The Chick-fil-A on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie is expanding its footprint in an effort to alleviate near-daily traffic back-ups caused by cars overflowing from its drive-thru and onto the busy thoroughfare.
The Jefferson Parish Council approved a pair of ordinances Wednesday that will allow the Chick-fil-A to reconfigure its drive-thru to accommodate more than twice as many vehicles as it does currently.
During peak hours, the rightmost lane on the eastbound side of Veterans Memorial Boulevard past Cleary Avenue often comes to a standstill, as cars pile up waiting to turn into the fast-food chain’s drive-thru.
As part of its plan to get those cars off the roadway, the Chick-fil-A is expanding onto a vacant, 5,000-square-foot lot located at the intersection of 25th Street and Danny Boulevard. The Parish Council signed off on a request Wednesday to rezone the lot.
With the extra space, the Chick-fil-A plans to extend its drive-thru to allow up to 50 cars to queue on its property — doubling the current capacity of 23 cars. The Chick-fil-A is also planning to provide additional on-site parking, with 50 parking spaces, up from 31.
Josh Carter, owner-operator of the Chick-fil-A at 3870 Veterans Memorial Boulevard, told the Parish Council that his goal is to “be the best neighbor possible” to the surrounding community while also prioritizing safety.
At a Planning Advisory Board meeting last month, Carter noted that the lack of parking requires patrons to park on the nearby Danny Boulevard, forcing those customers to walk through the drive-thru lane to get to the restaurant, creating a safety hazard.
Despite the frequent overflow onto Veterans, according to Carter, the Metairie Chick-fil-A has the second fastest drive-thru lane in the state of Louisiana.
Before the Chick-fil-A can begin construction on its expansion, it will need a permit from the parish. The construction timeline hasn’t been set.