Birmingham’s Utilita Arena boardwalk has lost a long-standing restaurant. Ed’s Easy Diner has closed after a decade, with Slim Chickens set to take over the spot. Richard Gullick reports on what the shift means for the local food scene, and why the city’s so-called ‘Chicken Quarter’ keeps expanding.
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00:00The Birmingham branch of Ed's Easy Diner has now officially closed, marking the end of a 10-year run outside the Utilita Arena, or the NIA as many still call it.
00:09The American-style restaurant had become a go-to for gig-goers and families, perched on the boardwalk among big names like Costa and the Legoland Discovery Centre.
00:19Customer reviews were still coming in up until last week, some even five stars, but the venue is now marked permanently closed online, its signage gone and the unit already preparing for its next occupant.
00:32It's not an independent or a new concept taking over, but a name many Brummies will already know. Slim Chickens will be moving into the former Ed's unit, its second branch in Birmingham City Centre, following Grand Central with another in Selly Oak.
00:48It's part of a broader shift in the city's food landscape, one that's led to what locals now call the Chicken Quarter.
00:55Within a short walk you've got KFC, Nando's, Popoy's, Wingstop and Dave's Hot Chicken is on the way too.
01:03For some it's a clucking good time, for others it's a sign of sameness.
01:08While chains bring jobs and footfall, especially near the arena, they also squeeze out some variety.
01:15The summer brewery taproom on the same boardwalk, shut in February, another example of independence, making way for branded consistency.
01:24Is this simply consumer choice in action, or is it the result of wider high street pressures, where only large chains can shoulder the rising costs?
01:33Whatever the answer, it's clear Birmingham's food offering is changing, and whether that's progress or poultry overload depends on who you ask.
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