Local Businesses React To Texas Roadhouse Proposal

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Amongst the latest proposal for a Texas Roadhouse restaurant to be operating in Zanesville, local businesses had some concerns with the idea.

Owner of Neff Paving, Clint Berkfield, and Owner of the Barn, Jim Watson, spoke with us about their worries on the proposal. Berkfield said it was unfair to the local businesses that have been around the area for a long time to offer the restaurant a tax abatement deal. He also felt it would be different if it was a business that was generating skilled, labored jobs, and manufacturing.

“I’ve been in business for 38 years, and I’ve never been offered anything. I’ve owned three businesses in town so, it’s not really fair,” said Berkfield.

Watson said he truly looked at the issue from a business owner’s standpoint. He said it was unjust that an outside company with a corporate office out of state coming into the area, could possibly receive a tax advantage as opposed to local businesses. He also questioned if Texas Roadhouse would be giving back to the community just like the area businesses.

“The taxes and the things like that we all pay goes to help our local community, our local schools, and all those kinds of things. So if you have a company that’s coming in from outside and wanting to get started up, and they’re not paying those same taxes, does that mean they’re not contributing those percentages of tax dollars to our local community and helping our schools and helping our local folks the way that the people that are here are, it just doesn’t seem quite fair,” Watson said.

The latest proposal will be sent to the City Council on Monday.