LONDON – Officials with Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Inc. announced on Sept. 14 its plans to open five locations in the United Kingdom beginning in 2025, supplementing the company’s 2,800-plus restaurants operating in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. The European expansion will be the company’s first stores operating outside of North America as part of its strategy to open locations in Europe and Asia by 2026, which was announced earlier this year.
The company said the expansion represents an investment of more than $100 million over the next 10 years and each additional restaurant will create between 80 and 120 jobs.
“We are excited our restaurants will bring new jobs and opportunities throughout the UK,” said Anita Costello, Chick-fil-A’s chief international officer. “Serving communities is at the heart of everything we do at Chick-fil-A, and our unique local owner-operator model provides one-of-a-kind access to entrepreneurial opportunities.”
Chicken and eggs sold at the new locations will be supplied by producers based in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
“From our earliest days, we’ve worked to positively influence the places we call home, and this will be the same for our stores in the UK,” said Joanna Symonds, head of Chick-fil-A’s UK operations. “We encourage our operators to partner with organizations which support and positively impact their local communities, delivering great food and wider benefits to those around them.”