Paul Schott | FAIRFIELD — The stretch of the Post Road between Interstate 95’s exits 22 and 23 has been a fast-food hub for many years. But it took less than a day for the latest addition to the scene to make an impact.
Chick-fil-A opened Thursday its restaurant at 750 Post Road, a long-awaited debut that attracted a steady stream of customers throughout the day. Guests raved about the chicken-centric menu and attentive customer service, an enthusiastic response that shows the popularity of a chain that has expanded to 14 locations across Connecticut after having no restaurants in the state just a decade ago.
“For our service model, Fairfield provides an incredibly diverse customer base. If you’re a hungry guest, we want you eating here,” Rich Beattie, the Fairfield restaurant’s owner and operator, said in an interview at the restaurant on Thursday. “I think we’ve got an excellent spot here, with sidewalk access, and being close to I-95 and two universities. It fits really nicely on the Post Road.”
Warm reception
Alongside the new location in Fairfield, Chick-fil-A also recently expanded in Connecticut with the opening in late October of a restaurant in Shelton. Within Connecticut, it also has establishments in Brookfield, Danbury, Enfield, Glastonbury, Montville, Manchester, Newington, North Haven, Norwalk, Southington, Wallingford and West Hartford. In total, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has more than 3,000 restaurants across 48 states (Alaska and Vermont are the exceptions), Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada.
“I believe Chick-fil-A’s popularity is driven on a multi-level approach,” Mark Moeller, a national restaurant consultant and founder of the Westport-based Recipe of Success, said in an email. “They use whole chicken breasts (not ground or pieced together), they have a world-class training program, they have a mission statement that they live up to daily, and they are dedicated to food safety (I do not know of a single incident).
Most people do not look at Chick-fil-A as a fast-food restaurant because of their quality ingredients.”
It was in 2014 that the chain opened its first restaurants in Connecticut — first in Danbury, where Beattie served as owner and operator until October 2023, and then in Wallingford. With each opening comes high, and oftentimes sustained demand, through the business’ hours. In Fairfield on Thursday morning, there were lines as early as 7 a.m.
“It’s very organized,” said Louise Brady, of Weston, who had lunch Thursday at the Fairfield restaurant, with her husband, Bill Brady. “The young man who served us was very well-mannered and very polite.”
Succeeding a Joe’s American Bar & Grill that closed in late 2019, the new Chick-fil-A underwent a lengthy review by local officials.
In November 2021, Fairfield’s Town Plan and Zoning Commission rejected Chick-fil-A’s original application, which included a drive-thru, because of traffic concerns. The commission received more than 200 emails, with only two submissions that supported the plan. Traffic has also been cited as an issue by local officials and residents in other communities where Chick-fil-A has sought to open in recent years. Such concerns led to Chick-fil-A withdrawing an application in Stamford in 2018.
Earlier this year, a neighboring property owner contested two certificates that Fairfield officials had granted for the restaurant’s construction. But Fairfield’s Zoning Board of Appeals turned down the challenge because the statute of limitations had expired.
Chick-fil-A ultimately gained approval for an approximately 6,500-square-foot restaurant, with seating for nearly 100 people, as well as carry-out and curbside service. There is no drive-thru.
Zoning issues were not a concern for customers who visited the restaurant on Thursday, a multigenerational group that spanned from young children to senior citizens.
Trumbull resident Wendy Musarella, whose family are friends with Beattie’s family, said that she was impressed by how an employee quickly brought dressing that she was missing for her salad.
“They’re just super attentive,” Musarella said. “It’s not like you just order your food and they say, ‘see ya.’”
Customers also praised the menu. The breaded chicken is made with a “real, whole” boneless breast of chicken, with no added fillers, and pressure-cooked in “fully refined” peanut oil, company officials said. They also said that Chick-fil-A was one of the first in its industry to eliminate chicken raised with antibiotics. Complementing the chicken, fresh produce is delivered to Chick-fil-A restaurants up to six times a week, according to the company.
“The food is fresh — you can taste the difference between this and other fast food,” said New Milford resident Martha Ayala-Tannis, whose family was dining with Musarella’s family.