In the Know: Naples Popeyes gets last place; can Bonita do better? And want your own amusement park?

Popeyes finally opened its doors in Bonita Springs this past week after almost a decade of trying to get its ovens cranking.

As employees train, the company had held off on launching drive-through service right away at the Tamiami Trail venue, south of Bonita Beach Road.

So on Tuesday that meant about two dozen folks lining up in the lobby just before the noon hour, certainly less when compared to the very first days of the Naples opening a couple or so years ago with traffic backups onto Collier Boulevard, near Golden Gate Boulevard.

As articulated in line, online or via e-mail, this certainly is a lot closer to home for many.

"I am so excited," said Sami Ryan. "I used to drive to Golden Gate for their chicken sandwich."

"You can finally get the chicken sandwich without driving to L.A." aka, Lehigh Acres, said Realtor Jeremy Guillette.

More In the Know:

• Sad news on Popeyes, home sales update and signs, signs, everywhere a sign
• Construction begins on new Popeyes; a sneaky, happily boring grocery debut
• Popeyes poised to pop open; new Sprouts location; and Immokalee home construction
• Popeyes opening at a glance: How did it get its name?

Not everyone is hurrying over.

"I love Popeyes (but have) been waiting for someone else to take one for the team and try it first," said Amelia Heart.

And maybe that's wise, as some have shared, especially those who aren't necessarily fans.

"Popeyes is gross," reader Beverly Vinson told us.

"Hopefully it's better than the one in Naples," said Lawrence Luizzi, as critics have encouraged us to check out reviews for that other location.

So we did, and found it landing a dead last of 100 ranked in the Naples "Quick Bites" category of TripAdvisor, achieving a 1.5 on a 5.0 scale.

Not that chain reps would comment after several attempts, but this new locale has different operators, Action Business Corp., overseen by the Royal family of Belle Glade.

We took a look at the Action track record through research of public documents. Its only two in Lee and Collier — Lehigh and Immokalee — have combined for 46 violations during inspections the past three years, but nothing serious enough to close down.

The same can't be said for at least a pair of its coastal Palm Beach County outposts that have received fines or warnings during that time including one hit with an emergency closure.

With apologies to Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Glenn Frey, that's part of the ups and downs of Life in the Fast Food Lane that "surely makes you lose your mind."

Want your own adventure park?

The Florida Track & Trails adventure park had a rough run from the start in its brief, wild ride last decade despite hosting what quite a few have considered the biggest country music festival in Southwest Florida history in 2015.

Some of the industry's biggest stars converged on a desolate corner of Charlotte County at 39450 Bermont Road, 15 miles from Punta Gorda Airport and 18 miles from Fort Myers. Performer Reba McEntire might have asked, "Is There Life Out There?" Arguably, the 1,162 acres aren't considered as isolated today with the emergence of the Babcock Ranch community, a 20-minute drive to the south.

This was just part of the three-day superstar lineup, even if the sound system and voices, at times, weren't at their Carnegie Hall best: Hank Williams Jr., The Charlie Daniels Band, Billy Currington, Jamey Johnson, Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy, Tracy Lawrence, 38 Special and Chris Young.

The problem was a lot of folks didn't get paid, or at least partially, including Reba, who was slated to receive $300,000. And then there were subsequent safety probes and other challenges before the spot eventually shut down. Others attempted to make their own efforts under a different name with the 26 miles of trails for ATVs, dirt bikes and conveyances that claimed at least one life until it recently closed again.

Now, you can own it.

Without placing a price tag Thursday, LSI Companies put what's still zoned as agricultural on the market. For property tax purposes, the land is assessed at a smidge over $1 million, according to public records.

Charlotte government created a special exception to allow the acreage for utilization as recreational.

Here's some of what's included:

• Five designed tracks and off-road trails, two mud zones and a drag strip;
• 80 acres for paintball and similar ventures;
• Freshwater swimming area with beaches;
• 50-acre fenced field for outdoor events;
• More than two dozen RV hookups for overnight and weekend camping with room for expansion;
• Established parking for 6,000 vehicles; and
• Five modular buildings, offices, ticketing shelters, tiki huts, wells, septic and fiber optic internet.

And LSI says there's other opportunities including leasing, mineral extraction, an RV park, farming, hunting or other agricultural use in addition to the recreation component.

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• Hoffmann expansion in Lee; new Sprouts, rising cost of typical Collier home; and what's going on along Pine Island Road?
• West Coast real estate powerhouse investing some of its $1.5B in SWFL
• SWFL affordable housing getting gobbled up by investors, world's largest landlord
• What will be SWFL's hottest real estate spots for 2022? And is the party over?
• Meet your neighbors trying to escape tight spaces; they're probably from New York, Jersey, Miami or Lauderdale

No resting on Pine Island Road

We wrote earlier this month regarding the exploding Pine Island Road corridor between North Fort Myers and Burnt Store Road. After this past week, you can count on another addition coming to the highway.

Cape Coral's first City Mattress is coming, and it's planned as the chain's largest, according to LandQwest, which helped negotiate a $1.2 million deal for a 1.26-acre parcel at 915 N.E. 15th Place, just about where Pine Island and Del Prado Boulevard intersect.

The bedding business has signed a lease for a building to be developed by Richardson Commercial. The targeted opening for the 10,005-square-foot structure: May 1, 2023.

LandQwest Managing Principal Mike Concilla exclusively represents City Mattress in acquisition and site selection efforts.

The retailer has seven locations in Collier and Lee counties.

When 300,000 square feet isn't enough

I had previously done reporting on kindly reader Annette Byrd's question awhile back about the massive doings "at the Galleria corner of Airport and Vanderbilt that shares the parking lot with Bokampers."

That's where at 10 a.m. Saturday Jennifer Johnson's officially opening her True Fashionistas consignment outfit in the "huge space" of Suite 104 in The Shoppes at Vanderbilt, 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples.

"We started this company back in 2011 with one store, 1,800 square feet," said Johnson, whose enterprise had grown into separate storefronts as part of its emerging e-commerce operation. "We're combining them all (in) the same plaza that we are currently in."

That means 13,000 square feet.

"We can combine clothing and accessories with furniture," said Johnson, who has an active Facebook page. "We look forward to being here many, many, many, many more years to come."

As we've reported in the past, the 300,000-square foot center has come a long way from its Great Recession struggles, and now is expanding even more.

Last month, it began construction in earnest of a new building in the empty field by the FedEx and Omaha Steaks that should become available for lease by the end of the year.

More In the Know:

• Going Gaga over Galleria; and what could Bezos' billions buy in Southwest Florida? 
• Plans set for Oil Well Road's first major shopping area. What's up with Aldi?
• Chicago hotel developer buying up 5th Ave. parcels, spending nearly $50M
• Shortages? Yo Publix, Costco, don't take our rotisserie chicken away
• Mazars, Donald Trump's accounting firm, cuts ties to Trump Organization

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) writes In the Know as part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Support Democracy and subscribe to a newspaper.