Chick-fil-A is coming to Canada. The Atlanta-based fast-food chain announced today that it has selected Toronto as the home to the very first franchised international Chick-fil-A restaurant.
"We've wanted to come to Toronto for a very long time because we believe Toronto is one of the best and most vibrant cities in North America," explains Chick-fil-A president and chief operating officer Tim Tassopoulos in a letter posted on the company's website.
The first Toronto location will open in the first half of 2019. The company plans to open 15 additional restaurants to the greater Toronto area over the next five years.
This is not exactly a first for Canada. Chick-fil-A operated a licensed location at a university in Alberta that closed in the 90s. The company has also operated a limited-menu licensed location in Calgary International Airport since May 2014.
Similarly, it operated several limited-service, licensed restaurants in South Africa for several years beginning in 1996.
The company, which currently has more than 2,300 restaurants in the United States, launched a web page to help Torontonians Eat Mor Chikin. "Toronto's Guide to Chick-fil-A" outlines the flagship Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, waffle fries, sauces, breakfast options and explains the company's closed on Sundays policy.
It also provides the proper pronunciation. "It's not Chick-feel-A or Chick-fil-et. It's pronounced Chick-fill-Eh. (Very Canadian of us.)."
News of the expansion comes just days after Chick-fil-A announced that it would be launching a meal-kit concept in the Atlanta market, making it the first fast-food restaurant to enter the meal-kit sector.
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