There’s no shortage of fast food in the UK, with chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC leading the charge.
But over the last few years a number of other American businesses have arrived in the UK, offering something a little different.
There’s Popeyes, which has given us fluffy biscuits and Louisiana-style fried chicken, Wendy’s with its iconic square burgers, and Taco Bell with its wacky tacos and packed-to-the-brim burritos.
And there’s still more to come, including Chick-fil-A, which is investing $100million (£74million) into a UK expansion plan over the next two years.
Last summer, The US fast food institution announced it would be heading across the pond, launching five new restaurants in Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool, and London.
Belfast residents were the first to get a taste of the beloved chain’s wares, with one branch opening in January and a second in March.
And now, Chick-fil-A has confirmed the third location: Leeds.
The North Yorkshire outpost will be run by a local owner-operator, and is due to open its doors this autumn, creating between 70 and 120 local jobs.
These UK locations are the company’s first outside of North America, where it has more than 3,000 sites across the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
But if you’re wondering what’s going to be on the menu when they touch down here, Chick-fil-A has assured fans that several of its most popular items will definitely be available, including the original Chicken Sandwich, salads, and Chicken nuggets.
The firm adds that its chicken will all be sourced from the UK while all its eggs will be 100% free range, raised on farms with welfare certification.
Online, the chain has a massive cult following with people on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) hailing the food as ‘amazing’, ‘unbelievable’, ‘absolutely delicious’, a ‘holy institution’, and ‘the best fast food’.
This isn’t the first time Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A has set up shop in the UK though, as this is actually a major comeback for the brand.
The chain previously opened a restaurant in The Oracle shopping centre in Reading in 2019. However, the site closed after a sixth month trial period following customer backlash over donations made to anti-LGBT groups.
Fans are hoping when it returns to the UK this time around, it will bring its breakfast menu, which in the US features savoury biscuits (similar to a scone) filled with chicken, as well as hash brown scrambles, plus wraps and muffins. Yum!
Chick-fil-A’s UK restaurant locations
- Belfast
- Leeds
- Liverpool
- London
While it’s not yet known if this will be the case, Chick-fil-A has shared that it will be donating £25,000 to local non-profit organisations in each area where they open a new UK restaurant, to support their local community.
Moreover, each restaurant will have the opportunity to participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table programme, an initiative that redirects surplus food from Chick-fil-A restaurants to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and non-profits in need.
Last year, the programme helped create more than 7 million meals from surplus food donated by participating Chick-fil-A restaurants throughout the US and Canada. The programme will be introduced UK-wide.
Speaking about the UK expansion, Anita Costello, Chief International Officer at Chick-fil-A, Inc. said:‘Serving communities is at the heart of everything we do, and we look forward to bringing Chick-fil-A’s delicious food and signature hospitality to Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool and London, and continuing our long-term investment in the UK.
‘From job creation to supporting local causes, we are excited about the positive impact our first restaurants will have in the communities they serve.’
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