SUGARHOUSE, Utah — A fast-food restaurant in Sugarhouse continues to cause traffic problems regardless of changes made to the drive-thru this summer.
From lunchtime to dinnertime, cars in line for Chick-fil-A overflow and wait for chicken in Sugarhouse.
“I’m learning how to drive,” said Kennedy Gergel, a customer. “It’s awful. I’ll never come to Chick-fil-A by myself.”
Landon Clark with the Sugarhouse Community Council said the issue arose back in 2020. The restaurant has met with the council, city transportation engineers, the mayor’s office, and council members to address this issue.
“It was like a lot of entities working together to try and figure out the best solution, really,” said Clark.
The solution: changing the parking lot to an entrance-only, exit-only drive-thru.
“The line used to be going this way but now they’ve wrapped it around so it’s nicer,” said Gergel.
“It still gets backed up so I don’t know if it really helped,” said Terri Lee, who lives nearby.
FOX 13 News caught countless cars entering through the exit.
“It’s awful,” said Gergel. “But Chick-fil-A is good food, so I’ll come.”
The westbound turning lane creates back-ups, too. One man told FOX 13 News that he saw a Chick-fil-A-related crash on Tuesday.
“[Drivers] do get more impatient and they do take more risks,” said Lee.
“We knew that it wouldn’t solve the issue, we were just really hoping that it would make it a little safer,” said Clark.
Clark said community leaders are still receiving complaints. He said they’re not done searching for solutions.
“It might set a precedent for what Salt Lake City does going forward with drive-thrus,” he said.
Clark said the council will revisit the issue when reconstructing 2100 South in 2024.
The office of councilmember Amy Fowler, who represents the district, told FOX 13 News that the city has no authority to enforce changes to the site. Traffic engineers continue to advise the restaurant on their proposals.
FOX 13 News reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment and has yet to hear back.
