I see nothing wrong with it at all. I have driven by there when its been cooking and all i can think of is how good it smells I will stop in soon for something to eat.If anything it would be a complaint that it is hard to work with the smell of good food cooking.Long live Cajun Dave's

I think it is wonderful about the smoker/cooker. The Deli has tables on the sidewalk which actually blocks the whole side walk but it is quaint and so the tables stay. The Deli is over priced and the food is so so. Sue Nelson needs to chill. She should never open her doors anytime--fabrics will smell like exhaust quicker than a smoker. The down town area smells so good too and I do believe that the parking space lost is the one in front of the Water Street Tavern anyway. The City of Kent always has had a parking problem and so why is everyone so darn excited over one spot. If fattys would walk from say under the Haymaker bridge parking or on side streets they could be guilt free from over eating at CD's. And walk off their meals.
Give me a break--The Water Street Traven offers more than the other 2-4 businesses could ever hope for.

For pete's sake. Why must people ruin everything good? God forbid a business work to improve themselves and do something out of the ordinary. I see the Deli's delivery vehicle out on the street taking up a spot more often than this grill. I hope the Council can see past the other businesses pettiness and let SOMEONE downtown actually thrive and attract people to the area.

Some people in this town need to get a life.

Are we dealing with children? It seems to me that these other businesses are just jealous. Their complaints are petty & I hope council sees that. CD's has a great thing going that actually attracts people to downtown..isn't that what we all want? Why don't we work TOGETHER instead of running to council to "tattle"...if anything sue & Carl have now made me not want to shop at their stores/deli. Save the Smoker!! Yum.

The smoker is great. It adds so much culture downtown. I completely agree with all the points everyone has made. I drive out of my way when the smoker is out just to smell the air

I love the smell of the smoker when it's up and running, it's like a beacon calling us downtown...

I agree 100 % w/ all of these posts so far. Especially "No Name", I couldn't have said it better.
SAVE THE SMOKER!

It starts with the smoker and the next thing you know the streets are filled with prostitutes and drug dealers. People need to realize that this hell box is a gateway for violence and crime to enter our beloved city. To preserve our city streets something needs to be done. The sweet smells of barbecue meat have run rampant for long enough and it's high time we put a stop to it.

I am mostly a vegetarian, but I love the smells of apple wood, and it reminds me it's Friday, but I never thought of the fact if MY business was right next door, the smell would get a little old.

The smell of Restaurant food cooking in a downtown area can mean only two things- that there is business traffic in the downtown area and people are stopping & spending money there! What could be wrong with that? Too many downtown areas lack activity or are only thriving until 5pm then the lights go off and everybody goes home. Others are desolete and would be more than pleased to see business owners stepping out of the box to create opportunities for all. Outdoor barbeque in the winter & spring-where's my plate?

As a vegan, I'm disgusted by the smoker. But I like neither Nelson nor Picelle, so I'm siding with the smoker!

Council bent the rules for Mr. Beder, imagine that. The smoker is a problem, so it should be moved.

what's a problem is carls over price mediocre sammys...

As a downtown business owner (Off the Wagon), I have to say I love the smoker. It helps make Kent downtown a destination. I love the smell. I haven't actually eaten the BBQ because I am not sure that it is gluten free.

I would love it if a few other downtown restaurants stuck a grill or something out in a parking spot every Friday. Mike, you had a great idea with that smoker!

I respect the opinions of the people who commented but how many of them actually work down town. I do. I agree that the smell is wonderful...at first. But as the day goes on everytime the door is opened the scent fills the air. and after some time it becomes a just too much. I have nothing against Mr. Beder and his busy and I agree he's improved the look of his building but unlike Miss Nelson he does not have a fabric awning on his building. With the improvements being made downtown isn't there a way to provide a place for the smoker so it would be off the street and more secure? I want this town to be successful and have opportunity for ALL businesses downtown to flurish. Some comments above sounded cruel and angry so I would assume they are customers of the Water Street Tavern. I can see both sides of the issue so can everyone just sit down and talk this out?
JM

i work downtown, and i am not a regular customer of cajun daves or water street.

Mike B--you made me smiles with your comments. I guess you have never been on Franklin Ave after midnight--as that is when the prostitutes come out --on the corners down to Summit St. As far as violence and drug dealers they are everywhere.--Pick up a Stater and read about all the drug dealers getting busted. How does any of your complaints have anything to do with the smoker. Everyone wants our town to stay the same and I guess that includes no busineses downtown. Let see when I was walking around down town I noticed paint peeling on City Bank Antiques and cigarette butts along N. Water Street and dirty windows on store fronts, but The South Water Traven was nicely painted, clean windows, and neat all around so I think if you got out more and really looked at our town you would find it dirty and nasty. Except for the South Water Street Traven--you need to go there in the summer and enjoy the patio on the roof, too.

this guy has to be joking... right? ^^

I am a student at KSU and often shop at stores downtown including The Works, Empire chocolate, & Off the wagon. The only time I can get downtown to enjoy some shopping is on Fridays when my boyfriend craves the bbq at Cajun Dave's. PLEASE dont take the smoker away! I need my shopping~ haha

If the smoker generates more foot traffic downtown, helps create atmosphere and fosters a regular attendance, isn't that a good thing for everyone? Where do we draw the line with odors... we can't close fast food restaurants because the smell of fries drifts through the air constantly, or a salon because the odor of a perm or acrylic nails might waft out the doors, or a bakery because some person might not appreciate the smell of dough rising. As for parking, they are using the space directly in front of their establishment, which is their choice to make. I think everyone is aware that they might need to walk a few blocks to get where they are going downtown due to all the construction, so one more spot makes no difference. What Mike and Brian are doing is fresh and innovative and exactly what Kent needs to continue its revitalization. I would hope that the downtown business owners could come together as a collective, because that is the mentality which will help grow Kent. Businesses acting solely to promote their self-interest will shatter the potential for continued growth in this community.

How about just extending the smokestack??

How about asking Ohio Edison to loan you a scrubber.

1 The smoker is unsafe
2 it stinks
3 It does take up parking that others could use.
4 yes it does creat a atmosphere ... a smoky one that makes it hard to breath.
5 CAN YOU SPELL REDNECK!!!!!!!

Let's face it; a smoker makes smoke and this one is huge. It spews smoke out all over the place and it takes up a whole parking space. Do I love smoked pulled pork ? You bet, but I don't want my hair and clothes smelling like it after I get my hair done or run errands so I can see why a business that specializes in upholstry and custom curtains would have a problem having a huge smoker next door. I don't know if putting taller smokestacks would help that much or not because when they open it up smoke comes pouring out. Maybe CD's can come up with some idea to catch and vent the smoke or maybe the smoker could be moved to another location where the smoke would not be an issue with the business owners.

S.R

I have a feeling that the people who are complaining about the smoker will be the same ones who will lament the loss if Cajun Dave's goes out of business. The owners of the downtown businesses need to work together. If one fails it doesn't mean less competition, it ultimately means less people going downtown and less customers for the businesses that remain.

Raymond, LOL. I was thinking the same thing. The smoker is safer than a chiminea, and anyone afraid to bring their children downtown because of it is freakishly overprotective. CD's is not taking up a parking spot per employee every day of the week, they are using space directly in front of their store once a week to enhance the atmosphere of downtown Kent. Hanna, would you rather they took up sidewalk space as other restaurants do? It seems to me by using a parking space they keep the flow of traffic moving smoothly while providing a safe distance for those fearful mothers and children to pass by. As for the smell, I'd much rather chance that my newly-coiffed hair might pick up the odor of damn good food than the odor of cigarettes from the butt club across the street. I would also like to state for the record that, having grown up among a rather large redneck population, I never saw one with a smoker that awesome.

I work in downtown Kent and I can smell the grease a-warming every day of the week for Ray's Place and many other excellent eateries. I've never had a problem finding a space to park, even if I (gasp) have to walk a block. The smoker doesn't bother me at all - - evidence of life in Kent!

Why not just charge them the same fee that is being considered for other street vendors? When was the last time anyone smelled an awning?

The best argument is the one well-phrased, hopefully made by someone with some intelligence.

Never argue with an idiot-- they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

A possible solution would be to move the smoker to the roof patio. That would eliminate smoke flowing into the open doors of other businesses [except on extremely windy days when doors probably wouldn't be open anyway], smoke damaging awnings, and scenting merchandise and new hair-dos.
It would solve the smoker taking up a seriously needed parking space. And, most importantly, the delicious aroma of sizzling, spiced pork would disperse over a wider area, inviting folks from further away to follow their noses to the Tavern.

Is there a ramp large enough for a vehicle to pull the smoker all the way up? Or is this a job for Superman...

Never eat food that an idiot makes. Its over priced and smells to high heaven ....

I'm surprised this is even an issue. Mike Beder and Cajun Dave's is helping this community and thriving. It's unfortunate that there are jealous issues with a few other businesses in the area. Why wouldn't they deal with their frustrations like adults and go straight to Mike and Brian to discuss a solution instead of making a big deal out of nothing?! I'm sorry...but the smoke from the smoker is definitely better than people smoking cigarettes or car exhaust.

Wow, this is almost as much fun and just as pointless as the "Sound Off" column in the Retched Courier! I've complained to a council member about this, as much about the parking space as the smoke. It just seems like this doesn't belong out on the street - maybe they can crane it up to their rooftop patio instead? Unless the city's being reimbursed for that parking space (and they may be), it's a public asset being used for private gain, and that just doesn't seem fair. Should each business in town get to nab a spot one or two days per week? Maybe Woodsy's can have a stage where metal bands can play for lunch hour! That'd be fun!

Thanks for everyone's support. We'll continue to look for ways to cut down the smoke it puts off while keeping the integrity of the product.