Southern-style fried chicken, burgers, vegan, Chinese.
There may be no clear consensus, but Durangoans are definitely hungering for something different.
After business owner Tim Sapa announced late last month that he was closing Durango’s Dairy Queen, which operated at 2817 Main Ave. for 39 years, the Durango Herald asked its online readers what new fast-food and chain restaurant options they would like to see in Durango.
About 1,000 readers responded to our very-unscientific survey, and they had lots of ideas.
Chick-fil-A garnered about a fifth of the responses. It gained the most momentum in a field of 18 of the most popular franchises, including some expensive options like Outback Steakhouse.
Chick-fil-A backers could get lucky, too. Josh Skarsgard, the Albuquerque businessman who bought the Dairy Queen property, operates a Del Taco in Farmington and is building a Chick-fil-A outlet there.
Many others chose to submit an option not listed in the online survey, such as In-N- Out Burger, Whataburger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries. (Another possible front-runner? Skarsgard is also building a Five Guys outlet in Farmington).
Across the country, cheap burger joints still rule, with 30 percent of the fast-food market, but fast-casual restaurants are on the rise, according to FranchiseHelp.
Other reader favorites, Panera Bread and Panda Express, are among the top five most widespread fast-casual options and are enjoying impressive growth, industry group NPD reported.
In Durango, Zia Taqueria exemplifies this type of restaurant. To owner Tim Turner, the appeal of restaurants such as his is clear: The wait times are short, and the food is healthy but still affordable.
He believes there is room for more restaurant growth in Durango, but he would like to see more startups rather than franchises.
“I’m a huge, huge, huge proponent of local business,” he said.
Business people who open franchise restaurants may pay 4 to 6 percent of their gross receipts annually to the corporation, he said.
“It’s a tremendous amount of money that leaves this marketplace,” he said.
Many of the survey respondents and others who were asked also liked the idea of bringing in more local restaurants to keep the town unique.
Corinna Manion, 32, moved to Durango from Grand Junction and she hasn’t gotten bored with Durango’s food offerings yet.
“I never even feel tempted to go to chains,” she said.
Still, there are those who long for a taste of home in the form of Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken or Church’s Chicken.
“Ya’ll have no true fried chicken,” joked Dianna Sander, who moved here from Mississippi.
And there are some who are already nostalgic for the loss of a 39-year-old Durango icon.
“I do miss Dairy Queen already, and I just had one last week,” said Rose Niederauer, 74.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
What’s hot?
Here’s the top 10 food franchises to own, according to Entrepreneur:
Jimmy John’s
Subway
McDonald’s
Dunkin Donuts
Pizza Hut
Hardee’s
Jack in the Box
Taco Bell
Papa Murphy’s
Sonic
