Businesses Are Suing Chick-Fil-A Over Its Drive-Thru, and They Have a Point
Anyone that knows me knows my love for Chick-fil-A. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it never fails me. I could spend a while telling you what things to grab off the menu, and which ones to avoid - but we'll save that for some other time. That's not what this one is about, nor is it about bashing Chick-fil-A. However, some businesses are upset at the national chain, and they have a right to be.
You see, there are many other folks that feel the way I do about Chick-fil-A. This leads to dozens upon dozens of vehicles pouring into the chain's parking lots throughout the day. Although you may not feel like you're in the drive-thru very long, the drive thru line is there throughout the day, and surrounding some businesses say they've had enough.
A businessman in Beaumont, TX is among now three lawsuits pending against Chick-fil-A citing their businesses are suffering because the drive-thru lines block access to parking spots and deter customers from visiting them due to how difficult it is to navigate the parking lot.
Mario Keizi owns a shopping center in Toledo, Ohio and has joined the lawsuits telling Business Insider "Customers have a hard time getting in. Customers have a hard time leaving. In some instances, customers are trapped in their parking spots. We have had instances where people that are parked in handicap spaces are not able to back out of their space."
I can think of two Chick-fil-A locations that have proven to be hard to navigate due to the drive thru line - the Chick-fil-A on S. Broadway in Broadway Crossing and the Chick-fil-A in East Longview off of 4th Street. I've had great customer service at both of these locations, and my food is always hot. Again, this isn't about bashing Chick-fil-A. But when I'm not going to visit these restaurants, I'm constantly reminded that they're there due to the stretches of cars I see pouring onto Broadway or 4th St.
Chick-fil-A released a statement saying that it "strives to be a good neighbor and had modified its drive-thrus to accommodate increased activity because of closed dining rooms during the pandemic."