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Sierra Marling
Chick-fil-A at Richmond Centre will be closed for the summer as it undergoes an extensive remodeling, the restaurant announced last week.
The popular restaurant recently made the announcement on its Facebook page that garnered more than 248 comments and 450 shares.
According to Chick-fil-A, the Richmond location will be closed beginning June 1 and reopening at an undetermined date in the fall.
The post said: “This summer we’re excited to announce our store is getting a remodel! This will allow us to serve you even better in the future.”
The restaurant’s owner/operator Kyle Wells said the remodeling is due to age of Richmond’s restaurant.
“Chick-fil-A, in the lifecycle of a restaurant, they come back to make sure the restaurant stays up-to-date and doesn’t look tired,” he explained. “We are 15 years old now, and so it’s just part of the timing of the life of the restaurant.”
Wells added the current demand is “maxing out” the capacity of the current equipment and the space in the restaurant is also filled during its busy times. The new renovation, he said, will allow the restaurant to add more equipment and space.
Wells also lamented the timing of the remodeling, as the summer months are typically the restaurant’s busiest time of year.
“This was not my choice of timing,” he added.
The restaurant is only one of 135 scheduled Chick-fil-A renovation projects, and while the timing was not ideal for the Richmond Centre’s location, “it is the time that fit.”
One of the leading questions Facebook commenters and other customers have had regarding the renovations is about the future of the indoor play area.
The significance of the indoor playground to local families is not lost on Wells, who said he “delayed that decision” to look at other potential renovation options to save the space; however, he has confirmed the indoor play area will be removed during the renovations to meet official Chick-fil-A capacity requirements.
However, Wells remains optimistic about the changes.
“In the end, we know that this is going to be a good thing for our team and for our community. We’re going to be able to serve Richmond even better once these renovations take place,” he said.
According to Wells, individual meetings were held with current staff to ensure that “they’re taken care of over the summer, whatever that might look like.”
Those staff members will be able to resume their positions after the remodel, and Wells also confirmed that at least 30 new positions will be added at his store in the fall to meet the new capacity the renovations will create.
There will be updates regarding the remodel posted on the Richmond Centre Chick-fil-A’s social media throughout the renovations.
