Clay gets Onondaga County's first Tully's drive-thru Tuesday

Clay is getting a different kind of Tully’s on Route 31: one built for drive-thru customers, quick pickup and shorter stops, not long sit-down meals. The new Tully’s Tenders at 3567 State Route 31 is set to open Tuesday, June 16, with service from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., then daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The restaurant takes over a building that once housed a health club and a Napa Auto Parts store, turning a long-used commercial parcel into a smaller-format dining spot. The unit is about 3,000 square feet and has about 50 seats, making it far leaner than a traditional Tully’s Good Times location. Customers will be able to order online, pick up inside or use the drive-thru, and the menu is centered on tenders, bowls, chicken sandwiches, salads and shakes.

The site was not a simple approval. Town of Clay board minutes show the project went through special permits for both a restaurant and a drive-thru, with the plan calling for the western portion of a 5,028-square-foot building. Of that space, 2,832 square feet is devoted to Tully’s, while 2,196 square feet is reserved for a separate retail or office tenant. The layout also includes parking for 50 to 59 vehicles, an important detail on a corridor where traffic already stacks up during busy periods.

Traffic was the issue that slowed the project most. Town officials raised concerns about left turns into oncoming traffic and the amount of delivery traffic already moving along Route 31. Ryan Pleskach pushed those concerns during the review, while Damian Ulatowski said the restaurant had adjusted its plan to address them. The Town Board later approved the drive-thru by a 4-2 vote, clearing the way for the opening now scheduled for June 16.

The Clay location will be only the second Tully’s Tenders in Central New York, after the Oswego restaurant opened in 2022. Tully’s Good Times, which has been locally owned and operated since 1991, is using the smaller-format concept as a test of whether a faster, more compact version of the brand can work in suburban markets like Clay. With the route’s steady commuter flow, a separate tenant still planned for part of the building and a drive-thru now in place, the project signals how older commercial sites on Route 31 are being reused for a more fast-moving retail economy.