A popular fast-food eatery, with few outlets in Western New York, has received site plan approval to begin construction on a new restaurant in a plaza at Niagara Falls and Factory Outlet boulevards.
The Niagara Falls Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the plans for the new Chick-fil-A restaurant at 6610 Niagara Falls Blvd., the first outpost of the “largest chicken chain in the United States” to be located in Niagara County.
The 5,000-square-foot restaurant, with a double-lane drive-thru, an outdoor patio and a detached ordering canopy, will be nestled into a plaza owned by Benderson Development. The plaza is currently home to Esporta Fitness, Starbucks, Luss Nail Bar, the Pho Spot restaurant and an Asurion tech repair shop.
The plans, which have also been approved by the Niagara County Planning Board, call for a modification of a former Gamestop location. The restaurant will have 51 parking spaces and be able to line up 38 vehicles in its drive-thru lanes.
Previously, Eric Recoon, vice president of development and leasing at Benderson, told Business First that the Niagara Falls site was chosen due to the size of the local population, the area not being densely packed with other quick-serve restaurants, and its proximity to the New York State Thruway.
A timeframe for the construction and opening of the Falls restaurant was not provided on Wednesday night.
This will be the fourth Chick-fil-A location in Western New York, with the other three in Depew, Cheektowaga and Hamburg. There are currently more than 50 Chick-fil-A locations across New York state and 3,059 restaurants nationwide.
The Atlanta-based corporation does more than $11 billion in annual revenue. It specializes in selling chicken sandwiches.