Although not everyone is happy about yet another chicken-driven restaurant opening in Wesley Chapel โ with Raising Caneโs, Daveโs Hot Chicken, Chicken Guy! and Hangry Joeโs Hot Chicken all opening in our area within a few months of each other โ Chick-fil-A may be the one chicken restaurant that most locals still embrace.ย
Chick-fil-A โ which is currently the third most popular fast food restaurant by sales, behind McDonaldโs and Starbucks (in that order) โ has now gone vertical (photo) on the east side of Curley Rd. (north of Curleyโs intersection with Overpass Rd.; see map) across from the Epperson community, within the Watergrass Master Planned Unit Development. Most of the buildingโs shell is now in place.
This new sign announcing Chick-fil-Aโs latest Wesley Chapel-area location gained quite a bit of attention on social media, as Patricia Elizabeth, who has previously described herself on Facebook as the marketing director for โChick-fil-A Wesley Chapel,โ was quick to step into the conversation and give everyone the link to the storeโs new Facebook page (created on Jan. 31) and explained that it would be, โOwned and operated locally by the same owner as Chick-fil-A Wesley Chapelโ โ the one on S.R. 54 just east of Bruce B. Downs Blvd., on S.R. 56, not the location in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets, as some may have been thinking.ย
The new Chick-fil-A will be located five miles away, on a 1.9-acre lot appraised at more than $1.28 million.
According to Patricia, despite being located in Watergrass, the new store is being called โChick-fil-A Epperson Ranch FL,โ because it was named by corporate. However, she assures everyone that, โWe are happy to be a part of both neighborhoods!โ She also announced that this Chick-fil-A should be open by the end of May. โ JP