Food to Weed: Former Front Street Buffet to Process Cannabis

Workers are converting a once-popular Binghamton-area restaurant into a marijuana manufacturing business.

The space occupied by the former Tokyo Sushi Buffett in a strip mall in the town of Chenango has been vacant for years.

While the place had been quiet for a long time, the site has been buzzing with activity in recent weeks.

Crews were initially seen doing work on the roof and the rear of the building at 1247 Upper Front Street. People nearby said signs indicating all remaining fixtures in the place were for sale.

A sign posted in the door of the former restaurant identified the business as "Dragonfly Kitchen IV Inc." According to the sign, it will be a state-licensed cannabis processing and manufacturing facility.

The sign indicates no management is present while it is be upgraded for "GMP" - good manufacturing practices.

On Tuesday, work was being done inside and outside the building. A woman who appeared to be supervising the operation declined to comment to a reporter about the new business.

Two names were listed on the sign as contacts for deliveries or inspections. Phone messages left with those people were not returned.

People working at nearby businesses said they had noticed the activity at the former restaurant but they were unsure about what was planned for the location.

The state Office of Cannabis Management did not immediately respond to a request for information about the town of Chenango business.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.