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A Florida City Council Considers Banning Fast Food Chains

Author Geno
File photo. How would you feel if there was a ban on fast food chains in your town?

We have no shortage of fast food options in Florida. Sure we don’t have In-N-Out Burgers… yet. But In-N-Out is getting closer. But try to drive a mile on a major roadway in the Tampa area without passing a McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A. Well one city council in the state is looking to stop any kind of fast food chains from even having one location. And it looks like the measure might pass as the initial plan to explore the idea won by an overwhelming 6-1 vote.

According to the Herald-Tribune, City Council Member Ron Smith is asking for support to prohibit any fast food chains from opening on the island of Venice. While there are McDonald’s and other fast food chains on South Tamiami Trail inland that do have a Venice address, on the island where Historic Downtown Venice is located and all the beaches are, you won’t find a single McDonald’s, Wendy’s. You won’t even the big one: Chick-fil-A. But that’s specifically the chain that’s prompting the debate.

The report in the Herald-Tribune talks about a rumor that a Chick-fil-A location might open where the Venice Cirus Arena used to be. There’s some pretty significant history there. It was once the home of the Ringling Circus. In fact, one plan back in 2019 was to name the area “Ringling Park,” according to mysuncoast.com. The Venice City Council voted to grant the 75 year lease to a Michigan investor. They said back in 2019 the developer wanted to use the area for a hotel, medical office spaces, and yes, a restaurant.

Loopholes?

So far, no paperwork is on record saying they want to put a Chick-fil-A in the neighborhood, according to the Herald-Tribune. Right now, the only drive thru windows on the island are for banks and a dry cleaner. One restaurant does have a pickup window for take out orders. Gold Rush BBQ is a family owned and operated spot well known for their gold mining theme and sweet tea. They’ve been around for about 20 years, according to their website. Customers can dine in or carry out. But there’s no fast food style drive thru. [Sources: Herald-Tribune, MySuncoast.com]

Florida's 20 Most Popular Fast Food & Casual Chain Restaurants

#1 is not going to be a big surprise to anyone who lives in Florida. But some of the restaurants that made the top 10 definitely made me do a double take. First Coast News says Food Service Direct ran the numbers and determined these to be the 20 “most sought after fast food and casual dining” spots in Florida. Not all are fast food drive-thru style places. They also factored in dine in chains where you get a menu and table service.

My favorites didn’t make the top 10. Zaxby’s fried chicken boxes are my jam but they came in at #13. Culver’s is another regular stop for those of us who work at Q105 since we have one right next to the studio. It just missed the top 10 coming in at #11. And wait until you see who DIDN’T make the list at all!

Hear Geno on the air weekday afternoons. Geno's passions include fat guy food, concerts, sports, travel to Europe and South America. He loves 80s and 90s music, from MTV hairbands to old school freestyle, alternative rock to TRL era jams. Geno's radio career began in his hometown of Portland, Maine. Since then he's been on the air coast to coast from Boston to Las Vegas, Tampa to California.

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