Posted by Blah, a resident of another community, on Oct 17, 2012 at 4:47 pm

Yes. Because as we all know, El Camino is a bike boulevard and not a car-heavy HIGHWAY.

Ridiculous. Admit it: it was banned due to politics. Nice to know that the Bay Area is pro-free speech. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Posted by Jan H., a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 17, 2012 at 5:00 pm

Hooray! I am just happy that there won't be another icky fast food restaurant clogging the arteries of the locals and sending out a greasy smell to pollute the air.

Posted by eat more chikin, a resident of Mountain View, on Oct 17, 2012 at 5:13 pm

What Blah said. It's perfectly OK to have bars, porn shops, car washes, and the Fatty Zone on prominent display along El Camino, but heaven forbid we have a DRIVE THROUGH RESTAURANT ZOMG DANGER!!!!1! I'm glad to see that my (nominally) elected representatives are promoting economic growth and expansion in MTV. Thanks, y'all!

Posted by Nayeli, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Oct 17, 2012 at 5:36 pm

What a tragedy! We have gone to San Jose to eat at the new Chick-fil-A there four times already! It is great food with plenty of healthy options on the menu. My husband and I are very fit and we love it!

This is Mountain View's loss.

Posted by resident, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Oct 17, 2012 at 5:46 pm

No more drive throughs! How many accidents has the drive through Starbucks at Sanford Ave & El Camino caused? Cars back up into the street and cause all kinds of havoc with traffic. If you are so lazy that you cannot walk from the parking lot into the restaurant, then you should not be eating high-fat high-calorie fast-food.

Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 17, 2012 at 5:51 pm

Sorry, don't believe a word of this. They are just looking for a loophole because they don't like the CEO's personal opinion. It is wrong to refuse to allow a business to trade due to opinions. In this country, provided all laws against discrimination against hiring practices are being obeyed, then it is OK for a CEO to have an opinion.

I suppose the local residents don't like the fact that it would be closed on Sunday for religious reasons either.

Posted by Resident, a resident of Mountain View, on Oct 17, 2012 at 6:14 pm

This is absolutely RIDICULOUS! I live down the street and don't foresee any of these issues actually happening. After the 1st week, the fast food lines will be normal and move quicker, not like the in-n-out off Grant that somehow got approved...that car line is insane during a lunch hour. VERY DISAPPOINTING, at least we know Tom Means and John Inks are the only ones worth keeping on the Council!

Posted by Blah Squared, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Oct 17, 2012 at 9:53 pm

Politics, pure and simple. Another affront to free speech and an embarrassment for the Bay Area. Politics here are positively Orwellian.

Posted by Terry, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Oct 17, 2012 at 10:37 pm

This is absolutely RIDICULOUS!" +1

To Mountain View merchants... you won't see any of my dollars again.

Posted by palo alto mom, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Oct 18, 2012 at 11:50 am

So does this mean no more drive thru restaurants in Mountain View? Or only ones that are owned by companies that agree with local politics? We are talking about El Camino - strip mall and retail land - not a residential neighborhood.

BTW - I don't agree with the Chick-Fil-A owner's views.

Posted by Crescent Park Dad, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Oct 18, 2012 at 12:56 pm

Agree with all above. Politics plain and simple.

@ resident - The Starbucks on the corner of Stanford and ECR is not a drive-through. Popular? Yes. Drive through? No.

Posted by Nathan Ring, a resident of Mountain View, on Oct 18, 2012 at 1:35 pm

I watched the council meeting online. It was almost comical how every member made sure they started their comments with 'while i have nothing against the company...' As if they had all discussed exactly what needed to be said, and not said. This was rigged from the beginning. Shame on you Mountain View city council, I hope your citizens expose you for the corrupt liars you are.

Posted by palo alto mom, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Oct 18, 2012 at 5:02 pm

Would the response be the same if McDonald's wanted the site?

Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 18, 2012 at 5:18 pm

I think any future restaurant requesting a drive thru in Mountain View is going to be very embarrassing to the Council.

Posted by Supporting Chick-fil-A, a resident of Mountain View, on Oct 19, 2012 at 12:30 pm

Chick-fil-A would have been perfect in that location. Their generous offer to add a stoplight would have made it safer.

I will not vote for Mayor Mike Kasperzak, who conveniently left early without casting a vote.

I will vote for John Inks. He and Tom Means supported this business going in there, as did the MV Chamber of Commerce.

A bar with live music can go in there, but Chick-fil-A is not acceptable?

This was a violation of our US Constitution, pure and simple. Four councilwomen/men (and Mayor Missing in Action) overstepped their bounds, misrepresenting the community.

No one I know is happy about this. All are voters. We waited to see the results of this council vote.

Palo Alto residents - take note, if this comes to your area. Veterans lost their lives, fighting for our freedom of speech, the press, right of peaceable assembly.

No laws broken, to have an opinion and speak about it. Just great food. Everyone welcome. A nice place. Yum.

Posted by salmonella sammy, a resident of the South of Midtown neighborhood, on Oct 19, 2012 at 1:50 pm

"Veterans lost their lives, fighting for our freedom of speech, the press, right of peaceable assembly."

But they didn't do it for the ignorant bigotry of denying the civil rights to those that seek to marry.

Posted by Liking their chicken, a resident of the South of Midtown neighborhood, on Oct 19, 2012 at 2:51 pm

Bigotry is subjective. Denying legal business the right to open for reasons that have nothing to do with Zoning and Use, but rather based on the politics of owners, is a classic case of Bigotry.

Reminds me of McCarthy.

Posted by HUTCH 7.62, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 19, 2012 at 8:05 pm

Very Sad, Chick-fil-A's are very child friendly places that offer many healthy choices for children and parents alike. Too bad the minority rules again to further their agenda.

Posted by danielle, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 20, 2012 at 3:49 pm

great news!

Posted by Love Chick-fil-A, a resident of the Southgate neighborhood, on Oct 20, 2012 at 4:00 pm

A Gallup survey, the largest of its kind, just reported a scant 3.4% of American adults identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

That means 96.6% of people in nearby communities are being deprived of enjoying the benefits of this restaurant, and due to a weak and politically uninformed city council.

Whatever happened to elected officials representing the majority of their constituents?

Posted by art, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Oct 22, 2012 at 5:52 pm

Sharon, as usual, is off topic and way out there with her ” predictions”