Chick-fil-A on 33rd set to re-open after remodel

2020 may have been the best year for a reset. Shutdowns, social distancing, and quarantines caused many businesses to struggle. Losing revenue was a harsh reality for most retailers and restaurants. For most, this was not by choice and they worked hard to facilitate business through all the changes and restrictions. One popular local restaurant intentionally closed down for five months to do a full reset. Now they are ready to re-open with plans to start serving again on Thursday, December 3rd.

Chick-fil-A at 33rd and Broadway announced on June 23 that they would be closed for construction from July 4 thru November of 2020. The restaurant’s post on Facebook revealed plans to demolish the current building and rebuild using the two lots they own in the Edmond Crossing shopping center. Their Facebook followers replied with comments that were encouraging and comical. One follower jokingly replied, “Oh no! We will all starve! LOL.”

For some customers, the remodel brought significant irritation. “It was troublesome to our routines,” says Katie Hayden. She has been a regular customer for years and told me about how disruptive it was. “We have dance class in the same shopping center and there were many parents who were trying to figure out new options for dinner before or after dance lessons. It was the main topic of conversations for a few weeks.” Hayden says she mostly prepared food from home or would pick up their preferred chicken from one of Chick-Fil-A’s other locations in the area.

There are now three stand-alone Chick-fil-A locations in Edmond, including this one, and another just outside city limits in the Quail Springs areas. Edmond’s two universities, UCO and Oklahoma Christian, also house additional CFA locations as part of their campus dining options. All these locations stay busy even with multiple locations and many other restaurants serving chicken in the area. Katie Hayden is ready for this store to open back up. She says she still prefers the 33rd location due to their out of the ordinary customer service. “They are the best, even for Chick-Fil-A’s exceptional standards.”

Opening in 1995, the 33rd and Broadway restaurant was the first Chick-fil-A in Edmond. The doors closed on July 3, 2020, and demolition began five days later, on July 8, 2020. According to details shared on The Chicken Wire, Chick-Fil-A’s corporate blog, the average lifespan of Chick-Fil-A restaurant is 30 years. Each restaurant location gets at least one remodel in its lifetime, generally around the 8-13 year timespan. This 15-year old location was due for a remodel. Some remodels take just a few weeks and are more cosmetic than structural.

This Edmond location received the full remodeling experience, including a new building and configuration for the parking lot and drive-thru. Restaurant management participated in a ceremonial demolition before heavy equipment made quick work of the old building. Work continued through the year, and soon a new building and parking lot configuration were a reality. Another change to this location is moving from an outdoor playground to an indoor play area, which pleased several customers.

Seeing the fresh new building details and signage means the remodeling is almost complete. Excitement is building for the re-opening of this restaurant. Chick-Fil-A announced through their Facebook page that the store would re-open on December 3, 2020. Excitement abounded with over 20 comments from patrons within an hour of the news. The restaurant will serve customers with their new drive-thru and curbside pickup options. The dining room will remain closed, which matches other local Chick-Fil-A location’s current operations during COVID-19.

We have reached out to Chick-Fil-A for comments and are awaiting their response.