Chick-fil-A moves downtown
New location won't serve full menu, some Chattanooga residents still excited
Operators of the Hamilton Place and Gunbarrel Road Chick-fil-A restaurants opened a downtown branch in the Suntrust Building this week.
"It's not really a store; it's more a concession stand-type of thing," Linda Lim, local marketing director for Chick-fil-A, said.
Sandwiches will be available, as well as other "cold products," such as chips, Lim said.
There used to be a similar concession-style location in Miller Plaza.
"This is the second time around for Chick-fil-A downtown," Chattanooga resident Sandy Pearson said. "I hope they do well this time."
Lim said there is a large potential customer base downtown.
"They found a little spot in the Suntrust Building and wanted to give the downtown area an option," she said. "A lot of people don't have that much time to run to East Brainerd for Chick-fil-A."
The downtown location will be staffed by employees who already work at the Hamilton Place and Gunbarrel locations.
Employees have been passing out menus downtown after Monday's soft opening.
Area residents expressed excitement about having a downtown location.
Fans of the company praise its friendly customer service and high-quality food. Most stores are closed on Sundays (which inevitably means a Chick-fil-A craving will hit that day).
Chattanooga resident Ryan Russell said he loves Chick-fil-A but would prefer that local businesses fill up downtown space.
Chattanooga resident and TVA employee Jesse Johnston said he thinks it is a good move for the company to expand to Suntrust, although he understands wanting to have local restaurants downtown.
"I typically lean toward locally owned places when I can, but it’s good to have an option of a well-known place that you can run into for a good, quick sandwich," he said. "I also think it’ll be a good thing for people not from Chattanooga to see a familiar name and sign; not everyone will wander into a local place. More business downtown and more options away from the Riverfront for all the workers here is certainly a good thing."
Another local resident Mike Kelley said he likes the food but has stopped eating at the restaurant because of leaders' social policies.
"They donate to a lot of anti-gay groups," he said.
Read more about that topic by clicking here. Chick-fil-A leaders told The Huffington Post they are "not anti-anybody."
Click here for a Forbes article on the topic.
