Sick of news about bailouts, layoffs, downturns and general gloom? We know a place where there are no signs of recession.
Been to a Chick-fil-A lately?
The restaurant inside the Bristol Mall is so busy patrons must wait for seats both inside the store and outside in the shared food court. And city officials confirmed Monday that a second location is coming to town, at Exit 7 off Interstate 81.
The Bristol Virginia planning commission on Monday unanimously approved a request to dedicate three acres for the restaurant that would sit along Lee Highway across from Grand Home Furnishings. The City Council will need to approve the plans, and that is expected in May.
We support the second location because this region is considered a growth area for the chain and the expansion is not expected to harm the existing restaurant in the mall. More importantly, the new location, about 4,500 square feet in size and able to seat about 138 people, is expected to bring 55 to 65 new jobs to the community when it opens in 2010.
One concern is that the parcel is in the 100-year flood hazard zone, which means the land will have to be built up for development. We also urge planners to consider traffic flow around the restaurant and through nearby intersections. Traffic is already heavy in the area and will only increase once Chick-fil-A opens.
The chain has profound popularity, including groupies who camp out overnight for restaurant grand openings. And one hour at the Bristol Mall location might convince you there is no economic crisis.
From noon to 1 p.m. on a recent Saturday, people were eagerly and constantly throwing down cash for chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and lemonade. Dozens of citizens were spending like it was 1999, and chatting up their neighbors.
Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy would be proud, on both counts. Cathy, a devout Southern Baptist, established the company with the following corporate purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
During this prolonged recession, fast food has suffered less than some business sectors. But Chick-fil-A is not cheap food, compared to other chains. Still, it enjoys profound brand loyalty from customers, some of whom admittedly come to the mall only for lunch.
The economy isn’t going to turn on the basis of chicken sandwiches, but it was an optimistic moment on that recent Saturday to see one local business with several singing cash registers, chugging along so strongly.
Chick-fil-A has more than 1,400 stores in 38 states and its 2008 sales topped $2.96 billion, according to the company’s Web site.
With so much other bad news to cluck about, it is good to see Bristol getting a second, bustling Chick-fil-A location and particularly the associated tax revenue and jobs.
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