Chick-fil-A, the popular fast-casual restaurant known for its chicken sandwiches and waffle fries, is eyeing the Venice Crossing Commercial Center on Laurel Road for its next Sarasota County location.
Neighbors can get a sneak peek at the site plan for the proposed restaurant at 5 p.m., June 4, at a virtual neighborhood workshop hosted by Bowman Consulting Group on Zoom.
Chick-fil-A joins Panda Express as a dining option at the 83-acre commercial center, which will be anchored by two major tenants, The Home Depot and Walmart.
There are currently three Chick-fil-A restaurants in Sarasota County, at 5384 Fruitville Road; 5330 Clark Road; and in Pelican Plaza at 8420 S. Tamiami Trail.
Like the Fruitville Road and Clark Road restaurants, the proposed Laurel Road restaurant would be relatively near an Interstate 75 interchange.
The Pelican Plaza restaurant is off Tamiami Trail and near Sarasota Square, which hosted Sarasota County’s first Chick-fil-A.
What’s unique about Chick-fil-A?
The restaurant is celebrating 80 years in business, dating back to when founder S. Truett Cathy opened The Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia in May 1946.
One of Cathy’s core principles involves closing the restaurant on Sundays, so employees can rest and worship.
The website notes that a corporate purpose is “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
The first Chick-fil-A-branded restaurant opened in the Greenbrier Mall in 1967.
The restaurant’s menu — which includes chicken sandwiches, tenders and nuggets, salads, waffle fries and chocolate chunk cookies — is served by employees who tell customers that it’s “my pleasure” to serve them.
What is Venice Crossing Commercial Center?
The 83-acre commercial center, located at 2001 Laurel Road, will be anchored by The Home Depot and Walmart.
The Venice Planning Commission approved the site and development plan for Home Depot on Jan. 6.
Walmart bought 22 acres in the commercial center in July 2025.
Other verified occupants of land once known as “the Hurt Assemblage” include a proposed car wash and Laurel Civic — which would relocate from its current home in the Sandra Sims Terry Community Center.
Rumors of Chick-fil-A coming to the Venice area started in 2024. That June, Chick-fil-A considered a location in a Benderson-owned shopping center on U.S. 41 Bypass but that plan never came to fruition.
How can you participate in the neighborhood meeting?
The neighborhood meeting is to discuss the site plan for the restaurant.
It is not a public hearing, it is an opportunity for neighboring property owners to learn about the site plan and comment on the proposal.
The site plan will ultimately be approved by the Venice Planning Commission at a public hearing.
The 5,118-square-foot restaurant would be built on 2.03 acres with a drive-thru.
For more information on the meeting, call Bowman Consulting Group at 954-314-8481 or email jdebourg@bowman.com.
At 5 p.m. June 4, the Zoom meeting can be accessed at https://bowman.zoom.us/j/95288270521.
Meeting ID: 952 8827 0521.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Chick-fil-A planning new Sarasota County restaurant
Reporting by Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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