Chick-fil-A Wants to Expand in This Popular Beach Town — The City Said No, for Now

Chick-fil-A has one location in Santa Barbara, California, a beach town popular among both Californians and tourists.

The area's small-town feel, with an abundance of luxury, attracts crowds year-round, especially right now with near-perfect weather. The city, with approximately 90,000 residents, features popular restaurants, wineries, breweries, and vintage shops.

So, it's no surprise that big fast-food chains want in on the action. And that includes Chick-fil-A, which recently sought to expand and bring a second location to the city.

The city, however, said no.

For now, at least.

Why the City Said No to Chick-fil-A

According to the Santa Barbara Express News, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission voted, 3-2, to reject a proposal for Chick-fil-A to build its second location on a piece of land that used to house an IHOP.

The outlet reports that the planning commission wants an environmental study done first to ensure that the fast-food chain's drive-thru would not lead to excessive traffic backups.

Related: Chick-fil-A Giving 3,000 Customers Free Food a Year. Here's How You Can Be One of Them

Excessive traffic at the proposed location is an issue because there's already a nearby Starbucks. What's more, there's an In-N-Out across the street from Chick-fil-A's proposed location, where cars regularly back up to Calle Real Street.

Chick-Fil-A's Cheeky Response

The attorney representing Chick-fil-A, Beth Collins, told the planning commission that the maximum queue would be 31 cars, all of which she says would fit in the parking lot.

She also told the planning commission that the proposed second location would have 19 cars or fewer in the queue about 85 percent of the time.

But here's the kicker:

With regard to In-N-Out already congesting traffic with long lines, Collins told the planning commission that having Chick-fil-A across the street would actually be a solution to that problem.

"We are probably going to make the In-N-Out queue better because instead of staying in that big old line they are probably going to come over to our site too, she said, via the Express News.

The planning commission said they'll all eventually vote in favor of the proposal, but it wants Chick-fil-A to resubmit its proposal again next month.

No word if Collins said "My pleasure" when the meeting ended.