The SCV Insider
Posts
Fast food is down nationwide... but not in SCV 🍔

Fast food is down nationwide... but not in SCV 🍔

Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, McDonald’s, and Dutch Bros are all expanding. Here’s what’s opening where.

Kate Gullett
July 08, 2025

In partnership with

Good morning, SCV. This is The SCV Insider. No major holidays today. No fireworks. Just a plain ol’ Tuesday in July. But hey, sometimes that’s exactly what you need, a little breather between patriotic chaos and back-to-school ads.

In today's SCV Insider:

Upcoming events 🥳
New app powers faster rides with GO! Santa Clarita 🚌
Fairies hits The MAIN for Shakespeare Festival 🧚

Let’s get into it.

— Kate

A Private Circle for High-Net-Worth Peers

Long Angle is a private, vetted community for high-net-worth entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals across multiple industries. No membership fees.

Connect with primarily self-made, 30-55-year-olds ($5M-$100M net worth) in confidential discussions, peer advisory groups, and live meetups.

Access curated alternative investments like private equity and private credit. With $100M+ invested annually, leverage collective expertise and scale to capture unique opportunities.

Apply to Join

🆕 New & Upcoming Events

Wednesday, July 9

🥁 Gold’s Drum Corps Showcase | 5:30pm | Cougar Stadium, College of the Canyons | $20–$60 | Feel the boom. Gold’s Drum Corps International tour kicks off right here in SCV with a high-octane showcase featuring 12 elite corps from across the country. These teen-to-young-adult performers don’t mess around — expect precision, power, and pageantry under the stadium lights. It’s the opening act of a national tour that ends at the DCI World Championships, and it all starts in Valencia.

Thursday, July 10

🎨🍺 Pints & Paints at Lucky Luke Brewing | 6–10pm | Lucky Luke Brewing, Rye Canyon | $40 + tax | Brush in one hand, beer in the other. Join Color Me Mine at Lucky Luke every second Thursday for a paint-your-own-mug night that’s as crafty as it is chill. Your ticket includes a ceramic mug, all the supplies, and your first pint — cheers to that!

Friday, July 11

🎉 ‘Celebrate’ Culture Series: Colombia | 6–9pm | Canyon Country Community Center | Free | Cumbia beats, colorful art, and Colombian eats — this month’s Celebrate event brings the vibrant culture of Colombia to Canyon Country. Part of the city’s monthly cultural series, this family-friendly night features food, music, performances, and hands-on fun. Come for the empanadas, stay for the dancing.

👢 Boots and Barrels Country Night | 7–10pm | Pocock Brewing | Free | Beer, boots, and a boot-scootin’ good time. Every other Friday, Pocock’s Barrel Room turns into a honky tonk with line dancing lessons and a live DJ. Whether you're two-steppin' or two-drinkin', it’s the perfect way to kick off your weekend, country-style.

Saturday, July 12

🧺 Saugus Band ‘Clothes for Cash’ Fundraiser | 8–11am | Saugus High School Parking Lot | Free to donate| Clean out your closet for a cause! The Saugus Marching Centurions are collecting gently used clothes, shoes, linens, and more to raise funds for their instrumental music program. Drop-offs happen near the band trailers by the tennis courts, and yes — you’ll get a tax donation letter. Upcoming dates: July 12, July 19, and Aug. 16.

🎤 Concerts in the Park: Twist on Taylor | Food trucks at 5pm, music at 7pm | Central Park | Free | Swifties, assemble. The 35th season of Concerts in the Park kicks off with Twist on Taylor, a high-energy tribute to Taylor Swift. Bring a blanket, grab dinner from the food trucks, and sing your heart out under the stars. Friendship bracelets optional... but highly encouraged.

🔄 Recurring Events

🎭️ Local Theater & Performing Arts

🚋 A Streetcar Named Desire | Santa Paula Theater Center | Runs: June 20–July 20 | Fri & Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2:30pm | Tennessee Williams’ haunting Southern drama returns with all its heat, tension, and unraveling dreams.

🧚 Fairies | The MAIN, Old Town Newhall | Runs: July 11–13 & July 18–19 | Evenings only | As A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays onstage, the real drama unfolds in the women’s dressing room in this original comedy-drama by Phil Lantis.

🕊️ Stupid F**king Bird | The MAIN, Old Town Newhall | Runs: July 25–August 10 | Select evenings & matinees | A bold, darkly hilarious riff on Chekhov’s The Seagull that takes on love, ego, and the pain of making art—sometimes literally. Presented by Theatre Extempore.

Local Stories

Community

🚌 Go! Santa Clarita is getting an upgrade—meet your new ride-ready app! Having started July 1, the city’s curb-to-curb transit service will officially move to the new Transit OnDemand app, replacing TripShot. What’s new? Faster pickups, shorter wait times, and more ride availability, all powered by smarter dispatch tech. Just download the Transit OnDemand app from the App Store or Google Play to stay rolling. Need help or more info? Visit SantaClaritaTransit.com

Business

🍔 More chicken, burritos, and burgers are coming to SCV! Despite national trends showing a dip in fast food consumption, Santa Clarita is in expansion mode, with new locations popping up across town. Here’s what’s on the menu:

🍗 Chick-fil-A just opened its second SCV location on The Old Road (drive-thru focused), and a third is in the works for Soledad Canyon near Golden Valley.
🌯 Chipotle is now serving on Village Way in Canyon Country, across from the Sand Canyon plaza.
🍟 McDonald’s is rebuilding its Bouquet Junction spot to feature a high-volume double drive-thru and is planning a brand-new location near Valley Center Dr.
☕ Dutch Bros. Coffee has a drive-thru-only spot coming to Valley Center and Soledad, plus another proposed near Barnes & Noble in Valencia.

Fast food may be down nationwide, but SCV is clearly still hungry. (The Signal)

Education

📊 COC bond spending gets clean audit and committee approval! The Santa Clarita Community College District’s Independent Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee has officially accepted a glowing audit of Measure E bond spending for the 2023–24 fiscal year. Conducted by Eide Bailly LLP, the audit gave COC the highest possible rating—no findings, no issues, and full compliance with state and district policies.The report confirms $15.6 million was spent last year on key projects like Boykin Hall modernization, counseling office upgrades, and ADA improvements. Since 2017, $138 million of the $230 million bond has been invested in new facilities, infrastructure, and student resources. (SCV News)

Entertainment

🧚 Fairies flies into Newhall this month! As part of the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival, Fairies—an original comedy-drama written by Phil Lantis and directed by Nancy Lantis—will debut at The MAIN in Old Town Newhall. Set in the backstage dressing room of a community theater’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this PG-rated play is packed with crushes, secrets, and diva drama that rivals the Bard himself.

🎭 Showtimes:

8 p.m. on July 11, 12, 18 & 19
2 p.m. matinees on July 12, 13 & 19

🎟️ Tickets are $24.34 at atthemain.org.

Mystery Link

👀 Pssst… Curiosity called. It said to click this.

Headline Hunt

New day, new word. Can you guess the 5-letter mystery word from today’s stories? Let’s see what you’ve got!

Thanks for reading today.

May your AC be strong and your group texts stay quiet.

Cheers,

P.S. If you were forwarded this email and loved what you read, subscribe below and get The SCV Insider delivered straight to your inbox! ✉️