A recent controversy between Subway and the village of Tuckahoe has led to the consideration of a fast food ban.
The ban would prohibit “formula fast food and formula quick casual.” According to Village Administrator David Burke, the Board of Trustees will likely vote on the matter sometime in late spring.
The proposed change in the village law was precipitated by a controversy that erupted last summer when a Subway went through the permitting approval process in order to open up shop along the village’s Main Street corridor. During a board meeting in July 2015, residents presented a 200-signature-long petition asking that zoning rules be amended to prevent any other chain restaurants from taking up residence in the village.
If approved, the revisions to the existing code calling for a ban on “formula fast food and formula quick casual restaurants” include establishments with seven or more locations on a state or national level. For example, nationally, there are currently nearly 15,000 McDonald’s restaurants and 12,000 Burger King outlets, according to figures provided by each company, and such establishments now won’t be allowed in Tuckahoe.
Sit-down chain restaurants with menus and waitstaff such as Applebee’s would still be permitted after the ban, despite the fact that they are considered chains.
However, since Subway has opened its doors, some village trustees have noticed increased foot traffic, a plus for small business owners on Main Street.
“They’re kind of going back and forth on it,” Burke said about the village board.
