Chick-fil-A loses battle over proposed 'mega' restaurant after Tennessee community fights back

Chick-fil-A lost the battle with local residents of a small Tennessee town who fought the chain's plan for a "mega" store.

Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images

• Chick-fil-A wanted to build a new, larger restaurant in a small town in Tennessee.
• But residents fought back, saying the "mega" restaurant would increase traffic.
• City leaders voted against the project Monday, forcing Chick-fil-A to start over. 

Chick-fil-A had big plans to build a large-scale modern restaurant with an indoor playground and dual-drive-thru lanes in a small Tennessee town.

But the fast-food juggernaut underestimated the tenacity of locals, who rallied against the proposed "mega" Chick-fil-A in Collierville, whose population is just over 50,000.

On Monday night, the Collierville Board of Mayor and Alderman denied Chick-fil-A's plan to build a 6,110-square-foot restaurant in the city. The proposed restaurant, a relocation of an existing smaller Chick-fil-A, was billed by the company as the "latest greatest prototype Chick-fil-A has" in its system.

However, residents who live near the site organized to fight Chick-fil-A. They said they loved the chain's fried chicken but didn't like the long, snaking drive-thru lines accompanying it.

A rendering of the proposed "mega" Chick-fil-A that was denied by the city of Collierville.

Collierville

They said a new "mega" Chick-fil-A would result in more cars clogging local roads. They presented the city with their own traffic analysis to show how the larger Chick-fil-A would negatively impact the community.

City leaders agreed. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen rejected the Chick-fil-A relocation project in a 5-1 vote.

"The overall sentiment from the board was that it was not the right location because of traffic concerns primarily related to Bray Station — a two-lane road that would provide access to the restaurant," city spokesperson Jennifer Casey told Business Insider.

The new Chick-fil-A restaurant had been in the works for months. The chain said it needed the larger restaurant to meet consumer demand for its food.

The new restaurant would have included a 300-square-foot playground, an employee meeting room, a bigger dining room, double drive-thru lanes with the capacity to handle 43 cars, and expanded outdoor dining.

But residents said the chain was simply "shifting" its traffic-causing lines from one neighborhood to another and possibly increasing it by building a larger store.

Resident Raymond Descheneaux told Business Insider that he was happy that city leaders took the time to listen to their concerns.

"They took the time to weigh all the facts, separating promises, good intentions and well wishes with reality," he said.

Chick-fil-A did not return a request for comment.

The city's town planner, Jaime Groce, said Chick-fil-A is a "great corporate citizen, and we hope they will continue to invest in our community."

Groce said the chain's next step is to submit a new plan for a Chick-fil-A location that "fully complies with all town regulations."

The new plan would have to go through various public planning processes before it is approved, Groce said.

Are you a Chick-fil-A insider with insight to share? Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at nluna@insider.com.

 

Read the original article on Business Insider

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