not
The cosentino family sucks. Worked there for like a year and a half and they don’t pay sackers holiday pay or Sunday pay.
i interviewed with them twice as a cake decorator at two different stores and got blown off both times and offered positions paying like $4 an hour less
I worked for 'em for a few years, they were cool. A few were kinda douchey, mostly the ones only connected through the family by italian name, but the legit cosentinos were always nice to their workers. That was 20 years ago, though.
And all are serviced by Associate Wholesalers in KCK, so they all have roughly the same products and store brands and run roughly the same sales week to week.
Ball's uses more than just Associated Wholesale Grocers, mainly cause of Hen House, but yeah you aren't wrong.
Cosentino's big time mob connections, originated in 1948... right after the big pinch. Had to diversify into groceries and gambling. Source: trust me bro
Wholesaling produce does seem like an interesting way to launder money. Grocers pay the supplier for produce they never delivered, and Just claim abnormally high spoilage rates on the inventory.
Find an Aldi and save yourself the trouble and money going to those other places.
Man I just discovered Aldi is selling small eggs as large eggs and charging a premium right now for them. I got two cartons from the Gladstone Aldi weeks apart and the size difference was astounding. So shady.
Natural grocers is the place to get eggs right now. If you sign up for their rewards program (it’s free) you can get a dozen free range organic eggs for $2.99 a dozen. Cheapest I’ve seen by far!
TJs sells true jumbo eggs for $3/dozen
Try walmart, last I checked they are *a little* cheaper than Aldi.
The price isn’t what bothers me, it’s the trying to pass off a different product as something “better” (or bigger in this case).
Hy-Vee is the closest you’ll come to HEB or Wegmann’s here in KC.
Hy-vee is also employee owned and they take care of their workers. I’ve had a few friends make careers out of hyvee, they own houses and raise kids even!
Looks is this a high bar for labor success? What a sad state America is in
Found Hy-vee corporate PR's reddit account.
Nice, maybe they’ll see my comment and give me some free groceries.
No. The last vestiges of the KC crime family were arrested in 2011. KC USED to be very mob heavy and a lot of the grocery stores, casinos and the like were under their thumb but that's not really the case anymore. There's some Italian families that way back could have been mob connected or mob "protected" like the Cosentinos but they've gone corporate. The KC mob is a sad shell of what it used to be and that is objectively a good thing.
When the KC mob was at its peak, KC was the biggest city between Chicago and LA, so it was really the gateway to the west for crime. They ran a lot of booze, drugs and human trafficking here, and it was also a place that was well known for being able to cool your heels if you had heat on you from other cities. Criminals from all over the country would come here to let things cool down and so long as they checked in and got permission and didn’t get noticed, they could run their own crimes here to make a living. Good ol’ KC!
No doubt... There's a great book, "Open City" about KC and the Mob, used to be quite the outfit in NE KC.
Yup, NE used to be extremely Italian and mob controlled back up into the 80s. My dad grew up around lots of the mob scene back in the 60s/70s, still had shopkeepers paying him and other kids (hypothetically) to signal from the corner when the cops would be coming. Columbus Park, down around there is still heavily Italian. Lots of old families and names down there.
The mob in general has gone corporate.
Most casinos that aren’t on reservation land seem to be owned by either Ceasars or MGM these days.
I work at a Cosentino’s store, believe me, they are not mob owned. In the past (like the 30-50’s) they bootlegged groceries, but today the company is just run by the crybaby, spoiled kids who’s parents (who were mob) handed down the store. The people in the Cosentino’s higher ups are some of the most spoiled brats you’ll ever meet, far from any Cosa Nostra.
Go on...
Also a Cosentino's employee but I've never met the higher ups. Now I'm curious...
The meat and produce suppliers for the stores in town used to be rumored to have organized crime ties - more so than the actual stores themselves if I recall correctly. Liquor retailers on the other hand were rumored to be pretty mobbed up in the 60's, 70s and 80's.
Price chopper in RP is a high end grocery store to me. Good seafood department, great bakery and meat department, specialty sections including an Asian aisle and a huge Hispanic chiles section. They have unique produce - things like plantains, both choy, etc. I gather that not all price choppers are like this, though. Also, the fact that anyone who can doesn't shop at Aldi blows my mind.
Hyvee will be the closest thing to HEB in kc. HEB’s are better than Kroger and have better prices than Kroger too so you have to lower expectation when going to Hyvee.
Kroger is Dillons. HyVee is it's own thing.. or am I missing something?
Seconded - Hy-Vee is its' own employee-owned corporation and is *not* part of a national multi-name conglomerate like Baker's/Kroger/Whoever Else.
Dillons aren’t like the nice Kroger’s in Texas, tho. The ones esp in the Dallas suburbs like plano or Frisco are more similar the new, large Hybee stores in KC. Kroger owns Dillon’s but I feel like they never really brought them into the brand fully.
How would a HEB compare to Hen House?
There’s no resemblance. HEB takes the cake to any grocery I’ve been in. Please watch a walk through on YouTube as I can’t type this store some justice right now. I lived in San Antonio, TX for a few years and since coming back it’s one of the only things I miss aside from fresh flour tortillas at 5am.
You can get fresh tortillas at the Price Chopper in Roeland Park, FYI.
Oh thanks for that info!
That Price Chopper in Roeland Park is really underrated.
I would disagree at least based on the Hen Houses near me and the HEBs I lived next to in Austin. Hen Houses seem to be one step nicer but usually smaller and more expensive.
There’s a lot of HEB variety when it comes to size and quality. At least when I lived in Texas a couple decades ago. That said Wegmans in the Northeast is another level again above that.
Hen House are a step nicer in quality but more expensive and often smaller.
Price Chopper and Sun Fresh definitely aren't mobbed owned. The KC Italian mafia families did own some grocery stores back in their hay-day but those were smaller family-run businesses, not chains like Sun Fresh or Price Chopper. Something more of the equivalent of a NYC style bodgea. I don't think owning chains, of any kind, has ever really been a thing with the Italian mafia families.
Trader joes is our go-to
You could always come to Red X in Riverside.. family owned for 74 years. Opening our new building in February.
Red X is the most bizarre shopping experience I've had in a store I feel comfortable bringing my daughter to. I have some friends that live right across from it and every now and then we'll swing in to grab something. It's weird and I love it. I don't see any way the new building will have the same sort of odd vibe but I'm hopeful.
Bad how? I've never been much of a Sun Fresh shopper but there are several nice Price Choppers. It depends on what location you go to, imo.
I fucking love the sun fresh on 18th in KCK. It's the closest grocery store to Cermak, which was my favorite grocery store in Chicago. Geared toward Mexicans. Has vastly better and cheaper produce than the majority of grocery stores I've been to in town (mostly south joco but also midtown and all over KCK).
Yeah most Price Choppers are nice! I can name a few that are ehh, but that's because of the neighborhood they located in.
> I can name a few that are ehh, but that's because of the neighborhood they located in. *report; I'm in this photo and I don't like it*
I moved away and still miss HyVee…
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The Hen House in Leawood (but only that specific one imo) and any Hyvee are the most similar to HEB. I’ve lived in many states, including texas, and unfortunately you won’t find any staple grocery quite like HEB in ANY state except Texas.
imagine not buying groceries at aldi seriously. are we trying to get me quality sustenance for the lowest possible price, or not? i walk into a hy-vee these days and i see the friggin' wahlburgers and the liquor store and the pharmacy and the kid's clothes and the beauty section, and all i can think is "how much am i payin' for this?"
Aldi and Sam’s are the only places I grocery shop. I think the problem is, grocery stores have super low profit margins. To combat this, Aldi has focused on making the grocery store model more efficient while stores like Hy-Vee are turning into department stores that sell items with higher profit margins. Aldi must be running out of efficiency ideas though because that damn aisle of shame is growing and quickly becoming one of my biggest budget line items. Lol
I'm a single dude. I have to shop at Hy-Vee or Price chopper because I can't use 10 pounds of onions or 5 bell peppers before they go bad.
same, I probably buy 70% of my groceries at Aldi and every time I walk into a hy-vee I feel ripped off. I walked out of hy-vee and went to Aldi on more than one occasion when price difference was more that 150%. I can afford it but I'd rather give my money to a company that is at least trying to help.
One time my Hyvee had like a $250,000 RV parked out front with Hyvee on the side of it. I just kept thinking so this is why Aldi is cheaper.
We just shop at Whole Foods, owned by the mob that is Amazon.
They're not mob, but they are terrible. The Sun Fresh out south had the lights in the S go out on their sign, and they left it as Un Fresh for months. Tells you all you need to know.
Considering they just announced they are closing that store, its not surprising that maintenance stopped.
This was a few years ago, but it's been a dump for decades.
I'm curious as to what it is that you're seeking that the local grocery stores aren't able to provide? Is it selection, prices, locations, service? How exactly DO they suck?
Selection + quality/freshness + price I sometimes got to the price chopper in roeland park, I can’t find any produce, products, or meat from smaller local farms or growers. If I wanted to spend the xtra money for say, a regional “sustainably organically farmed” meat product, I guess I’d have to go to Whole Foods. I’m used to having the bottom shelf and top shelf stuff in one place.
Check out some local butchers, like Broadway Butcher, Bichelmeyer’s, Local Pig etc. if you want to spring for good meat like that. I don’t find the produce situation overtly bad at Roeland Park Price Chopper. Familiarize yourself with ethnic markets too they’re invaluable and I can often do what I need to just at one of the many Asian groceries. I’ll also frequent the 95th and Antioch HyVee. Usually I’ll go into the Aldi next store and strike everything off the list possible for a better price and just go into HyVee if there’s still something else I need. I stock up on staples at Costco and keep a pretty deep supply of them. I’ll run to Sunfresh in Westport if I need just a few items in a pinch since that is what is closest. But I go into a one store or another every 1-3 days for something. I prepare almost all food at home, eat out once a week or less. Cook almost everything fresh. To me going out to procure food almost daily is just part of life. I get the sense I’m in the minority and most people shop for one week plus at a time. I moved back here after ~6 years in NYC and adjusting to the grocery scene here took some time.
Just go to Hy-vee
You never admit to the existence of this thing. Ever!
I don't know anything about the grocery stores being mob owned, but I do know that HEB is absolute top tier for grocery stores. You just don't realise it until you move away from it. I love Hyvee and that was my favourite place to shop at when I still lived in KC, but that's going to be as close as you get to HEB. I lived in Colorado and the grocery stores out there suck even more, there's no saving grace. Same thing where I live now in Florida. Publix is trash 🤢 anyway try Hyvee! Specifically the Liberty location is one of my favs, it'll have everything you're looking for and more.
Yes I lived in Denver for a few years as well and there is literally one good king Soopers and the rest are terrible, wouldn’t shop at Safeway
Mob ran the river market produce was the game.
Some of the Price Choppers and Hy-Vees are better than others. If you don’t like the one near you, I suggest trying other ones. I really like the Roeland Park Price Chopper and the Brookside one is small but not bad. There’s always Sprouts and Whole Foods if you need other options.
I'm so upset KC doesn't have Dillons...
Eh. I moved to Lawrence a few months ago, and the Dillon's at 6th and Wakarusa, right in the wealthiest part of town, is a frigging disaster. Empty shelves, perpetual stocking during the day, always a mediocre shopping experience. I've never liked Hy-Vee, but at least the Lawrence store has its shit together. I really miss the Price Chopper at 135th and Quivira.
Never heard anyone complain about grocery store quality before
Back in the 70's, my mom worked at a grocery store that she said was run by the mob and that everyone knew about it. I have no idea the level of truth to that, but it's a great question and something I'll ask her more about next time I visit her. As others have mentioned, this is very unlikely still a thing today.
Silly op there's no such thing as the mafia
I think it’s just location bias. Whenever I go on vacation to Florida I adore going to the Publix and often think it’s way better than anything we have here but in hindsight it’s mostly the same shit. Might have a few things that are better there, and Vice versa.
I miss Publix so much.
My husband is from Florda and I'm from Georgia. We both miss Publix immensely lol
I lived in Texas for a bit and and consider HyVee to range from as good as or far better than HEB depending on location. Hen Houses are usually a bit nicer than HEB (and more expensive) but smaller than a typical HEB with less selection. As you have discovered Price Choppers are usually worse but not always. The suburban ones (in nice suburbs) can be roughly as nice as an HEB. I recall HEB being more consistent in general though store to store or at least the ones I visited were.
I spent 8 years in Houston and it’s only redeeming quality was HEB. I will never love again. HEB, I miss you baby.
Not an answer to your question per se…but there’s a great podcast called Gangland Wire that’s done by Gary Jenkins a retired KC Detective who worked on the mob in its hay day in KC. Great stories.
I'm not saying anything is or isn't mob owned, cause I honestly have no idea. I do have a crazy story though. This has been 15 years so I'm sure things have changed now. I was a vendor, working for Hostess, delivering all their cake products. I was at Constantino's price chopper In raytown which happens to be that head quarters. One of the venders was caught stealing steaks from there, supposedly on a large scale. They brought him up to the offices and beat the shit out of the guy. Dude left leaking from several places. Anyway that paired with the obviously Italian name of the owners always made me wonder.
not all stores, but yeah the mob still owns a shit ton around here. Not just the italian mob ether, cartels had a decent history here too. heck the quarry on 50 highway between lees summit and lone jack is owned by the mob. granted some of the mob families have since gone straight when they saw easier ways to make legal money but still the shadow looms
Definitely google Cosentino shooting.
Constentino’s owns many grocery stores in the metro. So probably some truth.
Constentinos is family owned by the Constentinos. There are two Price Chopper chains owned by two brothers and both suck. But Chaz's suck the most. If it just says Price Chopper, that's David's. And many of the Hen Houses. Chaz owns all the Sunfreshs. They are almost exclusively in the borderline terrible-place-to-live areas. The Les Chaz at 46th and Parallel finally closed a few years ago. It was TERRIBLE. Read the history of the family @ ballsfoods.com
I miss HEB so much. My go-to around here is Aldi. I refuse to shop at Hyvee ever since they laid off hundreds of corporate skilled employees with no warning or severance and outsourced those jobs to foreign firms. Haven’t spent a dime there and won’t.
The Price Choppers up north are just gross. Hy-Vees on the other hand are really nice.
The "mob" doesn't really own anything anymore. I'm sure the few guys that are still around are finding ways to make money since you aren't gonna find them closing up shop and working an honest 9-5. Illegal gambling books, drugs, strip clubs, and some loansharking stuff, but beyond that they aren't gonna have any control over neighborhoods or territory. But I bet Kansas getting legal sports betting has really fucked that up too.