Chick-Fil-A and Public Improvements Coming to Southbank
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/909773639_AECZQ-M.jpg)
Projects associated with the proposed $200 million Wolfson Children's Hospital/Adult Tower will significantly change the area around Baptist Medical's Southbank campus.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-jun-chick-fil-a-and-public-improvements-coming-to-southbank
Baptist has done a nice job with some of its recent projects - I look forward to watching this one move forward. And a Chik-Fil-A on the southbank? Wow!
The Chik-Fil-A will be inside of Baptist.
The Chick-Fil-A will be at the main entrance of Baptist, on the corner of Palm & Prudential. You won't have to go inside of the medical center to enter the restaurant because it faces the street with its own entrances.
Chic-Fil-A is in the entrance to the Howard Building at the corner of Prudental and Palm. It is a walk up no parking adjacent. The main entrance to the hospital is a block +/- west of that.
Some of the tower figures are a little off.
The landscape revisions picture 1. shows the a future building(left) and bridge(above). Those won't be built for quite awhile.
I wonder if the Chic-Fil-A will install any signage on the building? Don't know how anyone will be able to tell that it is in there w/o signage.
Some outdoor umbrella seating could take care of that.
Will there be any on street parking near Chick-Fil-A?? It's a bit of a walk from my apt. The streetscape improvements on Palm are definitely needed. The block in front of Baptist is miserable. Once the 4 story building gets built, that will be a really dense and great area.
If the umbrella's say Chic-Fil-A on them!
Well I work across the street at prudential, so a good fast food chain in a walking distance is a plus for me. But do wonder about parking though. Between baptist, Aetna and Prudential, they will get some booming business.
I am excited about the improvements. Ive watched them slowly make changes inside the parking garage over the past couple of years to address improved movement in/out of the garage itself, it was definitely needed.
I am also excited to see the Chickfila go in the hospital. I spent a great deal of time in/out of the hospital when my daughter was an infant and I was never happy with the cafeterias available. I hope another hospital visit is not in our future but if it is the Chickfila will DEFINITELY be appreciated by me :)
That's what - only a block from the San Marco Skyway? So even folks downtown could get over there during the daytime hours with no parking required.
"No public funds will be used for the public realm projects described above."
How cool is that!
QuoteTo alleviate traffic congestion around the medical campus, an off-site 200 space employee parking lot will be located at the existing Kings Avenue Parking Garage. Baptist Medical will provide shuttle service at its expense to transport employees from the Kings Avenue garage to the medical center. Estimated annual operating cost for the parking lot is $69,600 and for the provision of the shuttle service is $25,000.
I'm not sure how close this garage is to the Kings Ave Skyway station, but it would be great if they could have a spur in the skyway that would take you right to Baptist instead of a block or two away and have employees use the Skyway rather than a shuttle bus. Also, you'd probably have to make the skyway free for Baptist employees somehow. Perhaps Baptist pays a small yearly fee (i.e.; less than the cost of operating a shuttle service) and their employees could get some sort of card that give them free skyway access at the Kings Ave station. This would dramatically boost skyway usage just counting employee usage, but it could be a way to market the skyway as a practical way to get around downtown for everyday people. Make it a nice experience for a core group of everyday people, and they will spread the word themselves to family, friends, patients, etc.
Or you could even build in skywalks that connected to the existing stations and probably do the same thing, but I figure people are lazy so it would be best to actually bring them to the heart of the campus.
This, as most of Baptist's projects, are all that's keeping some of the local industries viable. So far this year, they have pumped close to 10 mil into projects from downtown to the beaches. If I'm not mistaken, they are using their own money to finance these projects, and they only rely on contractors that are local - another boon for the local economy. I say all of this out of contempt for the 350 mil courthouse project that has been constructing using an out of state contractor, (mostly) out of state sub-contractors, etc.... Instead of recycling money in our own community, it's being outsourced to somewhere else (sorry for the vagueness, but I don't know who it is, and it's a little too late to care).
Back to my point - Baptist's newest project, the Wolfson Tower, will be an outstanding addition to the southbank, and a lot of us really appreciate their efforts.
do any of these streetscape plans deal with getting around the trains that block the ability to get on campus several times a day?
Trebuchets.
Quote from: JaxNative68 on June 23, 2010, 03:47:21 PM
do any of these streetscape plans deal with getting around the trains that block the ability to get on campus several times a day?
No. However, it would be nice if some sort of public/private partnership could be established to connect the campus with the nearest skyway station via a pedestrian overpass over the tracks and Acosta Bridge.
Quote from: JaxNative68 on June 23, 2010, 03:47:21 PM.....do any of these streetscape plans deal with getting around the trains that block the ability to get on campus several times a day?....
Not for the $100k or $15k mentioned.
The $$$$ for the street improvements and some other pieces mentioned here sound quite low for the project descriptions provided.
Here is just one example:
QuoteEstimated annual operating cost for the parking lot is $69,600 and for the provision of the shuttle service is $25,000.
200 parking spaces x 250 weekday (allowance for some holidays) workdays/year = 52,000 parking days. $69,600/52,000 days = $1.34/day! In a garage for 8+ hours? Is JTA this desperate? That doesn't even pay for turning on the lights.
And, $25,000 for a shuttle? If it runs 10 hours a day x 250 days a year, that is 2,500 hours. You are telling me you can pay a driver, depreciate and maintain a shuttle bus, and pay for gas and insurance for all of $10/hour? I don't think so.
These numbers are far lower if weekends and holidays are to also be covered and if the shuttle runs beyond 10 hours, which I would imagine it might.
What gives?
P.S. I mentioned this once before, Baptist should reconsider the 4 story building when that day comes. Given the land squeeze they have, they need to build higher in my opinion.
Quote from: stjr on June 23, 2010, 07:39:11 PM
.........And, $25,000 for a shuttle? If it runs 10 hours a day x 250 days a year, that is 2,500 hours. You are telling me you can pay a driver, depreciate and maintain a shuttle bus, and pay for gas and insurance for all of $10/hour? I don't think so...........
The problem with looking at things is one has to make assumptions in the lack of real detailed information. For example, you assume this is an additional shuttle and not a partial time/milage addition to existing routes. There are three shuttles already in operation.
You assume that it runs 10 hours a day. They don't. They run during shift changes only.
I couldn't run it for that but they have their ways and press releases always sound sunny.
Quote from: Overstreet on June 23, 2010, 10:28:29 PM
The problem with looking at things is one has to make assumptions in the lack of real detailed information. For example, you assume this is an additional shuttle and not a partial time/milage addition to existing routes. There are three shuttles already in operation.
You assume that it runs 10 hours a day. They don't. They run during shift changes only.
I couldn't run it for that but they have their ways and press releases always sound sunny.
Interesting points, Overstreet. Still, $25,000 seems awfully cheap. I would imagine they would have to have a system to deliver/pickup employees to their cars at anytime but maybe they run a will-call service for that. It's still a cost and a driver, but maybe it serves all their lots at once.
If they run 24 hour shifts for many of these employees, that does add another dimension. But, maybe the late nighters park on the property.
Care to offer any other explanation for the bargain parking lot garage rates?
Baptist already runs a shuttle...the $25,000 is likely the extra to extend the service over to Kings Ave garage.
What's the projected finish date of this project?
QuoteChick-fil-A coming soon to Jacksonville's Southbank
Submitted by Gary Mills on June 28, 2010 - 3:00pm
Office and hospital workers on Jacksonville's Southbank soon will have a new spot to grab a quick lunch.
Chick-fil-A is set to open in the coming weeks in the 800 block of Prudential Drive near the Baptist Women's Pavilion at the Baptist Health complex. A corporate spokeswoman said the restaurant is slated to open in August.
The fast-food chicken restaurant will be accessible from both inside the medical building and from the street.
A recent peek inside shows a smaller space than a typical standalone Chick-fil-A, this one having around 30 tables and seating for at least 60.
The menu will be smaller, too, offering fewer items than the nearly 50 on a typical menu that includes breakfast items, salads and wraps in addition to the core chicken offerings, the spokeswoman said.
The Southbank eatery will be a licensed location similar to those Chick-fil-A outlets on college campuses and other hospitals, including one at Shands in Gainesville.
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2010-06-28/chick-fil-coming-soon-jacksonvilles-southbank
It is fitting that Baptist would choose to partner with such an over-the-top, let's shove our religious beliefs down your throat corporation as Chick-fil-A. The last time I had the pleasure of dining there, I couldn't get over the selection of songs of praise & worship that everyone was forced to listen to. I guess that godless secular music just isn't acceptable in one of these holy restaurants.
Just don't go looking for a chicken sandwich if you happen to be visiting a patient there on a sunday.
^^Good Lord....Well, then DONT eat there! It seems their business model works very well, even being closed on Sunday's doesnt hurt their bottom line.
Quote from: fsujax on June 29, 2010, 08:25:56 AM
^^Good Lord....Well, then DONT eat there! It seems their business model works very well, even being closed on Sunday's doesnt hurt their bottom line.
+1
This anti-Chick-fil-a stuff is crazy.
I'm not christian and I freaking love Chick-fil-a. I wish they were open on Sunday, but that's life. I can either deal with it or go to Zaxby's. ;)
(By the way, I'm not Hindu or Sikh either, yet I absolutely love the area's Indian restaurants despite them "shoving their religious beliefs down my throat" with their dining rooms full of religious decorations and their refusal to serve beef on religious grounds.)
I stopped at a Chick Fil A in Perry on the way back to Atlanta.
I try to avoid fast food generally, but that limits your ability to eat along I-75.
There was a Mennonite/Amish family, three generations, Gingham long dresses and bonnets,
it was like a cast party for Witness dining at Chick-Fil-A.
If that's not a ringing endorsement when people who live like some past century eat your stuff...
I understand all the chickens used have accepted Christ as their personal saviour....
I have never had and issue with chik-fila. I dont feel like they are shoving anything down anyones throat but chicken! LOL Let's not make a big deal out of nothing. Food is food. If you dont like, dont go! simple fix.
Quote from: Joe on June 29, 2010, 01:54:30 PM
This anti-Chick-fil-a stuff is crazy.
(By the way, I'm not Hindu or Sikh either, yet I absolutely love the area's Indian restaurants despite them "shoving their religious beliefs down my throat" with their dining rooms full of religious decorations and their refusal to serve beef on religious grounds.)
BTW, Joe, regarding your comparison to Hinduism, the flaw in your analogy is that Hindus do not proselytize to others that do not believe the way they do. There is no imperative to convert the "non-believers" like most monotheistic beliefs. I think these evangelicals could learn a thing or two from Hindus about how to behave in the 21st century.
I wish more businesses put their principles above profit the way Chic-Fil-A does by closing on Sundays. Maybe then we wouldn't have Enron's and BP's.
So has a Chick-fil-a employee ever asked you about eternal salvation or told you that you are going to burn in hell??
Most likely they have provided you with outstanding service and a quality poduct.
Quote from: vicupstate on June 29, 2010, 09:24:38 PM
I wish more businesses put their principles above profit the way Chic-Fil-A does by closing on Sundays. Maybe then we wouldn't have Enron's and BP's.
Publix was closed on Sundays until about 30 years ago for the same reason: Mr. Jenkins was a church man. When he died and the competition demanded it, Publix opened Sundays. One day, Chick Fil A may do the same. Especially, if it leaves control of the founders. It's hard to resist a potential 17% (1/6th) increase in your business with essentially no additional investment in fixed assets. In the end, Chick Fil A is a business with a goal to maximize return on investment. If current management doesn't do that, its successors will.
Similarly, Walt Disney's ideas were tinkered with after he died. He wanted EPCOT (Experimental Community of Tomorrow) to be a model city of the future. With Disney out of the picture (no pun intended!), the company's directors didn't see a return to the stockholders. So, we ended up with EPCOT, the world's fair/amusement park, not the city of the future.
This is all weird to me. I've never had any religious encounters in chick-fil-A. Ohhhh! Maybe it's God that makes them the cleanest, most professional run fast food place of all. The Chick-fil-A on Roosevelt Blvd must really be spirit filled-this restaurant is the epitome of what all eateries should be. Well cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Quote from: Seraphs on June 30, 2010, 02:54:27 PM
This is all weird to me. I've never had any religious encounters in chick-fil-A. Ohhhh! Maybe it's God that makes them the cleanest, most professional run fast food place of all. The Chick-fil-A on Roosevelt Blvd must really be spirit filled-this restaurant is the epitome of what all eateries should be. Well cleanliness is next to Godliness.
That place has the greastest group of emplyees I've ever seen at a fast food restaurant. Not one sterotype burger flipper in that place. I think a lot of them are in highschool though.
Could not agree more with the last comment. You go to a place like McDonalds or BK and you're lucky to get your order correct and get hot food.
At Chick-Fil-A, the worst thing I can say is they may have once not given me the honey mustard pack with my grilled chicken sandwich.
Quote from: stjr on June 30, 2010, 12:40:21 AM
Quote from: vicupstate on June 29, 2010, 09:24:38 PM
I wish more businesses put their principles above profit the way Chic-Fil-A does by closing on Sundays. Maybe then we wouldn't have Enron's and BP's.
Publix was closed on Sundays until about 30 years ago for the same reason: Mr. Jenkins was a church man. When he died and the competition demanded it, Publix opened Sundays.
When I was in high school I used to work at the Publix off Roosevelt(when it used to sit in Stein Mart's present location) and that store didnt have a 'family planning' section at the request of our store manager at the time. Luckily Eckerds next store did, lol
For me it's a battle between the Roosevelt location and Southside Blvd south of JTB for friendliest and best employees. I am always amazed that they have such consistently great customer service.
That's what happens when you value your employees and customers. It's a wonder no one else can figure it out.
Quote from: acme54321 on July 01, 2010, 08:05:06 AM
That's what happens when you value your employees and customers. It's a wonder no one else can figure it out.
I don't think an employee of Chick Fil A would plead guily to putting pills in sandwiches like an employee at the Burger King by the Avenues just did.
Burger King is the worst... I think they have a policy of choosing employees straight from the bottom of the gene pool.
Chik-fila provides EXCELLENT service. I have a friend who used to work for them back when his mom was a manager. And he said they are very strict on their employees, in a good sense. For example, if someone comes to work with an attitude, they make them work in the back the entire because they do not want them, servicing customers with an attitude. And it shows. They are very friendly, professional, and very fast. I have not had one bad experience with them.
Just wanted to let ya'll know... the Chick-fil-a @ Baptist is now open! Well technically its called, Chick-fil-a Express... Went there yesterday during peak lunch hour; as expected because it's new, there was a long line however the line moved very quickly. As always, the food was great!
Quote from: floridaforester on June 28, 2010, 09:49:13 PM
It is fitting that Baptist would choose to partner with such an over-the-top, let's shove our religious beliefs down your throat corporation as Chick-fil-A. The last time I had the pleasure of dining there, I couldn't get over the selection of songs of praise & worship that everyone was forced to listen to. I guess that godless secular music just isn't acceptable in one of these holy restaurants.
Just don't go looking for a chicken sandwich if you happen to be visiting a patient there on a sunday.
When I worked at Chick-fil-A at the Orange Park Mall, our store did not push religion on customers. I cannot speak for all Chick-fil-A locations, but I can only recall two things about my experience there:
1. Chick-fil-A had an in-house magazine that we kept in the break room. I remember that it was a very faith-based publication. I remember that it had an advice column that had some interesting responses to reader questions. For example, encouraging a reader to use prayer and persuasion to convince his gay friend to go straight. My lunchtime reading? This high schooler read the Village Voice. I used tp buy one at B. Dalton on the way to work.
2. My co-workers mostly happened to go to the same church. I felt awkward because I was not a part of their clique. It was even more awkward when my on-campus protest against the first gulf war resulted in random, rude comments from my colleagues. For example, I sat down during the national anthem during a pep rally. "Go back to Cuba," was what one of my 'friends spat at me when we were working behind the counter.
When I go to Chick-fil-A as a customer, I only notice that the stores are clean, the workers are friendly, and the food tastes good. If there is any bible thumping, it must be somewhere else!
Quote from: floridaforester on June 28, 2010, 09:49:13 PM
It is fitting that Baptist would choose to partner with such an over-the-top, let's shove our religious beliefs down your throat corporation as Chick-fil-A. The last time I had the pleasure of dining there, I couldn't get over the selection of songs of praise & worship that everyone was forced to listen to. I guess that godless secular music just isn't acceptable in one of these holy restaurants.
Just don't go looking for a chicken sandwich if you happen to be visiting a patient there on a sunday.
What a stupid thing to say. It is a private business and they don't have to come to you to approve what they do. They can play what they wish on their speakers, and they can hire who they wish to hire and they can be open whenever they want to be open. I have yet to go into one and it not be very busy. They must be doing something right. Go take your business elsewhere if you hate them that much. You are free to do so just as they are free to do as they wish. Just remember, they are taking all this to the bank while you continue to hate them for being succesful.
Quote from: stephendare on July 21, 2010, 09:52:55 AM
meh.
I have to agree with Dapperdan on this one.
Praise and Worship musical selections are pretty great even if you don't believe in the religious derivation. It represents a way of life just as much as any kind of musical affiliation.
I buy Quaker Oats, despite the fact that the gentle Friends are also shoving their beliefs down my throat. (with all that oatmeal goodness) Similarly, Amish apple butter, Holy Roller Healing Soup and goods from the Catholic thrift shop. I have yet to get the shivers from the holy spirit, renounce electricity, or rush out to handle snakes as a result. Nor have I felt any urge to chant the rosary. ;)
I don't eat much at Chik Fil A, (fried foods) but what ive had has been tasty, and definitely healthier than the truly evil food that is being shoved down the throats of most americans by godless corporate sludge friers like Burger King and McDonalds.
If they don't want to work on Sunday, great. Its nice to see a non communist restaurant.
HAHA, 100% agree with this! Great point
Chick-Fil-A - what's the latest?
Yes we really really had to have that $350 Million Dollar white elephant! I wonder just how much "Gate Concrete" made off of this one? ICE should have shut that project down from the start, but noooooooooooooo! The City wonders why we are $58 Million Dollars in the hole ......with projects like the Courthouse, we should have filed Chapter 11 long before now and get it over with!
???
Quote from: blizz01 on December 08, 2010, 12:56:57 AM
Chick-Fil-A - what's the latest?
Open for business as far as I know.
Quote from: CS Foltz on December 08, 2010, 06:17:28 AM
Yes we really really had to have that $350 Million Dollar white elephant! I wonder just how much "Gate Concrete" made off of this one? ICE should have shut that project down from the start, but noooooooooooooo! The City wonders why we are $58 Million Dollars in the hole ......with projects like the Courthouse, we should have filed Chapter 11 long before now and get it over with!
???
Quote from: stephendare on July 21, 2010, 09:52:55 AM
If they don't want to work on Sunday, great. Its nice to see a non communist restaurant.
working on sunday = communism? what? i must've missed the memo.
I can remember back in the day when Publix was closed on Sunday.
Quote from: danno on December 08, 2010, 04:19:09 PM
I can remember back in the day when Publix was closed on Sunday.
I don't know how many of you are from small towns, but it was typical for all of the white collar businesses, bank, insurance, 'the' dr.'s office, etc, to shut down around 12 on wednesdays, also.
When I lived in England it was the Law. It was nice. They have changed the Sunday Licencing laws in recent years though.
In light of some previous discussion in this thread, I thought this article appearing in Google News would be of interest to some:QuoteYes, Chick-fil-A Says, We Explicitly Do Not Like Same-Sex Couples
by Michael Jones · January 26, 2011
http://news.change.org/stories/yes-chick-fil-a-says-we-explicitly-do-not-like-same-sex-couples
Bet Chick-fil-A wishes this month would end. Over the past few weeks, the restaurant chain's deep ties to the anti-gay movement have been exposed and uncovered by a number of activists, most notably Jeremy Hooper at Good As You. Whether it's Focus on the Family, the National Organization for Marriage, the Pennsylvania Family Institute, or Exodus International, Chick-fil-A ties run deep.
Of course, the President of Chick-fil-A wants gay people to share no hard feelings. The restaurant will gladly feed homosexuals gobs of chicken sandwiches, after all. But when it comes to marriage, Chick-fil-A believes strongly that same-sex couples just don't deserve equal rights.
As we wrote about a few weeks ago, Chick-fil-A's charitable arm, the WinShape Foundation, has been particularly active in the fight against marriage equality. They've hosted conferences with some of the leading opponents of gay marriage in this country. A higher up at WinShape has even praised the efforts of anti-gay activist David Blankenhorn for working against marriage equality, and for articulating a solid reason why American culture should reject same-sex couples.
Now comes some email correspondence that Good As You has shared on their blog, where the WinShape Foundation's Retreat Center -- a center run by the charitable arm of Chick-fil-A -- admits that they have a severe distaste for LGBT people.
The email correspondence goes a little something like this. Someone writes WinShape an easy question about whether their retreat center is open to LGBT people. WinShape's response:
"WinShape Retreat defines marriage from the Biblical standard as being between one man and one woman. Groups/Individuals are welcome who offer wholesome, educational conferences and programs that are compatible with Biblical values and WinShape's purpose," WinShape wrote back.
Kind of some corporate speak, right? So the activist wrote back: can you just give a clear-cut answer? And WinShape confirmed:
"We do not accept homosexual couples because of the statement in our contract."
And so it goes like this: Chick-fil-A is a restaurant where franchises frequently donate to anti-gay organizations like the Pennsylvania Family Institute, Focus on the Family and others. The restaurant's charitable arm, WinShape, holds conferences for opponents of gay marriage and praises their work. And this charitable arm's Retreat program puts a blanket ban on gay couples using their facilities, because they "do not accept homosexual couples."
Yet the President of Chick-fil-A still says that all people, including LGBT people, are treated with respect by the restaurant? Huh, what a funny definition of respect.
Meanwhile, check this story out. So the Human Rights Campaign's NOMExposed project tried to submit an equality-minded video to the Ruth Institute's "Reel Love Video Challenge." The Ruth Institute is an affiliate of the National Organization for Marriage, and they're running a contest where folks can submit videos talking about what love means. The video below was originally accepted, but then promptly booted out of the project once the Ruth Institute became aware that it actually championed equality for same-sex couples.
Here's the kicker: the Ruth Institute's "Reel Love Video Challenge" has a tie-in to Chick-fil-A's WinShape Foundation. Wouldn't it be nice to hear why the Ruth Institute and the WinShape Foundation find the below video so offensive? After all, what is love if it isn't equal?
These people don't realize that if they sold their sandwich (or a Crystal version) for $1.99 they would have people ordering a dozen at a time.
Get with the times and offer a .99 Cent menu! or something similar...who freaken cares if they are closed on Sundays...they understand that they lose your business for the Lord on that day.
Chick-fil-A is hardly hurting for business...have you seen their dreive-thrus during lunch....so I don't think they need a .99 cent menu
The Baptist location certainly isn't hurting. It has been packed!
i havent made it over there yet. Drove by one Friday morning looking for it, but couldnt easily spot it.
Its on Prudential Drive, heading east, right on the left once you pass Palm Avenue and the covered drop off zone.
Is there signage from the outside?
Not sure. I haven't been through there since they opened.
I think there's some writing on the door, but not any large signs.
Quote from: Fallen Buckeye on January 31, 2011, 07:39:54 PM
I think there's some writing on the door, but not any large signs.
In reference to their LGBT policies...... ;)