A national chicken brand could soon have a new kitchen out of DeKalb to serve up good eats, if the advice of the Planning and Zoning Commission holds this week.

Up for review at Monday’s DeKalb Planning and Zoning Commission meeting was a request to allow an unidentified restaurant with a drive-thru at 2151 Sycamore Road, the former Advanced Auto Parts building.

Petitioner John Pappas of Pappas Development remained mum on identifying the name of the tenant eyeing DeKalb, but did disclose some details on the company’s sales history.

“They average annual sales between $2.8 and $3 million,” Pappas said.

The City Council ultimately will have the final say on the matter.

The former Advance Auto Parts, at 2151 Sycamore Road, closed in early 2025 and has since been subdivided into three separate tenant shops of 2,017 square feet in space, city documents show.

City Planner Dan Olson said the owner of the building completed exterior work on the building last summer.

“It was pretty nice,” Olson said.

At the south end of the building, the restaurant’s drive-thru would accommodate five to six cars at a given time, with stacking, according to the proposal.

Olson said the city is comfortable looking at the drive-thru as proposed at Sycamore Road.

“It’s quite a distance there to the intersection, which has a signal,” Olson said.

Commissioner Jerry Wright questioned what would happen if more stacking occurs in the drive-thru.

“If they have more going around that corner, how does that affect the traffic that has to go by?” Wright said.

In response, Olson said there may be a divider and signs used to help communicate with motorists and pedestrians.

“There’s more than five or six [vehicles] they’d have to stack in this private lane here,” he said.

There will be space for parking on site, as well. The lot currently accommodates 16 vehicles, but with the addition of the drive-thru, it would serve 12, city documents show.

Olson said adequate parking is available on site.

Occupying the north end of the building would be a Tropical Smoothie Cafe, if plans are approved. It’s known not only for its smoothies but also for tropical bowls, wraps, quesadillas and flatbreads, according to the company’s website.

The middle tenant space remains available for lease.