Yes, Chick-fil-A is still coming to Visalia, even though the process may seem to be moving slowly.
“It’s our pleasure to confirm we will be opening our first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Visalia in 2027,” said Chick-fil-A in a statement. “We look forward to joining the community and serving all of our guests delicious food in an environment of genuine hospitality and care.”
Chick-fil-A said each of its restaurant creates 80 to 120 jobs.
When will the Visalia Chick-fil-A open?
Plans call for a 5,053-square-foot restaurant, which will include seating for 92 and feature a two-lane drive-through, to be built at the corner of Mooney Boulevard and Visalia Parkway.
“Everything seems to be moving forward,” confirmed Visalia Mayor Brett Taylor. “According to the property owner, Chick-fil-A has gotten a local general contractor, and they’re hoping to break ground in the next month or two.”
Taylor wouldn’t predict when construction might be completed, but said the crews that build Chick-fil-A’s are “really good at building them pretty quickly.”
He said that a groundbreaking ceremony was a possibility.
“If Chick-fil-A would like to do one, we’d love to do it,” he said. “If they just want to get to work, it’s really up to them.”
How new Sam’s Club construction may have affected timeline
“Chick-fil-A is one of those places, kind of like In-N-Out, where it’s a fast-food treat. My kids love going there. Every time we’re in Fresno, we would always stop at Chick-fil-A and now we go to Tulare,” Taylor said. “So, I think it’s a really big deal for a lot of people.”
The Visalia Chick-fil-A will be the second in Tulare County. The restaurant chain opened its Tulare location on May 7.
The volume of construction at Mooney Boulevard and Visalia Parkway may have delayed the restaurant chain’s plans in Visalia.
“I was told that because of Sam’s Club being under construction, the gas station, the road, just kind of everything, there were just so many guys out there working that they said, ‘Let’s just focus on another project and then come back when construction’s gone a little bit over there,’” Taylor said. “Chick-fil-A’s growing every which way all over the country, so I think if you’re not ready to go at that moment, they’ll just come revisit it when they get some time.”
Taylor has made a series of videos to let people know what companies are coming to Visalia, including one about Chick-fil-A. While the videos have been informative, they are sometimes misunderstood.
“Because I’ve been making all these videos online just to get the information out, a lot of people are like, ‘Hey, can you bring a Sam’s Club, or can you bring a Chick-fil-A, or can you bring different developments?’ What I’ve tried to explain to people is that we don’t bring these companies in here.
“We have our general plan, and we zone the property, and we’re in charge of making sure that the property goes through the proper planning and engineering, and through all the inspections,” he said. “We try to speed up the process, but at the end of the day, these companies pick us.
“I think a lot of people have this misconception that the cities can bring in these businesses. It’s not really that way, you just have to be open for business when they choose to come here.
“Our development community, like the property owners are the ones who are actively talking with all these other corporations and bringing them here,” Taylor said.
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This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Chick-fil-A confirms Visalia restaurant is still on track for 2027
Reporting by Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta | USA TODAY Network
