Chick-fil-A’s plentiful patrons in a California city has led to a request for the restaurant to be designated a public nuisance by the area’s city council, A recent report shows that this is the case.
Public officials say that since 2013, the Santa Barbara Chick-fil-A has been so popular, it has resulted in the restaurant’s patrons blocking sidewalks and driveways. Traffic disruption has caused emergency vehicles and public transit vehicles need to seek alternate routes. CBS News.
The drive-thru can block one lane of traffic during peak volume for up 90 minutes on weekdays or up to 155 minutes on weekends. According to the city traffic report, Chick-fil-A’s cluttered drive-thru increases pedestrian injury and traffic collisions.
“The city’s traffic engineer, police chief and community development director have evaluated the situation and believe that the persistent traffic back-up onto State Street is a public nuisance and that the nuisance is caused by the operation of a drive-through at the Chick-fil-A restaurant,” the report states.
The city council members unanimously approved moving forward with a potential public nuisance designation, but Chick-fil-A representatives requested a delay of the nuisance designation, asking for additional time to fix the problem, according to CBS.
According to the outlet, Travis Collins, the franchise operator of the restaurant, said in an emailed statement that he wants to “Be a good neighbour” was the message. It referred to ongoing efforts by traffic officials, such as hiring additional staff or third-party traffic controllers.
CBS reported that the council had agreed to continue a public hearing through June 7.