Councilman: Two eateries in plans

Two popular eateries could be coming to the west side of Lorain.

Chick-fil-A and Five Guys have sparked positive responses on social media posts as prospects for outlets at the site of the Meijer store at 5350 Leavitt Road in Lorain.

Ward 8 Councilman Joshua Thornsberry, who represents the west side, used his Facebook account to post hints the businesses could be in the drawing board for Lorain.

On March 19, Chick-fil-A pulled a permit to install a sign for a new Lorain restaurant, Thornsberry said. His post prompted at least 55 comments and 44 shares.

“The rumor’s been around for a long time,” Thornsberry said on March 20. But he added he does not promote information about new businesses until there is a formal announcement from a company or a document filed at City Hall, which is a public record.

A Chick-fil-A sign permit was the first public record indicator the restaurant would come to Lorain, Thornsberry said.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays to allow workers time to spend with family or to worship. The company also touts its “renegade cow” advertising campaign with a bovine billboard painter advising consumers to “eat mor chikin.”

Thornsberry’s March 19 post about Chick-fil-A came almost a month after Thornsberry shared a post from a worker of the Avon Five Guys burger joint. He stated there would be a new griddle coming to the site of Meijer, but called it Amherst, not Lorain.

Five Guys was started in 1986 and is based in Lorton, Virginia. The restaurant has grown to more than 1,700 locations serving hand-formed hamburgers and french fries cooked in peanut oil.