New Chick-fil-A, Casey's gas station could come to Algonquin
Developers are looking to bring a new Casey's and Chick-fil-A to Algonquin.
The Chick-fil-A would be at 425 S. Randall Road, the site of the former Aldi's, which moved to 1100 S. Randall Road as part of an expansion, while the Casey's convenience store and gas station is proposed for 2971 W. Algonquin Road, just west of the Randall Road intersection.
The Chick-fil-A developers propose a restaurant of about 5,000 square feet with a drive-through.
The fast food restaurant industry learned a lot during the pandemic, and even before COVID-19, about drive-through operations and operating them more efficiently, said Jason Hill, who represented Chick-fil-A in front of the planning and zoning commission last week.
"What you're seeing here really incorporates the latest and greatest innovation and thinking around drive-through operations, to where it gives us flexibility to flex with peak demand to have team members either inside or outside," Hill said.
Typical hours of operation for the restaurant would be 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed Sundays.
Commissioners unanimously recommended the Chick-fil-A proposal, which now will be considered by the Algonquin Village Board during an upcoming committee of the whole meeting.
The proposal for Casey's, however, was tabled until April 12 so planning and zoning commission members could get more information.
The village received some concerns from residents about that proposal, including that it would create too much traffic and have a negative impact on property values and the quality of life in the area, said Mike Darrow, the village's interim community development director.
Founded in small towns, primarily in the 1970s and '80s, Casey's "strives to become a part of the neighborhood," said Erik Nikkel, a senior site development manager for Casey's, who also spoke at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
The company doesn't randomly choose where to put developments, but uses predictive modeling to analyze potential store performance, Nikkel said.
"We're not here to be an inconvenience for anybody," he said.