Restaurants to Bring Approximately 140 Jobs to Community in Late Summer
CHICAGO (July 29, 2020) – Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is excited to announce expansion plans in the metro Chicago area with two new locations – the first near Millennium Park and the second on the historic Mag Mile across from the Tribune Tower. Chick-fil-A Millennium Park, 122 S. Michigan Avenue, and Chick-fil-A Michigan Avenue, 500 N. Michigan Avenue, are slated to open for business in August 2020 and will create more than 140 full-and part-time job opportunities. These will be the sixth and seventh openings in the metro Chicago area in two years bringing the total number to 30 locations in the area, excluding licensed and delivery kitchen locations.
Chick-fil-A franchise Operator Lauren Silich, a 42-year Chicagoan, understands the magnitude these restaurants will have in the community. “Chicago is a vibrant, beloved city, known for its proud residents and welcoming spirit,” said Silich. She currently owns the Chick-fil-A restaurant located at Loyola Water Tower, and most recently opened a Chick-fil-A Delivery Kitchen - one of Chick-fil-A’s newest models – located on Chicago Ave. & Orleans St. Her journey with the company continues as she prepares to open the Mag Mile location. “We look forward to growing our presence in a community that has so much to offer and can’t wait to provide residents and tourists alike with remarkable dining experiences, inclusive of a welcoming environment and excellent customer service.”
In 2021, Chick-fil-A will continue to increase its market footprint in the metro Chicago area with another six restaurants slated to open in Ford City, Elgin, Joliet, Bucktown, South Loop and Golf Mill. Since opening its first location in Downtown Chicago in 2011, Chick-fil-A has employed more than 3,000 Chicagoans, donated nearly 50,000 pounds of food through Shared Table and awarded $626,500 in college scholarships to 286 deserving Team Members in the metro Chicago area.
Locally Owned and Operated
Every Chick-fil-A restaurant is a locally owned and operated small business. Chick-fil-A franchise owners live and work in the community in which their restaurants are located and are highly involved in the day-to-day operations at the restaurant. Seeking to become highly involved in their local communities, the franchise owners frequently work to support local schools and organizations.
Lauren Silich will operate Chick-fil-A Michigan Avenue while Luca Caraba Chit, an experienced business owner, will operate Chick-fil-A Millennium Park.
Chicago Operators have longstanding partnerships with the Chicago Blackhawks and 101.9 The MIX Chicago. The restaurants support two large events through the radio station to help raise annual funds for Lurie Children’s Hospital.
Team Member Investment
Chick-fil-A is known for hiring, developing and retaining top talent, providing a great work environment for people of all ages and backgrounds. Each Chick-fil-A restaurant offers flexible hours, competitive pay and benefits, opportunities for leadership growth, hands-on training and mentoring by the restaurant owner and college scholarships. In 2019, Chick-fil-A awarded $282,500 to 113 deserving Team Members in the Chicago area. As with all Chick-fil-A restaurants, Team Members at the new locations will be guaranteed Sundays off.
Premium Ingredients and Fresh Food
Nearly everything on the Chick-fil-A menu is made from scratch daily, including salads made from fresh vegetables and fruit that is hand-chopped throughout the day. The lemonade is made from three simple ingredients: lemon juice, sugar and water.
Chick-fil-A serves chicken with No Antibiotics Ever in all of its U.S. locations. By not allowing antibiotics of any kind, Chick-fil-A chicken meets the highest commitment for non-antibiotic use. This commitment, which is verified by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), allows no antibiotics of any kind to be administered to the chicken within its supply, starting from the egg. For more information about the Chick-fil-A No Antibiotics Ever commitment, visit www.chick-fil-a.com/nae.
Commitment to Customer Service
With a longstanding tradition in the restaurant industry for setting the highest standards in customer service, Chick-fil-A earned a top spot in the 2018 Technomic Consumer Choice Awards for the third year in a row. The company also ranked 4th on The Harris Poll Reputation Quotient (RQ®) list of 100 most visible companies in 2018 and earned recognition as "best fast food customer service in America" according to America's Best Customer Service 2019 report by Newsweek, among other honors.
For more information about Chick-fil-A and stories about the company’s food, people and customers across the country, visit chick-fil-a.com.
About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,500 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.
Chick-fil-A reported more than $10 billion in revenue in 2018, which marks 51 consecutive years of sales growth. A leader in customer service satisfaction, consumers voted Chick-fil-A, Inc. #4 in Harris Poll’s annual corporate reputation survey, ranking the company 4th out of 100 in 2018. Chick-fil-A was also recognized for customer experience again in the 2018 Temkin Experience Ratings survey, was named “Best Franchise Brand” in 2018 by Airport Revenue News and was named one of the top 100 best places to work by Glassdoor in 2017. Continuing its founder’s legacy of generosity and service, in 2019 Chick-fil-A’s Remarkable Futures initiative awarded $15.3 million in scholarships to restaurant Team Members nationwide. In 2018 the company’s philanthropic Chick-fil-A Foundation awarded $1.23 million to 22 not-for-profit organizations across 18 states through the True Inspiration Awards. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com.
