Today’s newsletter is presented by Esparza Law Group.
Few stories seem to attract more attention than Chick-fil-A.
In today’s newsletter, reporter Tom Schultz serves up an account of Wednesday’s Santa Barbara County Planning Commission meeting, where the commissioners voted to approve the project at the former IHOP restaurant on Calle Real.
Even though, or maybe because, In-N-Out Burger is across the street, and regularly draws long, long lines, some members of the public had raised concerns about the environmental impact of cars idling in the long drive-thru.
But Chick-fil-A was able to assuage those concerns and win approval for the restaurant. The area is no stranger to Chick-fil-A controversies. The chain’s location on upper State Street is so popular that some people complained about cars spilling out onto State Street, blocking cars and bicyclists.
Chick-fil-A eventually remodeled its drive-thru to expand the lanes to three. Employees also aggressively direct motorists into lanes to reduce the chances of cars backing out onto State Street.
We don’t know how the new Chick-fil-A will work, but even if cars do back out onto the street, it won’t be anything new for the area. It already happens with regularity at In-N-Out and the nearby Starbucks drive-thru.
Although many Santa Barbarans are all in on the environmental movement, people are still willing to sit through long lines of drive-thru traffic for a cheeseburger, coffee or waffle fries.
News-Press in the news
Former Santa Barbara News-Press editor Jerry Roberts published an intriguing yarn this week about how News-Press General Manager Will Belfiore’s lunchtime talk at the Santa Barbara Club was canceled at the last minute.
Roberts, a strong supporter of the new News-Press and member of our advisory board, has all the details of the behind-the-scenes drama in his Substack “Newsmakers with JR” opinion column.
News-Press in print
Shout-out to Voice News for regularly publishing News-Press articles and photos in its weekly print edition. There’s still something special about holding your work in your own hands, and I’m grateful that Mark Whitehurst, Kerry Methner, Daisy Scott and the Voice News team republish News-Press stories.
We also publish some of their work, particularly Scott’s excellent coverage of the arts community.
Joshua Molina
News-Press Editor
Top read of the day
Chick-fil-A approved for former IHOP site, next to Starbucks on Calle Real near Goleta
By Tom Schultz • Santa Barbara News-Press
About 722 people, many from Goleta and Isla Vista, signed cards in support of Chick-fil-A opening
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3 stories sparking buzz
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