Expect to “eat more chikin” this fall. By the start of the Fall 2016 semester, the Chick-fil-A Express below the Longwood Landings plans to expand its store. This addition would provide more seating for dine-in guests, a larger serving counter, and possibly a larger kitchen. The restaurant would also undergo a remodel on the existing interior and a new line of uniforms, changing the face of the Chick-fil-A Express as we know it.
Grant Avent, Food Services Director, hopes to start the expansion and remodel sometime during the beginning of the summer. Since the restaurant would have to close during the renovation, Avent hopes to spend only about four to five weeks on the project in order to get back to serving customers.
“It will be sad that it will be closed for those weeks,” said local resident Jessica Lafferty. “But at the same time it will be a blessing because after the renovation it will be more beneficial to the students and everyone who lives in Farmville.”
Corporate Chick-fil-A requires franchisees to renovate their stores every six years in order to meet new codes and maintain the look of a new Chick-fil-A. The Farmville location was last updated almost six years ago, making it due for an upgrade.
Plans detail the expansion to take over the vacant suite to the right of the restaurant creating a new entrance and exit.
More space also means more seating. Chick-fil-a currently has only a dozen tables, making it difficult for customers to dine in at peak serving times. The new expansion would add almost double the seating so more customers can dine in and enjoy their meal.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to sit outside because it was too crowded on the weekends or during lunch hours,” says Longwood University student Lauren Walrond. “The line goes out the door sometimes.”
The register counter would remain in its spot, but would be expanded on one side to create an “L” shape. The new end of this bar would be used as a new pick-up spot. This is necessary due to overcrowding at busy times.
“I’m very excited about the possibility of expanding because it means we will be able to get more customers in the store during our busier times,” says Brandon Lucas, manager of the Farmville location.
Another possibility with the expansion and remodel would be a larger menu. The Express location currently does not carry soups, chicken salad, frozen lemonade, spicy nuggets, and parfaits, all of which are beloved staples of Chick-fil-A.
The Express location is also in need of a larger kitchen and more storage space, though the blueprints are still being worked on.
The makeover would also include new uniforms for employees. Chick-fil-A’s corporate office has come out with a new uniform style for employees, labeled “TeamStyle 3.0”. This uniform consists of a bright red polo shirt with charcoal gray pants, and a red baseball cap to match.
“I think the uniforms will give our store a more professional look and maybe appear a little more inviting,” explains Mary Kate Sinclair, an employee at Chick-fil-A.
