I have lived in Chattanooga, or its surroundings, since I went to college in 2003. I met my wife because of a friend in the UTC band. I’ve made lifelong friends in the area. I worked as a police dispatcher for Hamilton County for many years. It’s a good place to live.

But not a good place to visit, shop, or park.

Everyone reading this knows how bad parking can get. How crowded the downtown area is. The pay lots, the small private parking lots, long walks to reach attractions, and being accosted by street people along the way. (Not that I have a problem with the homeless, but more should be done to address their needs and situations such that they’re not forced to degrade themselves by begging in the streets.)

Today my wife and I went out with several friends to celebrate a birthday at Buffalo Wild Wings. Unable to park in the half-dozen spots BWW owns, we opted to park behind Cheeburger Cheeburger. I now understand this was a terrible mistake, because it seems that the owner of Cheeburger Cheeburger and the parking lot is notorious for having cards towed. Mine was no exception, and I am now out $200 cash for that mistake.

I don’t dispute the right of anyone to have a vehicle towed off their private property. It does not seem to be a good business practice in my opinion. Supposedly they don’t tow tourists, but as I have an out of state plate (we live in Georgia) how can we be sure? And the price! $200 appears par for the course, even the low end, for predatory towing practices that I can only assume Chattanooga is becoming famous for.

Every year in dispatch since I can remember when Riverbend came around and people in town for the festival had their vehicles towed for hundreds of dollars in cash. I’ve never enjoyed parking downtown; it’s a nightmare. I prefer not to go at all. Now, out of enough money for a sizable outing to several businesses in the area, I may never return to the downtown area again. I certainly won’t recommend it to friends and family. I’ve wanted for quite some time to try out Ghengis Grill, but that’s definitely out of the question. How do I know my car won’t be towed despite patronizing one of either Cheeburger Cheeburger or Ghengis Grill? At least one review on Yelp! reveals a customer who was towed despite going to the restaurant. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/its-all-about-towing-and-recovery-chattanooga)

With Chattanooga nearing the ranks of the 10 most dangerous cities in America (now #13 according to The Street, the initiatives to reduce violence in the city, and the previously mentioned and definitely sanctioned highwaymen of the local towing companies, what does downtown offer but a bullet or a sizable bill?

This is one sad local who thinks that the North Georgia area, especially as Fort Oglethorpe expands, is far more inviting than downtown. I hope Cheeburger Cheeburger got a sizable cut of the towing bill, because I will not patronize their business again despite fond memories of eating there with my parents when I was still in college. I hope Chattanooga can do something to return to the more inviting city it was even 10 years ago, because at several hundred dollars a pop for a parking error, it isn’t a place I’m going to recommend anyone visit for a long time to come. 

Jeff Hewitt

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I’d like to make a few points. First, I should identify myself; my name is Charlie Eich. I am the owner of Cheeburger Cheeburger. I am no stranger to the issues of downtown parking and I will address Mr. Hewitt's situation, but first, I’d like to begin by respectfully disagreeing with Mr. Hewitt's grim view of downtown Chattanooga.

We have a beautiful city thriving with locals and tourists alike. From the riverfront to the Southside's revitalization, there’s much to be proud of. There are many great restaurants, family-friendly attractions as well as her natural beauty, which makes Chattanooga a destination city. The crime statistics would seem very unlikely to the average tourist, unless they found themselves in one of the few “bad neighborhoods.”   Chattanooga is clean, progressive and safe. Mr. Hewitt made it sound like we have a war zone where we have to dodge “bullets” while being “accosted by street people.” Both scenarios are far from reality.

Parking is no more of an issue than it is in any other city of our size. There are meters everywhere, and usually within a few passes something will be available. There is also a plethora of pay lots.

The problem Mr. Hewitt has, in my opinion, isn’t really with downtown crime, downtown parking, downtown street people or with Cheeburger Cheeburger; it is with his decision to park in a lot owned by a private company that leases restaurant space to three businesses whose customers use that lot. He knowingly parked in an area, designated for, marked for and intended for businesses other than the one he had chosen to frequent. He rolled the dice.

When Buffalo Wild Wings first opened, after numerous warnings, I towed cars. Initially, it was mainly their employees and, far less frequently, their customers.  In 2011, George Walls, the property owner, took management control back from Waldorf Property Management. At that time, I lost any control of the lot. My employees are not even allowed to park there, yet I am often the one who receives the blame when people get towed for failure to follow the posted warnings. I am the one who gets the bad reviews and the one who ends up with a personal quest by BWW customers who vow to hurt and/or destroy my business. I get physical threats as well as legal.

Fortunately, we have been a part of this community for 15 years and most people know we are not part of the towing company. We do not own the property and we are not profiting from someone’s poor decisions. We give back to the community in many ways and have a history of helping many charitable organizations.  We are simply trying to take care of our guests, serve quality food and stick around for another 15 years. I generally hear a lot of positive feedback after letters like this get posted. Most people can’t understand why someone who admittedly chose to park in an unapproved lot gets upset when they have a fine to pay.

Mr. Hewitt, I am sorry I have lost you as a customer. I did not have your car towed. You read the signs, ate at BWW and got towed by the property owner who tries to protect the livelihood of the businesses he leases his building to. If you want to be angry with someone, give BWW a call. They’ve been ignoring the fact that their customers have been getting towed for years and they refuse to warn them. They built a 240-seat restaurant and closed their parking so their guests have none. Who is really the bad guy here?  I am often portrayed as the bad guy but I’ll tell you one thing for sure, I would never let someone tow my customers.

* * *  

Mr. Eich is correct. Several times he has either called in or appeared on WGOW-FM 102.3 talk radio shows and explained the parking situation at his restaurant’s location. He has posted numerous signs at various locations that non Cheeburger Cheeburger customers will be towed.

He has no control over the property owner’s decision to have vehicles towed from the parking lot.

Aulcie Smith 

* * * 

Mr. Hewitt reminds me of a line from Gone With the Wind; he's like the thief who is not sorry he stole but is very sorry he got caught. I work in downtown and live in North Chattanooga. I hardly ever have trouble parking downtown, there are literally thousands of parking places in a couple of blocks of BWW. If Mr. Hewitt hadn't taken a chance and parked in a clearly posted private lot he would not have been towed. It's clearly his fault and yet he wants to take it out on a restaurant that just happens to be adjacent to the lot where he illegally parked.  

Downtown is the safest precinct in Chattanooga, much safer than the Hamilton Place area. The area where Mr. Hewitt parked and ate is among the safest in the city and it does a disservice to all Chattanoogans for him to go on about crime when he is the one who broke the law. Park in a parking lot or street space next time and you won't get towed; it's as simple as that.  

Max Pettit