Business Community

Chic-fil-A gets extension on permit application for Gig Harbor location

Chick-fil-A, a national fast food chicken restaurant, has more time to get its paperwork in for its plans to build at the Chevron location on Point Fosdick Drive.

The city’s online permit site shows the restaurant chain has exchanged a host of correspondence with city permitting staff. However, Gig Harbor Communications Manager Lori Maricle said the city has neither received a completed application nor begun a review.

But according to the latest correspondence, the fast-food chain now has until Feb. 23 to complete planning documents necessary to apply for a conditional use permit for a 2,621-square-foot restaurant with two drive-thru lanes. The restaurant would replace the Chevron gas station and mini mart at 5115 Olympic Dr.

The Chick-fil-A on South 19th Street in Tacoma. Photo by Ted Kenney

Chick-fil-A still won’t confirm

The company first reached out to the city in April and asked for an extension on Jan. 9, according to city records. Gig Harbor Now was the first to report Chick-fil-A’s interest in July.

The fast food chain, however, still won’t confirm that it is planning a location in Gig Harbor, wrote Merritt Enright, a Chick-fil-A Inc. spokesperson. 

“We’re always evaluating potential new locations in the hopes of serving existing and new guests great food with remarkable service,” Enright said. “While we hope to serve the Gig Harbor community in the future, we do not currently have any locations to confirm.”

On Chick-fil-A letterhead, the company asked for additional time to prepare responses to comments from city staff on its conditional use permit. The extension will enable the application to be processed  on Oct. 14, according to the letter. The planning process will require a public hearing, according to the city. 

Sall Enterprises IV Inc. owns the land, according to public documents previously reported by Gig Harbor Now. The proposed site includes 51 parking spaces. The restaurant would not have any indoor seating, but outdoor seating would be available.

Chick-fil-A proposes demolishing the Chevron on Olympic Drive and building a restaurant on the location. Photo by Ted Kenney

Chain expanding internationally

Chick-fil-A has more than 3,000 restaurants in 48 states, Washington, DC., Puerto Rico and Canada, according to the company’s website. The company opened two new locations in the United Kingdom last year and it expects to open one in Singapore by year’s end, according to the website. 

The company operates by selecting owner-operators to run franchises in each location, according to the company. Most franchisees operate single restaurants in a location, according to the website.