That Sewer Smell

Went into a newly opened place in the neighborhood and upon checking the place out to possibly come back another time I got a big whiff. You know what I'm talking about with certain Chicago storefront kind of places. Recently places are probably running their HVAC which can mean a furnace/AC combo possibly in the basement. Air handling is sucking in air from the basement.

Is it just a cracked vent pipe, or a p-trap in the floor that has collapsed under the thin concrete?

Do the renter/owners not notice the funk?

I have a difficult time going back to a place when I encounter this. I can't imagine how to even bring it up if I am there.

I think you get used to smells, don't you? They probably don't notice it if it's there all the time.

When Paris Club first opened they were using reclaimed barn boards for flooring and there was a very apparent "barn" smell. We were fortunate enough to be seated in a remote corner, but it was enough to keep us away for quite a while.

Even the best of places have to clean their grease trap from time to time. That odor tends to linger a bit.

Does a grease trap that needs maintenance smell like when you pull a manhole cover off the sewer in the street? It's bubbling caca.

In my experience a poorly maintained grease trap will take quite a bit of negligence before it gives up that bubbly smell. I would prefer to think that the business that was entered was not totally neglectful. Was there anything other than the odor that caused you to think that they were operating as a cover up for a meth lab?

Well yeah. The lack of marketing skills for a newly opening place irked me, as did the choice of location. It's been the Corner of Doom around here for a while so I did walk in with a chip on my shoulder.

How did you know?