Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana Rank Things We Have Too Many

KNGT | Lake Charles, LA — I asked one simple question on the Gator 99.5 Facebook page last week, and apparently, Southwest Louisiana has a few things it would like to get off its chest. From Mexican restaurants to potholes and gas stations, y'all had plenty to say. And after reading through all the answers, I learned two things. Folks around here are tired of seeing the same businesses pop up everywhere, and some of y'all are apparently really upset about tacos.

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, we do our Mike & Scotty's Biscuits & Banter Question of the Day on Gator 99.5. I like asking questions that get folks talking because you never know what somebody around here is gonna say.

Last week's question was pretty simple.
"What's something you think Southwest Louisiana has WAY too many of?"
Well, y'all didn't disappoint. I went through the comments and counted the answers. Some folks gave one answer, while others gave me a whole shopping list of complaints.
Here's how everything stacked up.

What Does Southwest Louisiana Have Too Many Of?

Ranked by the number of comments mentioning each topic. Comments could count toward more than one category.
Rank Answer Mentions
#1 Mexican restaurants (12)
#2 Gas stations and convenience stores (6)
#3 Banks (4)
#4 (tie) Potholes and bad roads (3)
#4 (tie) Dollar General stores (3)
#6 (tie) Bad drivers and truck drivers (3)
#6 (tie) Coffee shops (2)
#6 (tie) Mosquitoes (2)
#6 (tie) Politics and politicians (2)
#6 (tie) Crime and criminals (2)
Other answers included nail salons, vape shops, donut shops, subdivisions, expensive rent, traffic, speed bumps, Texans, and people who probably shouldn't own a boat. Apparently, We Have Enough Tacos
Mexican restaurants took the top spot, and it wasn't even close.

Now, I enjoy some good Mexican food just like everybody else. But according to y'all, we might be reaching our limit on how many places we need to get chips and salsa. It seems like every time a new building goes up around Lake Charles or Sulphur, somebody starts guessing what it's gonna be. A Mexican restaurant? A bank? Another gas station? And judging by these comments, folks are ready for something different. One person even said we need more variety. I can understand that. Sometimes you just want a new place to eat without having to choose between three different kinds of queso.

Gas Stations, Banks, and Dollar Generals. This one made me laugh because I think we've all noticed it. You can drive down just about any busy road in Southwest Louisiana and pass a gas station, a bank, and a Dollar General before you've even finished your morning coffee. And don't get me wrong. I appreciate being able to grab a cold drink or a snack without driving across town. But how many gas stations does one intersection need?

The Dollar General comments cracked me up, too. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody built a Dollar General inside another Dollar General. That way, you wouldn't have to drive to the next one.

Potholes, Mosquitoes, and Bad Drivers. Now we're getting into things that have been aggravating folks around here for years. Potholes and bad roads made the list, along with bad drivers and truck drivers who apparently don't know how to read road signs. If you've ever driven around Southwest Louisiana after a good rain, you already know some of those potholes can look like little fishing ponds.

And mosquitoes? I don't think anybody is gonna argue about that one. We've got mosquitoes around here that act like they own the property. You can spray, swat, and light every citronella candle in the store, and somehow one of those little fellas is still gonna find your ankle.

Some of Y'all Had Other Complaints. A few answers went beyond restaurants and roads. Some folks mentioned politics, crime, loud people, selfish people, and folks who always have an opinion. One person even said Southwest Louisiana has too much drama. And I think that might have been my favorite answer.

Because when you think about it, I asked what we have too much of, and before long, people were complaining about tacos, fingernails, gas stations, and each other. That's pretty much Southwest Louisiana Facebook in a nutshell.

There were also concerns about local businesses closing, and somebody reminded everyone to support locally owned businesses whenever possible. I thought that was worth mentioning. We all want new places to open, but we also gotta support the ones already here.

What kind of restaurant, business, or entertainment would you love to see open around Lake Charles, Sulphur, Westlake, or anywhere else in Southwest Louisiana? Because apparently, another Mexican restaurant ain't gonna be everybody's first choice. Unless they have some really good queso.

You can catch Mike & Scotty's Biscuits & Banter Question of the Day every Tuesday and Thursday on the Gator 99.5