New Popeyes and Burger King restaurants are opening in nearby Shorter but could have located in Tallassee

City missed out on Popeyes/Burger King

By Michael Butler

Tallassee mayor Johnny Hammock is looking to bring more retail development to the city.

"I want to make it as comfortable for a business to come here as possible," Hammock said. "I don't want any kind of roadblocks.

Recently, Hammock had a prospect for the Jordanville area near Five Points.

"It was a group that do Popeyes and Burger King," he said. "The place they wanted was small town mix. You can't have a drive-thru with small town mix. We would have to go through the planning commission and then the city council. It would be about three months. They were like, 'we'll go somewhere else.'"

The lot, owned by the Mosher family, was also the property of interest when Louie's Chicken Fingers came to Tallassee. The business chose to locate further down Gilmer Avenue.

Popeyes Louisiana Chicken and Burger King are now opening new locations in Shorter off I-85 at exit 22.

"Whether that would've been a great location or not, we weren't able to get it off the ground," Hammock said. "We need to make it where it's more streamlined, so you can get a quick answer."

Hammock would like to see universal zoning along Tallassee' main thoroughfare.

"Anything on that state highway should be open season. Are we going to hold back the growth of this town or try to help along? Sometimes people don't want it. They might live right beside it. Their church might be right across the street from it, but we have to start looking at what's best for Tallassee."