For almost 30 years, restaurants in Carlsbad have not been allowed to open drive-thrus, but the rules may be changing.
Workers on their lunchbreak like Daniel Benvenutti dines in at Chick-fil-A in Carlsbad because a drive-thru isn’t an option.
“It's kind of putting a little inconvenience on me,” Benvenutti said.
There are only 12 restaurants in Carlsbad that have a drive-thru.
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Carlsbad banned drive-thrus after Legoland came to town in the '90s. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce said this was because the city didn’t want Legoland to bring sweeping drive-thrus and low-budget motels with it — pointing to the crowding that Anaheim experienced after Disneyland moved in.
Now, Bret Schanzenbach, the chamber’s CEO, said the land around Legoland is built out and the initial concern has subsided.
“There's a bit of hypocrisy in the fact that we've allowed drive-thrus for pharmacies and banks all these last 25 years, but not for new eateries," Schanzenbach said.
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In Tuesday’s city council subcommittee meeting, others shared new concerns.
“People are idling and contributing to greenhouse gas as well as traffic that ends up backing up into roads where people need to access," one speaker said.
“There aren't any really good, healthy alternatives that have drive-thrus, so making it more easier for people to go eat at the places that they shouldn't be eating in the first place isn't really a good move to make," another speaker said.
Chick-fil-A customers scoffed in response.
“Well, I think Chick-fil-A's healthy,” Benvenutti said.
Tyer Reese, the restaurant’s owner, said that at the end of the day, this is what customers are asking for.
“When we think about our customer base and those that we are serving, families with small children and elderly and those with mobile disabilities, those folks are having a hard time coming into our restaurant," Reese said.
Carlsbad Mayor Pro Tempore Priya Bhat Patel said she’s hearing more from neighbors who don’t want the ban to end than from those who do.
City staff plans to bring the drive-thru regulation options to the full city council early next year. If the council approves drive-thrus, the process would likely take about a year.
