515 Crew

[Nick]

Seems they might be forced to shut down due to some stupid law about grease. Actually, if this law starts to be enforced, it sounds like it could very well shut down most small, local joints. Then we are left with nothing but large, chain restaurants. FUCK THAT! This is bullshit.

The future of Mama Lacona's, an Urbandale restaurant with a 52-year history, is uncertain, in part because of an $80,000 renovation required to meet increasingly stringent federal environmental rules.

And the possible reopening of Buzzard Billy's in downtown Des Moines is in doubt.

The problem: grease.

Government regulators have told the restaurants they must install up to three 3,000-gallon underground tanks to collect fats and oils discarded as part of food preparation and cleanup.
Jim Lacona, one of the owners of the family restaurant, said: "Things are hard now anyway, but to throw this on me, it might end us. I don't know what to do."

The situation reflects the ongoing tension between environmental requirements that protect the public and businesses' needs to control costs to keep their doors open.

The environmental risks posed by grease are real: Clogs from restaurant grease can cause sewage to back into homes and other businesses. Mama Lacona's faces a $200 fine for allegedly causing such a sewer overflow in June.

But ever-steeper costs also mean fewer entrepreneurs can afford to open a small restaurant and also translate into higher expenses and meal prices for operations of all sizes.

At Mama Lacona's, besides the expense, the work would temporarily close the restaurant while contractors dig underneath the kitchen to install the collection tanks.

If restaurants fail to make improvements, it could jeopardize millions of dollars in federal grants allocated to Iowa and result in fines to governments as well as the restaurants.

If the improvements at Mama Lacona's are not made within a few months, local officials say they have little choice but to force the restaurant to close.

Buzzard Billy's likely will not be permitted to reopen until it installs the grease collectors, said Andy Massoth, an owner of the restaurant that closed last year after it was flooded.

Owners will decide within the next two months whether they will proceed toward reopening. Sewer costs are among the top considerations, Massoth said.

"We're all aware that we need to keep the grease out of the water, but when they put that code in place, it definitely killed a lot of chances for your smaller, ethnic, mom-and-pop places from opening," Massoth said.

Interviews with public officials across the state underscore that hundreds of other restaurants face similar decisions.

Generally, the requirements kick in for new construction or any food business that undertakes $50,000 or more in improvements. The costs are typically closer to $30,000 but can be more depending upon the topography and the facility's needs.

Businesses that fail to keep grease levels sent to sewer systems within legal limits, like Mama Lacona's, also can be forced to make the upgrades.

The tightening rules stem from a nearly 30-year-old federal law, enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that prohibits sewer overflows into waterways. The federal government's intensifying emphasis on the law in recent years has pushed cities and states across the nation to adopt stricter grease regulations, said Paul Marshall, a coordinator for the EPA.

The sewage-treatment agency serving the Des Moines area put its rules in place three years ago. Tighter regulations are expected to trickle down to all Iowa cities eventually.

"I think this is something that will happen everywhere," said John Dunn, director of the Ames Water and Pollution Control Department. His city has similar mandates to those in the Des Moines area.

The grease rules have caused a few businesses to close or never open in Davenport, said Bill Miller, a city plumbing inspector.

Annika Stensson of the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C., urged state and city leaders to adopt reasonable rules so restaurants with little grease are not forced to install unnecessary devices.

Generally, restaurants in buildings constructed within the past seven or eight years have automatically incorporated the special tanks into their design. The problems and costs mount substantially for existing businesses that find they are releasing more grease into sewer systems than allowed by federal regulators.

Muscatine and cities across the country, including Colorado Springs, Colo.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Austin, Texas, have adopted grease ordinances similar to those used by the Des Moines wastewater authority, according to a survey by the group.

A study by Wichita, Kan., showed that sewer blockages dropped from around 50 a decade ago to fewer than five in recent years after it adopted tighter regulations.

Each blockage typically costs taxpayers or businesses somewhere between $25,000 and $50,000, said Sara Runyan, a city employee who works with the program.

"In the end, it's cheaper to make the improvements," Runyan said.

"It also saves the city a lot of money in not having to clean the sewer lines. The taxpayers don't want to spend that money to clean the restaurants' mess."


A CLOSER LOOK AT MAMA LACONA'S

The Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority has issued $11,230 in fines to area businesses in the past three years, including a $200 fine to
Mama Lacona’s, public records show.

The authority is made up of 16 cities, counties or sewer districts in the Des Moines metropolitan area.

Mama Lacona’s current grease trap was 100 percent full on at least four inspections in the past three years, well above the 25 percent cap that the authority recommends. It’s an indication that an illegal level of grease was being released into the sewer, reports say.

On June 12, a sewer overflow caused by a grease blockage occurred directly downstream from Mama Lacona’s, which triggered the fine and the requirement that a new grease collection system be installed.

Katie Lacona, one of the owners, said her family will likely appeal. She noted that the restaurant met all building requirements when its building was constructed about 10 years ago.

Appeals are rare and largely unsuccessful because of the federal and state requirements, noted Jody Smith, West Des Moines’ administrative services director and chairman of the waste authority’s board of directors.

In one case, a church accused of violations agreed to serve only pre-packaged foods at its Ankeny site. Smith, a member of the West Des Moines United Methodist Church, noted that two years ago during a major renovation project, his own congregation had to install the same type of special grease device that’s being required at Mama Lacona’s.

“It is a challenge in retrofitting areas,” Smith said. “Most of these are EPA or DNR standards and, logistically, we have to get the grease and fat out of the pipes or it’s going to cause problems.” He was referring to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Iowa Department of Natural Resources rules.
— Jason Clayworth

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... LqLUcgA%3D

[Hank Fist]

I was a little disappointed the last time i went to Mama's.

[weirdtaylor]

this kind of makes me want to go into a room turn the lights off and start shooting. fuck that man its bullshit. we pay more than enough in taxes to this fucking city. i wonder if this will in any affect tally's opening date?

[ilikehorses]

i went there once, but my friend was embarrassed to be seen with me, as i had a mohawk and was wearing a Fifteen hoodie that said "Satan Owns You." so we left.
sorry, pointless post.

[Nick]

I was a little disappointed the last time i went to Mama's.

Yeah...there food is usually hit and miss, except for their fried chicken...that shit owns. But I guess that is beside the point. It just sucks that this law, if enforced, would likely cause a lot of other local places to shut down as well.

The city officials claim it "...costs taxpayers $25,000 or more every time there is a blockage..." in the sewer line and that "....it would be cheaper in the long run..." if these businesses were required to install these underground collection tanks for their grease.

Sure, it may be cheaper in the long run for the city, and in turn taxpayers, but how many sewer blockages are actually caused by grease a year? Why punish all restaurants for the mistakes of a few who didn't have their grease collection bins emptied often enough? It may be cheaper for the city, but it will hurt small, local restaurants and probably force them to close. I'd be willing to pay a few extra bucks in taxes each year if meant the city could afford to keep sewer lines clean and free of blockage and meant restaurants could, in turn, stay operational.

[Hank Fist]

i've never worked in the food biz, but i always thought they dumped it into those dumpster things outback? There's a dude in Iowa that invented a pump system that collects hot grease straight from the fryer, and then of course makes diesel out of it. this would be a better idea then dumping it into the sewers.
they should use some kind of incentive besides threatening to shut the place down to get the grease tanks installed.

[Nick]

i've never worked in the food biz, but i always thought they dumped it into those dumpster things outback? There's a dude in Iowa that invented a pump system that collects hot grease straight from the fryer, and then of course makes diesel out of it. this would be a better idea then dumping it into the sewers.
they should use some kind of incentive besides threatening to shut the place down to get the grease tanks installed.

Yeah. I always thought they put grease in those dumpster things out back as well and then a "grease rendering truck" would come and empty them periodically? Maybe Mama Lacona's and similar places aren't having them emptied often enough and when they are full, they dump the grease into the sewer drains? Who knows, but I agree....some other solution/incentive should be offered.

[joseph]

mma laconas and buzzard billys gone? good bye. do not want

[Nick]

mma laconas and buzzard billys gone? good bye. do not want

Don't you think the enforcement of this law could lead to a LOT of other local places to close their doors too though? Places you and I would care about?

Like I said, that would mean a city left with nothing but the large chain restaurants who can afford to install such systems without going broke. $80,000 is a big chunk of cash for a place like Mama Lacona's. I'd suspect that is at least a month or two worth of income for a restaurant of their size?

On the flipside, it does seem Mama Lacona's was violating this law quite a bit and fines haven't seemed to resolve the problem. I guess this might have been avoided if they had just had their grease vat emptied on a regular basis? They were probably trying to cut corners by not having it emptied and it is just costing them more in the long run.

Mama Lacona’s current grease trap was 100 percent full on at least four inspections in the past three years, well above the 25 percent cap that the authority recommends. It’s an indication that an illegal level of grease was being released into the sewer, reports say.

[DaVo]

i've never worked in the food biz, but i always thought they dumped it into those dumpster things outback? There's a dude in Iowa that invented a pump system that collects hot grease straight from the fryer, and then of course makes diesel out of it. this would be a better idea then dumping it into the sewers.
they should use some kind of incentive besides threatening to shut the place down to get the grease tanks installed.

This is geese that is produced outside of the fryer. Imagine if you cooked 200 pounds of bacon and dumped all the geese down the drain.

[Big Fat Retard]

[
Like I said, that would mean a city left with nothing but the large chain restaurants who can afford to install such systems without going broke.

As long as we still have the taco wagons, we'll be ok.

[Walking Thunder]

i've never worked in the food biz, but i always thought they dumped it into those dumpster things outback? There's a dude in Iowa that invented a pump system that collects hot grease straight from the fryer, and then of course makes diesel out of it. this would be a better idea then dumping it into the sewers.
they should use some kind of incentive besides threatening to shut the place down to get the grease tanks installed.

This is geese that is produced outside of the fryer. Imagine if you cooked 200 pounds of bacon and dumped all the geese down the drain.

Davo is on the right track. Grease dumpsters solely hold, as far as I can tell (and I've worked in three restaurants now), oil from fryers. The grease from cooked meats and butter are the hazardous wastes that would be collected in these tanks.

[joseph]

mma laconas and buzzard billys gone? good bye. do not want

Don't you think the enforcement of this law could lead to a LOT of other local places to close their doors too though? Places you and I would care about?

[/quote]
if the restaurants would just leave all the fat on the plate people would eat it up!

[Nick]

mma laconas and buzzard billys gone? good bye. do not want

Don't you think the enforcement of this law could lead to a LOT of other local places to close their doors too though? Places you and I would care about?

if the restaurants would just leave all the fat on the plate people would eat it up!

You're probably right.

Also, I was thinking..where does Mama Lacona's generate all their "non-fryer" grease from? Most of their menu is pasta, pizza, steaks, and fried chicken.

[DaVo]

Also, I was thinking..where does Mama Lacona's generate all their "non-fryer" grease from? Most of their menu is pasta, pizza, steaks, and fried chicken.

It's been a while since I eat there. Was never a big fan but I'm guessing that like most Italian restaurants they saute everything, make their "gravy" from cooking up sausage or other fatty meat. You'd be surprised the amount of grease that is produced with prep cooking. That and the best fried chicken is pan fried.

That said, I'm wondering if this is just a law that state all must have regardless of the menu. Sadly often it's the only way to make these laws effective is to remove exceptions.

[weirdtaylor]

i just talked to my buddy corey, he works at mamas and he hadent heard anything until i told him. i think the real issue here is how far are we going to let these law makers tell us what we do is allways the reason why they need money. i just for once would like to hear them admit its just life. sewers get backed up. your not going to go and fine people for taking a massive shit are you then why the fuck should small buisness pay? fuck make burgerking pay for the backed up sewers and shit!

[hairy]

The city has been doing alot of stuff like this.
A while ago, they passed this thing where if you repave or lay a new parking lot down, they require you to put curbing around it...I was told for the average size parking lot, its 25 grand or so...

Dsm has always shit on the small biz...You should try and deal with the zoning commish...Fucking assholes, and they know it.

[JoePreppy]

Well these lawmakers are trying to keep say 5ft of raw sewage out of your basement. Happened to a friend of mine nothing like seeing a used condom or tampon floating on top of 5ft of shit/piss inside your home. Sounds like a better way would be to get more of the dumpsters out to these places and just enforce them better to empty them. The cost is all in the excavation to get those tanks underground.

side story- I roughed in drain lines in my basement for a bathroom, when I tapped into the main line to the street I noticed it wasn't the cleanest so I had a sewer service come snake it out before I actually did have a block. When I handed the guy the check he said "yeah man, it was really greasy" Something I didn't ask and in no way needed to hear or know, ever. He had splatters of black shit(literally i guess) all over his shirt/pants...no handshake involved.
diy thread someday

[inx515xhell]

place has always been shit.

[El Rhino]

I was always a fan of the bread at Mama Lacona's. Haven't been there since they moved away from SW 9th and Army Post however many years ago that was. As a kid it seemed like we were always eating there. There are better restaurants out there.