Chipotle, Panera Bread Restaurants Planned For West Nine Mile Road

May 2, 2023

A new Chipotle and a Panera Bread are planned for West Nine Mile Road just west of Pine Forest Road.

Separate Escambia County Development Review applications have been filed by a Foley, Alabama, engineering firm on behalf of both companies.  The new restaurants, if constructed, would be on adjacent parcels.

Chipotle

A pre-application meeting will be held Wednesday for a Chipotle at 2261 West Nine Mile Road.  The 2,400 square foot fast casual restaurant would be located on just under an acre that is currently part of an RV park.  The parking lot access would be to a private driveway that currently connects Nine Mile Road to the rear of a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Panera Bread

An initial application has been submitted for a Panera Bread at 2405 West Nine Mile Road. The 3,500 square foot restaurant would be located on 1.2 acres at the corner of West Nine Mile and Surrey Drive. Driveway access would be to Surrey Drive, not Nine Mile Road.

Multiple additional steps in the review and permitting process will be required, and the applicant may choose to never complete the projects.

Comments

17 Responses to “Chipotle, Panera Bread Restaurants Planned For West Nine Mile Road”

  1. Shirley on May 5th, 2023 12:11 pm

    I live at the RV park. Many people have been here for years. It is a shame that I have to find out by this news source. Where is the owner and the manager??? Why can’t they come forward and tell us? So many are long term residents. Ugh!

  2. Soobee on May 4th, 2023 10:16 pm

    I thought the Vintage Salon and Spa was at 2261 Nine Mile. If Panera is going in at 2405 West Nine Mile Road, maybe the two businesses won’t be side by side and won’t cause then to move too many campers from that area. He has grown and improved that campground a lot since 2004 so I hope it continues to stay.

  3. Mike H. on May 4th, 2023 4:12 pm

    This RV park house’s 100+ long term residents to include elderly and/or low income single parents. The park is nice, clean, etc. The residents have not even had the decency of the owner/Manager to notify them of this possibility, but lied and denied when asked about the presence of survey crews several times within the last several months. However, rent has been increased recently only to be lied to and given the boot.

  4. J on May 4th, 2023 1:02 am

    Why not put more places past paper mill. We have enough stuff off nine mile already.

  5. SES on May 3rd, 2023 11:35 pm

    I agree with Silent Observer, there needs to be service roads at most of the shops in area where there is high traffic. It’s done in the northern states. Roads are built for the future traffic. 9 mile rd. should have been 4 laned extended from Florida/Alabama border through Pace etc,20 years ago. Northwest Florida is growing but housing and roads not keeping up. Got to have better planning.

  6. Guy on May 2nd, 2023 9:34 pm

    Capitalism. If you don’t like it you can git out.

  7. Jay on May 2nd, 2023 3:03 pm

    These locations have always been open to being purchased by a local business owner and restauranteurs.

  8. anne on May 2nd, 2023 2:02 pm

    I miss the days when we took a short drive to eat at a family-owned restaurant. The chains have taken over, sign of the times.

  9. Jason on May 2nd, 2023 1:41 pm

    Oh yeah…. I am more excited about the Miller’s Ale House that is proposed for the development located on Pine Forest at the I-10 intersection.

  10. Jason on May 2nd, 2023 1:39 pm

    @ Question – is not about laziness, its about the ability to handle the capacity at “peak times”. Although, “convenience” is a factor. I try to avoid the travel on East 9 Mile rd due to the traffic congestion. However, my daily travels frequently takes me right past this location.

    One last thing, if you are unhappy with what is being built in this area, all you need to do is decide what “franchise” you would like to open and make the investment. Its easy to sit on your couch and complain when you arent making the investment.

  11. Annetta on May 2nd, 2023 12:41 pm

    We need more high-end restaurants on this end of town all we have is fast food joints

  12. John Bone Jones on May 2nd, 2023 11:13 am

    @Question, because Chipotles is gooooood!

  13. Mike J. on May 2nd, 2023 10:30 am

    So the RV park was sold? I was told by a RV owner that there are few places around here available for them. I don’t have an RV but my Dad has an Airstream.

  14. Carolyn Smith on May 2nd, 2023 9:53 am

    We do not need another thing added onto the area of Pine Forest Rd and 9 Mile Rd. It is a nightmare already and as soon as all the apartments are filled you may as well stay home.

  15. Silent Observer on May 2nd, 2023 9:42 am

    As if we need one more establishment on 9 mile road. There’s no way that will be an easy in/easy out entrance. I can’t understand why in the world, they did not establish a frontage road the length of 9mile. Let traffic run through and anyone wanting to enter/exit an establishment does so from the frontage road. Mobile did it along their busiest road, Airport Blvd. It’s still a lot of traffic on the road BUT greatly reduces the amount of folks stopping to turn into a business.

  16. C on May 2nd, 2023 9:11 am

    Did they even consider how the people on surrey drive might feel about all the traffic on their residential road?

  17. Question on May 2nd, 2023 7:49 am

    Why do we need two Chipotles within 10 minutes of each other? Are people that lazy to drive? Is Chipotle going to be the next Dollar General? Just wondering why we can’t have some diversity in these new areas.

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