A Fast-Food Chain? In the Park Cities?

Announcement from Chick-fil-A:

Chick-fil-A, the nation’s second-largest chicken restaurant chain (based on sales), will open its newest inline restaurant concept in metro Dallas on May 21, featuring an expanded menu that includes a wider selection of beverages and dessert selections as well as the chain’s newly enhanced chicken strips and entrée salads.

          Located at 6423 Hillcrest Ave. in the Hillcrest Village shopping center across from Southern Methodist University, the new Chick-fil-A restaurant is the latest example of the chain’s forward-thinking expansion philosophy to more closely mirror the demographics where new inline restaurants are located.

          Chick-fil-A, which got its start in malls more than 40 years ago, has in recent years shifted a majority of its growth to stand-alone restaurants that offer the convenience of drive-thru service, a full breakfast menu and an indoor playground.

As consumer lifestyles continue to evolve, the in-line concept allows the chain to further customize the dining experience based on a specific location where traffic is high but space may be limited. The new University Park Chick-fil-A will reflect the surrounding community by offering not only the chain’s traditional menu but also a variety of “grab and go” entrée, beverage and dessert selections suited to customers with busy schedules. The restaurant’s free Wi-Fi service will appeal to both university and business customers.

The new Chick-fil-A will open at 6:30 a.m. on May 21 and features an upscale interior concept that incorporates Chick-fil-A’s restaurant interior design, including warmer colors, a variety of imported glass tiles and wood veneers. Chick-fil-A has added several other upgrades to the restaurant’s dining look that will further separate it from its quick-service competitors.

In addition to offering the chain’s original Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich and other menu items, the new location will feature a dessert zone including not only Chick-fil-A’s classic dessert line but also a sundae bar and a selection of fruit smoothies and floats.  Customers needing to quench their thirst will be able to choose from among traditional fountain drinks, Chick-fil-A’s sweet tea or fresh-squeezed lemonade but will have the added choices of several fruit, tea and energy drinks as well

 “We’re excited about this new restaurant design and the expanded menu choices which will enable us to better meet our customers’ needs this area of Dallas,” said Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy. “University Park is an ideal market to introduce this concept based on area demographics and our strong brand awareness.”

The University Park restaurant is the second in-line Chick-fil-A restaurant in Texas. The first opened in Greenville in November 2007 featuring Chick-fil-A’s traditional menu. Moving forward, the chain plans to continue to select locations and enhance menus for its in-line restaurants based on consumer demographics in each area.

The new Chick-fil-A in University Park will include several new menu enhancements being rolled out chain wide on May 19. These include a new Chargrilled and Fruit Salad with Harvest Nut Granola topping as well as a new Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strip that is 50 percent larger than the previous offering and is complemented by a new proprietary Chick-fil-A Dijon dipping sauce. Chick-fil-A’s Chicken Salad Sandwich also has undergone a makeover and is now served on a premium wheatberry bread with leaf lettuce. The chain’s Cool Wraps selections now come in a new multi-grain flatbread.

            Jeff White has been selected as operator of the new restaurant in University Park. Currently the operator of Chick-fil-A’s stand-alone restaurant at Central & Southwester and the chain’s location at NorthPark Center, White will continue to operate those locations as well as the new in-line restaurant on Hillcrest Avenue. Of almost 1,000 Chick-fil-A operators across the country, White is among fewer than 15 chosen to operate three locations.

 “For 40 years, the Chick-fil-A legacy has grown to mean award-winning freshly prepared food and ‘my pleasure’ customer service,” said White. “My team looks forward to continuing that tradition at our new location in University Park.”

The Chick-fil-A on Hillcrest Avenue is the third Chick-fil-A restaurant to open in the Dallas-Fort Worth market in May. Stand-alone restaurants opened earlier this month in Arlington and Dallas.

Truett Cathy developed the original Chick-fil-A boneless breast of chicken sandwich in his 24-hour Dwarf House^® diner near Atlanta in the early 1960s. The sandwich became so popular that Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall in 1967. The chain has grown to more than 1,390 locations in 37 states and Washington, D.C.