Pictured above is the exterior of the Texas Roadhouse facility in Grove City. Marysville Board of Zoning Appeals has approved a variance to allow the planned Marysville restaurant to face U.S. 33 instead of Square Drive. (Photo courtesy of Texas Roadhouse Facebook)
Marysville’s Board of Zoning Appeals has approved a variance, clearing another hurdle for a steakhouse to locate in the city.
Emily Bernahl, a consultant representing Texas Roadhouse, was at Monday night’s Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, asking the city for a variance to construct a restaurant on Square Drive.
The restaurant would be on a 2.17-acre site zoned traffic oriented commercial. The site, which does not yet have an address, is currently vacant and sits directly south of the building at 16645 Square Drive.
The current code requires the building to be set 40 feet back from Square Drive and to face that roadway. Developers asked to put the proposed 7,462 square foot building 235 feet off Square Drive, closer to U.S. 33. Additionally, Bernahl said the entrance to the restaurant would be on the south side of the building, but the large sign on the building would be on the side facing U.S. 33 and would be considered the front of the building.
Bernahl said the move is “very consistent with Texas Roadhouse’s marketing strategy.”
She showed the board examples of other Texas Roadhouse buildings in the area and in similar other areas.
“They are usually always fronting the major road,” Bernahl said.
She told the board that Texas Roadhouse does not use traditional media to market itself. She said the building itself is “their greatest form of advertisement.”
She said individual restaurants that deviate from the company strategy tend to be less successful.
Bernahl said Texas Roadhouse would have two signs on the building — one large one that would face U.S. 33 and another small one above the entrance.
She said that eating at Texas Roadhouse is meant to be “an experience.”
“That type of experience is repeated anywhere you go, so when you see a Texas Roadhouse, you know what you are going to get,” Bernahl said.
Zoning Administrator Ron Todd said he feels having the building closer to U.S. 33 is “consistent” with the other buildings on Square Drive.
“We feel there is no issues with the easement,” Todd told the board.
Board member Jason Moore said he thought it would look “ridiculous” if the building met the actual code.
The board unanimously approved the request.
Todd said the next step for the company is to submit exterior plans to the city’s Design Review Board (DRB). The seven-member board reviews exterior/landscape plans to make certain they fit within the city’s guidelines for design appropriateness.
He said that as of this morning, Texas Roadhouse had not submitted an application to the DRB. He said Wednesday is the deadline to apply and be considered at the November meeting.
The developer noted that proposed buffering would limit the visibility of adjacent property owners.
Todd said city officials actually met with Texas Roadhouse officials before they officially decided to come to the community. He said local officials told the company what it could expect from the city. He said Texas Roadhouse has a variety of design options, some of which may be appropriate for Marysville while others would not fit city guidelines.
Bernahl said the restaurant chain does not do much advertising because it is the job of the managers to be “very active in the community.”
“They really are getting out in the community, being that food community partner and that really is getting their name out there,” Bernahl said.
She explained that managers buy into their restaurant and share in the store’s profit.
Restaurant officials said they expect to create 130 new jobs.
Texas Roadhouse officials said their restaurants average about 5,000 visitors a week.
In the initial application, developers said “existing infrastructure supports the use and development. The proposed project will not require public resources to develop the property.”
Texas Roadhouse, based in Louisville, Kentucky, began in 1993. Since then, the company has grown to more than 580 locations in 49 states and 22 international locations in nine foreign countries.