Drive-thru approved for Chick-fil-A Rocking chairs downtown to make Taylor ‘Front Porch of Texas’
In his last full City Council meeting as mayor, Dwayne Ariola oversaw an agenda that approved a Chick-fil-A restaurant, outlined upgrades to Murphy Park mini-golf and featured rebranding Taylor as the “Front Porch of Texas.”
The restaurant will take over the space that was previously Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar in the Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 103 N.W. Carlos G. Parker Blvd. The old restaurant will be demolished, but a specialuse permit is required for a drivethru service.
Ariola said in his nine years on the dais both as a councilman and mayor, community members repeatedly said they wanted him
“
There’s no politics here. We just want to get stuff done.”
— Jesse Ancira to bring a Chick-fil-A to town.
The former Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 103 N.W. Carlos G. Parker Blvd., will be demolished and rebuilt as a Chick-fil-A. This measure was approved at Thursday night’s Taylor City Council meeting. Photo by Jason Chlapek
He playfully thanked Martin Griggs, director of development services, for making it happen.
“These companies like this have a metric and they have metrics on metrics and unless you have the foot traffic and the car traffic and the cellphone traffic, they’re not coming. We finally satisfied that for them,” Ariola said.
More details on the eatery’s arrival will be released soon, officials said. A new Panda Express is also being finished on North Main Street.
The mayor’s seat is up for grabs in the May 2 election. Ariola chose not to run again.
Mini-golf scores new funding
Members of the Ancira family have taken on the task of raising funds to upgrade and improve the miniature golf course at Murphy Park. The council approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and a foundation created by Jesse Ancira, which will raise money for improvements to the 18-hole course.
The mini-golf facility dates to the 1970s. The course fell into disrepair and for many years it had been deemed unsafe and fenced off.
In May 2025, the city put some effort into restoring it and made it free to play. While it is now open to the public, it still needs updating and repairs, officials heard.
“It’s a beloved portion of the park. People were excited. They wanted improvements in that area,” said interim Parks and Recreation Director Betsy Schultz. “It’s a great free amenity.”
Ariola recalled playing there often as a child, as did Ancira.
Ancira established the Friends of the Park Foundation after the mini-putt was reopened when he saw the need for new turf, lighting, shade structures and other improvements.
Partnering with a fundraising foundation will allow the city to make necessary updates and keep the facility open as a free amenity for the community.
“There’s no politics here. We just want to get stuff done,” Ancira said. “This is about raising money to provide an amenity and quality of life to your kids in the community.”
Ancira is the former mayor of Taylor and former chief of staff to Joe Straus, R-Alamo Heights, the ex-speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Ancira’s family produces the popular line of Ancira salsa.
Initiative gets downtown rocking The council also learned details about three new initiatives rebranding Taylor as the “Front Porch of Texas,” adding features to make tourists feel more welcome and encourage them to visit downtown.
Initiatives include adding rocking chairs in front of businesses, more bike racks, more landscaping, signs and other updates.
The budget to kick off the program this year includes $1.2 million from tax increment financing No. 1, which covers downtown, and $363,682 from hotel occupancy tax funds.
Next year’s proposed budget is $2.2 million from TIF No. 1 and $450,000 from the HOT funds.
“It’s meant to make our downtown feel inviting and comfortable, and increase the walkability and safety,” said Downtown Director Niecy Baum. “We really wanted something warm and inviting and we were thinking about when you walk up to the front porch of someone’s home.”
The complete program also creates new city positions, including a dedicated Main Street manager, a marketing media specialist and an events/tourism specialist.
It also introduces grants and protocols to help attract and retain downtown businesses.
The plan highlights ideas for increasing tourism, including removing the asphalt on a portion of First Street to expose the historic wooden-brick road that was originally built in the early 1900s.
Concerns were raised about using the HOT funds for downtown rather than much-needed repairs at the Taylor Regional Park and Sports Complex.
“TRP is actually on our radar. We are partnered with everybody in the city, we don’t just represent downtown,” Baum said. “We are looking at TRP for the future. TRP is part of our tourism plan.”
