DELAWARE — Delaware is another step closer to eating mor chikin.
The city of Delaware’s planning commission approved a development plan for the city’s first Chick-fil-A location at the new Trailhead Crossing West development on Wednesday.
Located along Sunbury Road (U.S. Route 36), east of Sky View Lane and south of Biltmore Drive, Chick-fil-A is the third tenant of the GTZ Properties project to produce a development plan.
The developers will present the plan for the quick-service restaurant (QSR) to city council for final approval next. Council approved plans for a Chipotle at Trailhead Crossing at its June 8 meeting.
The “my pleasure” business will sit on Lot A (pictured in the map below), take up 1.9 acres and neighbor the new Chipotle.
“Lot A will include the construction of a 5,033 square foot Chick-fil-A restaurant and double-lane drive-thru,” the plan states.
The restaurant will include 92 interior seats and 20 exterior seats within an outdoor patio, according to the plan. A total of 71 parking spots are proposed.
According to city documents, GTZ will construct one internal private access road within the site, connecting all the lots within the development to Sky View Lane from the west and Biltmore Drive from the north.
The commission asked GTZ Properties representative Chris Tebbe why this location will feature an outdoor patio, two drive-thru lanes as opposed to three, and why the building is so large compared to other QSR locations.
Tebbe explained this is the specific lot that Chick-fil-A wanted at Trailhead Crossing, and after considering about 12 different models, this the one they settled on based on how it fits the available acreage.
“Most QSRs are doing smaller and smaller dining rooms, but there are the exceptions like the Culver’s of the world, the Whataburgers, Chick-fil-A,” planning commission chairman and Wendy’s corporate employee Stacy Simpson said.
“They’re not necessarily going smaller on their dining rooms because they know their customer and they know what their customer wants, and they’ve got it down to a science.”
