Chick-fil-A has expanded its presence in Michigan with the opening of a new restaurant in Auburn Hills, marking the continued growth of the fast-food chain in the Metro Detroit area, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. Located at 2111 N Squirrel Rd, the establishment began serving customers on Thursday and operates from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, offering the brand's signature chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, and other menu items.
Greg Russell, a Detroit native and the new Owner-Operator who once coached youth basketball, is at the helm of this latest Chick-fil-A location, and he expressed an aspiration to focus on communal giveback and care, "My goal is to cultivate a place where love is at the center of everything we do – serving our Guests with care, supporting our Team Members and giving back to the community," Russell said according to a release covered by Detroit Free Press. This opening not only introduces new dining options for residents and students near Oakland University and Meadow Brook Theatre but also brings with it about 130 job opportunities.
In celebration of the launch, Russell has pledged to honor 100 local heroes with complimentary Chick-fil-A entrées for a year, this initiative follows a pattern with the franchise's new restaurant openings which often involve charitable acts such as donating $25,000 to Feeding America, a contribution that will support local hunger relief organizations including Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan and Forgotten Harvest, as per details from MetroTimes.
With nearly 30 Chick-fil-A restaurants now across Michigan and more than a dozen in the metro Detroit area alone, the chain's conspicuous growth aligns with its previous announcement to invest in over two dozen more locations across Michigan by 2028, aiming to create an estimated 2,500 jobs, a move that continues to underline Chick-fil-A's robust and seemingly unwavering appeal among consumers despite past controversies involving its donations to anti-LGBTQ+ causes, the fast-food chain still manages to maintain the top spot for fast food on the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2024 report, as mentioned by Detroit Free Press.
