Pointing to Chick-fil-A Queues, Roxbury Officials 'Nervous' About Lines and Parking at Fast-Food Chicken Eatery Proposed for Succasunna

ROXBURY, NJ – Although Amit Patel is confident the fast-food chicken he’s proposing for Succasunna tastes better than the poultry served at a Chick-fil-A, the businessman recently told Roxbury officials it will not bring lengthy lines of cars similar to those often found there.

Patel made the prediction while appearing before the Roxbury Planning Board to discuss his plan to install a Dave’s Hot Chicken franchise in the building on Route 10 that formerly housed a Boston Market.

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“I grew up in Morris County, so I spent a lot of time here,” he told the board. “I used to go to Chi-Chi’s right at the Roxbury Mall when I was a little kid. So, I'm very familiar with the area and super excited to bring this hot concept to Roxbury.”

His idea calls for modifying the building to add a drive-through window. That brought to the minds of some on the board visions of the serpentine queues of salivating motorists often seen at Chick-fil-As including the one on Route 10 in Morris Plains.

Without acknowledging Chick-fil-A is better, Patel said such a comparison wasn’t valid. “Chick-fil-A does twice the volume, you know, then we would at this current stage,” he told the board. “Not to say we're low, it's just that they're super high.”

Unlike other fast-food chicken outposts – including the Popeye’s that will soon open in Ledgewood - Dave’s Hot Chicken offers only chicken tenders with various levels of seasoning, Patel explained. “It’s a Nashville style hot chicken tender that can either be eaten as a tender or as a slider,” he said. “We have one piece of chicken, the tender, and that’s it … The differentiator is whatever heat level you like.”

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‘I'm Sure You’re Excited'

Patel appeared before the board on the same night the panel heard about a plan to build a drive-through coffee shop on Main Street in Succasunna . Chester engineer Daniel Sehnal represents both Patel and Blanche Bonifacio, the woman proposing the coffee shop.

The board had a lukewarm response to Bonifacio's idea, liking the concept but citing concerns about parking and traffic backups. “I'm sure you're excited to hear about another drive-through this evening,” Sehnal joked when he testified later in the evening about Patel’s application.

His design for the proposed Dave’s Hot Chicken would have all customers enter via the Roxbury Mall driveway, circulate counter-clockwise and exit onto Route 10 (similar to the drive-through at the nearby Burger King). Because Route 10 is a state highway, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is reviewing the plan, he noted.

Patel’s proposal calls for 35 parking spaces, 13 fewer than existed for Boston Market and twenty fewer than required by the township. Sehnal and Patel noted the Boston Market did not have a drive-through window.

After the Thrill is Gone

Roxbury Planning Board Chairman Charles Bautz said long lines often accompany the opening of new drive-through restaurants, but conceded the problem might subside over time. “We did White Castle,” he said. “In the beginning, the line was down Route 46. It dissolved, but it was a problem in the beginning, so we don’t want to have those problems here.

However, he said the shortfall of parking spaces in Patel’s plan made him “nervous,” especially given his experiences at other popular fast-food eateries. “I walk into a Chick-fil-A and every booth is filled,” he said. “Their parking doesn’t work. Their drive-aisles don’t work. Their indoor seating doesn’t work. And they’re a massive company.”

Roxbury Councilman and Planning Board Member Bob DeFillippo asked Patel why he “picked Roxbury” for one of his proposed restaurants. Patel, who noted he also owns the Buffalo Wild Wings in the Rockaway Townsquare Mall, said Succasunna should be a great place to operate.

“It’s a good market,” he said. “There’s been a lot of development over the last 20 years here, and it’s a great area.”

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