Chick-fil-A ‘mega’ restaurant shot down by Tennessee small town

Chick-fil-A’s dream to build a “mega” restaurant in a small town in Tennessee was put on hold by local residents who spoke out against traffic concerns.

Jennifer Casey, a Public Information Officer for Collierville, Tennessee, told Fox News Digital that the town’s leadership voted down the newer and larger restaurant in their town of approximately 51,000 residents.

The popular chicken chain wanted to build a 6,110-square foot restaurant with a 522-square foot outdoor seating space.

The new restaurant would also include a 300-square-foot playground, an employee meeting room and dual drive-thru lanes with the capacity to handle 43 cars.

In a vote on Monday, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted it down, 5-1.

Casey said that the “overall sentiment” was that it was not the right location for a new restaurant due to traffic concerns. 

Casey explained the plot of land for the restaurant was adjacent to Bray Station, a two-lane road that would provide access to the restaurant, and residents were concerned about congestion and traffic.

Jaime Groce, Collierville’s Town Planner, said that Chick-fil-A’s next step would be submitting a new option that “fully complies” with the town’s regulations.

“Chick-fil-A is a great corporate citizen, and we hope they will continue to invest in our community. Their next step is to submit a site plan for a location that fully complies with all town regulations,” Groce said. 

“That site plan would go back through the public planning process, which means being reviewed by the staff, Planning Commission, and Design Review Commission before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen would see it again,” she said.