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Chick-fil-A has a flock of new restaurants planned for Mass.
The company plans to open seven new locations in the state by the end of 2025, and more over the next two years.
Chick-fil-A is hatching big plans in Massachusetts, with more than a dozen new locations on the way, starting with a Foxborough spot under construction at Patriot Place.
In April, Chick-fil-A, a family-owned national chicken chain with the tagline “Eat Mor Chikin,” broke ground at the Foxborough location set to open this fall.
It was the first step in the business’s new investment in the state. The company announced plans to open seven new restaurants across the state this year, followed by five to eight more by the end of 2027.
The new restaurants will be a mix of locally owned and licensed locations. Chick-fil-A says the latest restaurants in the state will create around 1,600 jobs.
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“This is just the start of the next phase of growth throughout Massachusetts, where we are committed to creating jobs, serving delicious food with care, being a good neighbor and making a positive impact on local communities,” said Elizabeth Meloy, Chick-fil-A real estate, northeast region, in a statement.
According to a release, Chick-fil-A introduced its first restaurant to the state in 1995 and has since expanded its footprint to 19 restaurants.
Here’s where the new locations are going:
- Greater Boston: Danvers, Foxborough, Hudson, South Station, and Boston Logan International Airport.
- Central Massachusetts: Worcester
- Western Massachusetts: East Springfield and West Springfield
- Southeastern Massachusetts: Somerset and Dartmouth
Chick-fil-A is the third-largest quick-service restaurant company in the United States. It employs more than 200,000 people, primarily local owner-operators, in over 3,000 restaurants across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The privately held company was founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy.
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The company has ruffled feathers on occasion with its religious stances, its donations (since halted) to groups that opposed marriage equality, and its insistence on not opening on Sundays. That in particular has some future patrons questioning the Patriot Place location, as the chicken chain won’t be open on game days this fall.
People on social media were quick to poke fun at the restaurant, saying they couldn’t wait to go there on game days, or that they would prefer another chicken chain, such as Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers or Popeye’s, which would be open when they would most likely be there.
As one person on Facebook put it, “Seriously?”
The company’s stance on marriage equality famously prompted a response from then-Mayor Thomas Menino in 2012.
The company did not immediately respond for further comment.
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