Why won’t the city let chain restaurants in?

The city does not decide which restaurants come to Atchison and which ones do not.  We have not turned down any requests from businesses. If a business wants to open, and the land is zoned for a commercial enterprise then they can open. The city does not have any restrictions on what types of restaurants can operate in Atchison; however, most restaurants have set their own criterion for the locations of their restaurants. For example, Panda Express requires the cities, in which their restaurants operate, to have a minimum population of 65,000 people and a minimum day time population of 30,000 people. Chain restaurants like Panda Express will not operate in smaller towns, like Atchison. As a result of the size of our town, many large chain restaurants are simply not interested in opening restaurants here. If someone is interested in opening a franchise in Atchison, please email EcoDevo@cityofatchison.com.