Chick-fil-A’s first-ever location in an Atlanta mall is closing up shop after 56 years.
The chicken joint in Greenbriar Mall’s food court was beloved as a historic Chick-fil-A outpost, and shocked fans by announcing its closure via printer-paper signs posted around the mall, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
“Our last day of operations here at Chick-fil-A Greenbriar Mall will be Saturday,” the sign read. And in true Chick-fil-A fashion, it concluded with: “It has been our pleasure to serve you!”
It’s unclear why the popular location is closing down. Courtland, a regular at this Chick-fil-A location who preferred not to give his last name, told The Atlanta Journal: “I’m trying to understand why they’re closing. They’re never slow. I don’t understand.”
Chick-fil-A didn’t immediately respond to noti.group’s request for comment on its reason for the closure, or if other outposts will also be shutting down.
Chick-fil-A founder and Georgia native Truett Cathy opened the Greenbriar Mall location in 1967 which, at the time, was a “groundbreaking” concept, the fast-food chain said in a blog post on the location.
When it opened, customers could order a few classics, including the Original Chick-fil-A sandwich for just $0.59, salads with boneless chicken breast, coleslaw, lemon pie and lemonade.
Items off the small menu were served out of a space “roughly the size of a two-car garage” by team members wearing “candy-striped aprons, ascots, ‘soda jerk’ hats and ties,” the post said.
The chain has since expanded to more than 2,700 locations throughout the US, where it serves a menu of more than 50 items, though the Original Chicken Sandwich remains a favorite.
Fellow fast-food chain Burger King is also shuttering locations — by the hundreds.
Earlier this month, the home of the Whopper announced that it’s closing up to 400 outposts nationwide by the end of 2023.
Despite adding restaurants to its portfolio and growing comparable sales internationally, three US Burger King franchises — in Illinois, Michigan and Utah — went bankrupt so far this year.
In Q1, Burger King shuttered a net 124 US locations, or 1.7%, to end the quarter with just under 7,000 US restaurants, according to the earnings release from its parent company Restaurant Brands International.
This year, the brand is seeking additional franchisees with stronger finances but still expects to close between 300 and 400 more restaurants, CEO Joshua Kobza said during a call with investors.
Usually, it closes a couple hundred annually, he said.
Meanwhile, rivals like Shake Shack are proving to be tough competition with the announcement of its new vegan desserts, which are set to bring artificial intelligence into the food industry.
The desserts, which feature AI-generated dairy-free milk, were available in all 260 of Shake Shack’s US stores as of May 5.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
