Chick-fil-A is making its second foray in New York City.
The Atlanta-based fast-food giant will open a store April 2 at the corner of West 46th Street and 6th Avenue near Rockefeller Center, the company says.
SPECIAL TO THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION- People are seen inside the Chick-fil-A store in New York on the store’s opening day Saturday Oct. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
SPECIAL TO THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION- Rubiel Hernandez, left, and his wife Nataly Miguel, right, pose for a photograph with the Chick-fil-A cow mascot, center, outside the Chick-fil-A store in New York on the store’s opening day Saturday Oct. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
Like the store the chain opened on 6th Avenue in the city late last year, the new two-story location will be bigger than a typical Chick-fil-A at nearly 5,000 square feet.
The company's entry into Manhattan comes as it seeks to broaden its footprint into urban areas like Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Boston.
It's introduction in the Big Apple has had its rocky moments. The 6th Avenue store was closed Dec. 30 after health officials cited it for several code violations, including the presence of fruit flies. The store reopened Jan. 5.
Moving into urban areas has come with a big adjustment for the company — it has had to give up its lucrative drivethrus — which often generate the majority of sales.
To make the numbers work, Chick-fil-A staffers use tablets to take order before customers get to counters to pick up their orders. The goal is to get diner in and out of the story in six to eight minutes.
The new store will employ 200 workers — a typical Chick-fil-A location has about 75 staffers — and much of its food will be locally sourced, the company said. For instance, much of the produce used in salads will be grown on farms in New York and New Jersey.
