Announced more than a year ago, an Ann Arbor Chick-fil-A is set to open on Friday, Dec. 12.
In Ann Arbor at 3310 Washtenaw Ave., this Chick-fil-A is the fast-food giant’s first stand-alone Michigan location without a drive-thru. (Chick-fil-A drive-thru locations that previously opened in Michigan have been known to create traffic jams.) When first announced, the Ann Arbor location is to have an outdoor patio dining area, a parking lot with space for 50 vehicles, including six designated for electric vehicles and another 16 EV-capable.
Known for its fried or grilled chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and special sauce, the location is just off U.S. 23 and brings about 80 jobs to the community, according to a news release.
On opening day, as part of Chicken-fil-A’s “Eat More Chikin” campaign, the Ann Arbor location offers a “Cows Eat Free” program. Guests dressed in cow print, full costume or have a cow-spotted accessory receive one free entrée inside the restaurant.
Joyce Mueller is the owner/operator of the location. A U-M alum who is originally from Grosse Ile, Mueller’s first job was with Chick-fil-A after her family moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
“I fell in love with Ann Arbor when I moved here for graduate school and never left – I even raised my children here!” Mueller said in a news release. “My passion for Michigan and hospitality run deep: I’m one of four generations of University of Michigan alums in my family, held a leadership role at the university, and started as a Chick-fil-A Team Member at 15. My goal is to create a restaurant that cares for and gives back to the community that means so much to my family, a place where everyone feels welcome and at home.”
As with most Chick-fil-A openings, the new restaurant will donate $25,000 to Feeding America to support hunger relief efforts of Food Gatherers, a Feeding America partner food bank, in honor of the new restaurant.
The Ann Arbor location will also participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, which donates surplus food to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits.
More than a year ago, Chick-fil-A announced plans to expand its Michigan footprint, adding 25-30 new locations and 2,500 jobs.
Across Michigan, there are more than 30 Chick-fil-A locations. About 80 to 120 jobs are created at each location, which Chick-fil-A says are locally owned and operated.
More recently, Chick-fil-A opened its first, and controversial, stand-alone Detroit location. On Detroit’s east side near the Grosse Pointe border, the location on Mack Avenue is a drive-through-only location and first proposed about two years ago. It faced opposition from nearby residents because of traffic, and it’s close to a private elementary school and daycare.
Chick-fil-A, a cult-like favorite (that’s often criticized), ranks as a popular fast-food chain with consumers. For the 11th year straight, Chick-fil-A topped the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2025 report for quick service restaurants released in June. In 1967, S. Truett Cathy founded the family owned chain with headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. There are more than 3,000 Chick-fil-A locations across 48 states and in Canada and Puerto Rico, according to chick-fil-a.com.
Hours for the Ann Arbor location are 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6:30: a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Chick-fil-A locations are always closed on Sundays.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chick-fil-A Ann Arbor location to open Dec. 12: How restaurant is different
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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