Chick-fil-A is opening its first-ever mobile pickup restaurant in New York City next Thursday, March 21. This new restaurant is one of two innovative, digital-focused test concepts the restaurant company is opening – the second of which is the elevated drive-thru concept projected to open later this year. Chick-fil-A 79th & 2nd will cater to busy New Yorkers by focusing solely on delivery and mobile app ordering for a quick and easy pickup experience.
How Does It Work?
• Guests will order ahead for delivery or carryout via the Chick-fil-A® App or online.
• The restaurant will be alerted by geofencing when Guests are on their way to expedite the process and ensure each meal is timed with the Guest’s arrival.
• Inside the restaurant, there will be active status board screens designated for delivery or mobile pickup, so Guests and delivery drivers can see when their orders are ready in real time.
• Once it is ready, Guests and delivery drivers will receive their freshly prepared order with a smile so they can quickly be on their way.
• While the restaurant will not offer a seating area or dine-in services, Chick-fil-A’s signature hospitality will be prominent in every step of this digital-focused experience.
The restaurant will open Thursday, March 21 in New York City’s Upper East Side neighborhood. Chick-fil-A, Inc. has selected Jared Caldwell to be local Owner-Operator of the new digital-focused location. Caldwell currently serves as the local Owner-Operator of a nearby Chick-fil-A® restaurant on Third Avenue and 86th Street, and his selection to lead the new concept was a strategic decision by Chick-fil-A to meet the growing demand for digital ordering by offering additional ways to serve customers.
Piloting a New Digital Concept
Uniquely designed to serve on-the-go New Yorkers, Chick-fil-A 79th & 2nd will give Guests more convenient ordering and streamline their pickup, while still providing warm hospitality and care every step of the way.
Centered on mobile pickup and delivery channels, this concept will allow Guests to order ahead in the Chick-fil-A App. Guests can expect an experience that gets their freshly prepared order into their hands quickly, without interrupting their busy schedules, while infusing every touchpoint with reasons for Guests to smile.
“At Chick-fil-A, we are always looking for ways to innovate and enhance the Guest experience,” said Nathaniel Cates, Sr. Principal Design Lead for Chick-fil-A, Inc. “While digital concepts are becoming more prevalent, it’s important that we evolve in a uniquely Chick-fil-A way – meeting the changing needs of our customers without compromising the signature service and care they’ve grown to know and love.”
Locally Owned and Operated
Chick-fil-A’s franchise model is essential to how the restaurant serves others. Most Chick-fil-A restaurants are owned and operated by a single individual, which means Chick-fil-A’s local Owner-Operators are small business owners, not passive investors, who work in their restaurants side by side with their Team Members each day.
• Committed to New York City, Chick-fil-A 79th & 2nd local Owner-Operator Jared Caldwell is excited to open his second location serving Upper East Siders.
• Caldwell, who has served as an Owner-Operator on the Upper East Side in New York City since 2019, has career experience in the tech startup world and is uniquely qualified to open Chick-fil-A’s first digital-focused concept.
• In celebration of the opening, Chick-fil-A 79th & 2nd will recognize 100 local heroes making an impact in the Upper East Side area by providing them with free Chick-fil-A entrées for a year.
• Chick-fil-A 79th & 2nd will also participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table® program, an initiative that helps redirect surplus food from Chick-fil-A restaurants to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits to feed those in need. To date, more than 23 million meals have been served from Chick-fil-A Shared Table donations with nearly 2,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants spanning 47 states, Washington, D.C. and Canada participating in the program.