et another chicken-serving restaurant is set to open in my neighborhood. It took them a year to get the county approval, but finally it’s there. The famous Alabama chicken, cooked and served by Guthrie’s, a well-established QSR chain from – you guessed it – Alabama!

This is the latest addition to the growing number of existing fried chicken offerings, proving that you can never have too much fried food in the South.

Guthrie’s will have to compete with other recently opened restaurants. A Super Chix opened their restaurant in September. In April, Howlin’ Willy’s, a hot-chicken concept from Willy’s Mexicana Grill, opened its newest location in the same area.

There’s also a long-standing Zaxby’s located caddy-corner at the same intersection of two major local roads.

What sets apart this new addition to the mix is its tiny size. The lot site is only slightly more than 3 acres, barely enough for a 1,500-sf structure with a drive-through canopy and 10 parking spaces. The restaurant is drive-through only, with no tables inside – or even outside.

As an exhibitor at a recent ICSC show in New York, I heard from several shopping center developers that this drive-through-only trend is gaining popularity not just with various fried chicken outlets, but even with entities that positioned themselves as “third place” for people to spend time – yes, Starbucks, I mean you.

While this trend is still in the making, a savvy developer should not leave it unnoticed. There may be a way to squeeze more revenue from a limited site size, if you approach your tenant mix with the consideration of recent trends.

At Ticon, we help property holders with the best and most efficient use of their assets, whether operated through lease, sale, or financial arrangements.

Visit us today to get on the fast track to maximal ROI in real estate site selection.