QT Kitchen bringing 227 jobs to Clayton

Thousands of sandwiches, doughnuts and cookies will soon be baked in Clayton County and delivered daily to QuikTrip gas stations throughout the metro area.

The gas station and convenience store chain will open a QT Kitchen in Ellenwood, Clayton County officials announced Monday.

The project will bring 227 jobs to Clayton. The majority of the jobs have already been filled.

“At a time when we are looking to create as many jobs as we can, this is a large employer bringing a significant number of jobs to the county,” said Grant Wainscott, the county’s economic development director.

A grand opening is scheduled for Tuesday, but production will not start until next week, said Wanda Bender, a spokeswoman for the county commission. The baked goods will be distributed to 115 stores in the area starting May 1.

The 112,000-square foot bakery is located on East Clayton Drive, off I-675.

“They [QuikTrip] had land on the north side of town, but chose to acquire this site and develop here because of the easy access to I-675 to get to the 115 stores,” Wainscott said.

The project has already generated $16.2 million in real estate and construction costs for Clayton, Wainscott said. QuikTrip spent another $6.8 million on equipment for the facility.

Wainscott said he did not know how much tax revenue the project will generate.